Breath Of Fire II: War Of The Demons
by Magus523
Summary: Ages have passed since the Second Dragon War, and as the world moves towards its next great conflict, a young man named Ryu travels the roads seeking his fortune...
1. Prologue: Through The Eye Of Another

_**Prologue: Through The Eye Of Another**_

Beneath the surface of the world, but not far, the Demon Lord Barubary slept. And as he slept, though two of his great eyes were tightly closed and unseeing, his third eye was not. For the demon's third eye did not see the dark cave into which he had retreated since the Day Of Opening years ago, but instead saw that which was seen through the eyes of the destined child. Though Barubary slept, still he watched Ryu Bateson of Gate, as the time when the forces of Infinity would strike grew nearer and nearer.

It was a warm and windy day in Gate, an isolated northern town located near the lands of the Wind Clan. Despite this, the population of Gate was human, and travelers belonging to other clans were few and far between; even the Maniro Merchants' Guild hadn't seen fit to establish a toehold in Gate, despite controlling nearly the entire world's economy. Those members of other species that did visit Gate usually came in on ships, and tended not to stay long; not out of any perceived xenophobia, but simply because Gate held little of any interest.

Ryu, a child of seven, sat at the desk in his room, painstakingly attempting to repair a broken fishing rod despite a great deal of commotion from downstairs. Aside from his hair, dark blue in a short topknot, he was an ordinary-looking boy in an undershirt and shorts, barefoot unless forced. His father, Ganer, had given the rod to him with the promise that it was his should he be able to repair it. Though Ryu had no idea how to do so, he nevertheless made the attempt with a great deal of concentration. Some children were like that, especially those with fathers like his.

"Ryu!" Ganer finally called from the lower level, as the boy had known he would eventually. "Come down here!"

"Yes, Father!" Sighing, Ryu rose, still holding the rod in his hand. His house was the finest in Gate, and the only one with two stories. This was only natural, as his father was the local priest of St. Eva, and their home doubled as the cathedral, with their living quarters above it. Descending the stairs, he was immediately confronted by his father, who stood blocking the way off of the stairs, arms crossed.

"Ah, there you are." Ganer Bateson was a stern-faced man in his sixties, his hair and beard both snow-white in sharp contrast to his sun-browned skin. Despite his duties as a priest, he spent just as much time working outdoors with his friends and neighbors, which had kept him healthier than most men half his age. "Working on that, hm? I take it that you've completed the studies I assigned you on our world's history?"

"Yes, father," Ryu repeated, dreading what he knew was coming.

"Good, good." Ganer's eyes twinkled. "In that case, you should easily be able to recount a brief summary of the second Dragon War."

"Of course, father." Ryu took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking again, tone mechanical and dry. "In the year 1010 AD, Emperor Zog ascended the throne of the Dark Dragons, and immediately began embarking upon a campaign for world domination. He announced this plan to the world with the absolute destruction of the Fusion Clan, the Dark Dragons' closest neighbors, whom they had long been on strenuous terms with. The fact that the near-extinction of the entire species was carried out by no more than five men, Zog's elite Tiamat Unit, terrified the world far more than Zog's armies."

"Name them," Ganer told him sharply.

"They were led by Jade, the Gold Lord," Ryu replied. "Emperor Zog's oldest friend, and closest confidante. His second-in-command was Cerl, the White Assassin, a woman of mixed heritage, half Dark Dragon and half Fusion Clan. It's believed that the destruction of her mother's people was partially an act of revenge for her exile. Third to be recruited was Cort, the Blue Alchemist, a brilliant scientist from the town of Spring who was outcast for his dangerous experiments. Also, the brothers Goda, the Black Warrior and Mote, the Red Dreamer."

"And?" Ganer prompted him further.

"The last member of the Tiamat Unit was not present for the massacre of the Fusion Clan," Ryu added. "Sara, the Silver Priestess, joined them ten years later, betraying the Light Dragons. By that time, the Dark Dragon Empire had gained control over the eastern half of the world, and were simultaneously striking against every country in the west. Though the Light Dragons were hardly a threat, living peacefully in the northern town of Drogen, Emperor Zog feared their power nonetheless, and sent Jade to destroy their home. Sara was only an unexpected bonus."

"And where was this town, Drogen, located?" Ganer asked.

"Right here," Ryu said firmly. "Where we now live. Many years after the Second Dragon War ended, one strange day, both the Light and Dark Dragons mysteriously disappeared from the world, leaving their homes undisturbed, as if they had simply vanished. Though New Scande remained abandoned, Drogen was settled by humans, who changed its name to Gate."

"Very good." Ganer smiled. "But you're getting out of order. What happened after the burning of Drogen?"

"A young man of the Light Dragons, enraged by the destruction of his home and what he saw as the kidnapping of his sister, set out on a quest to single-handedly defeat the Dark Dragon Empire, and kill Emperor Zog," Ryu recounted. "He quickly discovered Zog's true goal, the collection of the seven Goddess Keys, which would free the evil Goddess Myria from the magical prison of Pagoda, where she was sealed away following the First Dragon War." He took a deep breath before continuing. "His name was Ryu, even as the hero of the First Dragon War was named."

"And as you are named, too," Ganer reminded him unnecessarily.

"Yes, father," Ryu said quietly. "Ryu's travels took him through each of the countries of the east in turn, foiling the plans of the Dark Dragons wherever he went. In the process, he recovered one of the Goddess Keys from their forces and beat them to the locations of three more. He was joined in these endeavors by Nina, Princess of the Wing Clan; Bo, a hunter from the Forest Clan; Karn, a young thief from the outlaw town of Bleak who was a survivor of the Fusion Clan; Gobi, a Maniro merchant of the underwater metropolis Prima; and Ox, a blacksmith from the Builder Clan."

"Good, but you forgot one." Ganer cuffed him lightly. "Deis, the Legendary Sorceress of Wisdon, also joined them during the first half of their adventure, though only shortly before the climax. I trust you remember the details of _that?_"

"The conflict came to a head at the Battle of Prima, a sea war in which half of the entire Dark Dragon Navy was destroyed," Ryu explained, rubbing his shoulder. "The Dark Dragons attempted to destroy Prima, and Fleet Admiral Cean, their highest ranking military officer, was slain in combat. This brought Ryu and his friends to the attention of the Tiamat Unit as they continued into the lands of the east, which were already under the Dark Dragon Empire's control."

"Better," Ganer conceded. "What then?"

"Though each initial encounter with a member of the Tiamat Unit resulted in their spectacular defeat, Ryu and his men survived every time, and eventually triumphed, slaying one member after another," Ryu continued. "Cort was the first to fall, followed by Mote, and then Cerl. While doing so, they were joined by their last ally, Mogu, a youth of the Mole Clan. They also managed to wrest two more Goddess Keys from the Tiamat Unit, even as they advanced on Scande. In the end, they successfully infiltrated the palace, and in a titanic battle, they slew Emperor Zog."

"But the War was not over then, was it?" Ganer asked, smiling slightly.

"No," Ryu agreed. "Sara, whose identity had remained unknown to them, managed to trick them into turning over all of their Goddess Keys to her. Already possessing the seventh, the remaining half of the Tiamat Unit then went to release Myria from Pagoda. Though Ryu and his men pursued them, Sara held them off midway through the magical prison. Forced to kill his own sister, Ryu was still too late to stop Jade and Goda from releasing Myria, who promptly raised her flying fortress, Obelisk, from where it was buried beneath Scande."

"You _have_ been studying," Ganer said approvingly. "Very good, Ryu. How was the war concluded, then?"

"Ryu and his friends sought the blessing of the Dragon God, Ladon," Ryu explained. "With his aid, they attacked Obelisk head-on. There, they slew both Goda and Jade, and then, inexplicably, the Goddess Myria herself as well. Obelisk exploded above the skies of the world, raining debris across the land, but Ryu and his men escaped, to go down in history as the saviors of civilization. Zog's heir, his only daughter, immediately surrendered, and the Dark Dragons began rebuilding as a more peaceful society. Mogu, Ox, Gobi, Karn and Bo all returned to their homelands as heroes."

"And Deis, Ryu and Nina?" Ganer asked.

"Deis returned to the ruins of Wisdon in the southeastern desert, and her eternal slumber," Ryu said, slightly skeptically. "Legend says she will awaken again when the world needs her once more. Ryu and Nina returned home as well, and then proceeded to marry, despite both their class disparity and the global laws against inter-clan unions."

"I'll test your knowledge of the sociological results of that another day," Ganer told him, patting him on the head. "For now, I'm satisfied that you haven't been neglecting your studies. Of course, stories of warring Gods are ridiculous, but in those days, St. Eva had not yet revealed himself to the world. It's only natural that men back then would worship powerful spirits, as it is that those spirits would find themselves in conflict with each other. Now then, I'm sure you heard Yua down here. She's run off again."

"Let me guess." Ryu relaxed, smiling slightly, now that the interrogation was done. "Nap time again?"

"How did you know?" Ganer replied just as wryly. "Somehow, I get the feeling she doesn't like naps. Maybe she's just going through a rebellious phase, or maybe it's because..." He trailed off. "Well, I can never find her when she gets out of the house. Can you go chase her down? You always seem to know."

"I'll try," Ryu hedged. He knew where his sister was, of course, but he'd promised her not to tell their father.

"Good boy." Ganer nodded. "Off you go, then. I'll let you get back to that rod once you bring her in."

"Thank you, father." Bowing, Ryu ran out of the house after his sister. Yua was only three, but like him, she was very intelligent for her age. In Yua's case, though, that was coupled with a willful streak she'd had even as a baby. Closing the door behind him, Ryu set off down the cobblestone path, nodding to the villagers as he passed by them towards the northern end of the town. As he passed, he kept his ears open, listening for anything said about him or his family.

"There goes Ryu," One of his neighbors commented to his wife. "He always looks so serious about everything."

"Well, it's been three years since his mother's death," She reminded him. "Nobody can cry forever. He's growing up fast, unlike his sister." She shook her head. "She still thinks her mother is alive, you know."

"Is that why she's always going up behind the village?" He asked quietly. "She's going to get hurt one of these days if she keeps doing that."

Looking away, Ryu increased his pace until he was out of hearing range. Gate was a small town, with simple houses and few streets. The people spent most of their days at work, either out in the fields or at other occupations, but they were devout in their worship of St. Eva, and friendly to each other and to travelers. The monsters in the area were relatively weak, and the men and women of the village easily able to protect themselves when necessary. For the most part, there was little to fear for a young boy.

That had all changed one night three years ago, but Ryu preferred not to think about that. Instead, he continued north until he reached the edge of the town, where an elderly neighbor was loading hay off of a cart near a glen leading up into the mountains.

"Ah, Ryu." He winked. "Off chasing Yua again? Listen, when you see your father, give him a warning from me. A ship stopped by down at the coast today-we really should see about getting some actual docks built there-and they said that there've been a lot of surprisingly young thieves going around lately. Apparently, they go to churches of St. Eva claiming to be orphans seeking help, and then steal everything they can get their hands on. Tell him to be careful if any show up, hm?"

"I will," Ryu promised as he made his way through the high grass into the glen. As soon as he was clear of the village, he relaxed further, a tension he didn't even understand leaving his body. Yua wasn't the only one who loved this place; everything seemed more vibrant and colorful in the glen. More alive. The tall grass would make navigation difficult for strangers, but Ryu knew all of the paths by practice, and could find any of the three gates for which the town had been named without fail on any day. Today, he went straight north, towards the largest, central portal.

The dragon was there, as it always was, visible as soon as he emerged from the undergrowth. It was no humanoid Dragon Clansman like in the legends, but a titanic beast larger than even his house. Its foreclaws held two of the three gates in the mountainside closed, and its head dangled over the third, a barricade greater than any lock. Though its silver-white scales were harder than steel and its claws and fangs fearsomely long and sharp, its closed eyes gave its face an oddly kind, gentle expression as it slept eternally, watching over their town as it had for as long as Ryu could remember.

Yua was on her back below the dragon's head, completely unafraid of it. Even as a baby, she'd never shown the slightest trace of fear, any more than Ryu had. Eyes closed, she didn't stir as Ryu walked up, but he knew better than to fall for that. Like him, her hair was an unnatural blue color, twin pigtails in her case. Her dress was a simple, armless white one, and like him, she preferred to avoid shoes.

"Hello, Yua," he said frankly.

"Hello, Ryu," she replied, just as calm. "I'm supposed to be taking a nap."

"Father doesn't like it when you come up here to take naps," Ryu reminded her. "He doesn't like coming up here."

"Father's mean," she told him, still keeping her eyes closed. "He hits you. I don't like when he does that. It serves him right if I run up here for my naps."

"He doesn't hit _you_," Ryu pointed out. "And he only hits me when I mess up, and then not as hard as some of the other villagers hit their sons."

"He only doesn't hit me because I'm a girl," She rebutted. "And I still don't like it. Besides, I sleep better up here. I always have nice dreams when I sleep under here, with her. I like her. She likes me, too."

"I know, Yua." Ryu sighed. For some reason, arguing with her always turned out this way. Before he could continue, though, he heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. It didn't sound quite like footsteps, and he couldn't see an adult's head poking out of the grass. He knew what that meant; it might have been an animal, but that was doubtful. "Yua, stand up and get behind me, up against the mountainside. Run for help if you see a chance."

Less than a second later, the beak attacked.

A local monster, the Gonghead beak was the weakest member of the species. Though its face was birdlike, that was the only part about it that resembled any other lifeform; the rest of its body was spherical, covered with a leathery, spiked blue hide. How the strange creatures were able to hover in the air was a mystery to him, but he knew they were a threat; he'd seen adults fight them off, killing the hungry monsters when they swooped out of bushes or trees. This one was clearly no exception; without hesitating, it dove at Ryu, beak gaping in a fierce screech.

He fought the urge to dive to the side, despite a sudden burst of fear that ran through his body. Instead, he tightened his grip on the rod in his hands, and as the monster bit into his shoulder, he screamed and struck it, knocking it away from him in a splash of blood. It hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before, but he ignored it, jumping on the beak and whacking it again and again with the rod, frantically trying to beat it down.

Enraged, the monster fought back, ramming him with its body. The leathery spikes gouged him, and he stumbled back, only for it to savage his leg. Somehow, he summoned up the strength to hit it away again, but then he faltered, leg unable to hold him up. Bleeding and whimpering, he held back tears as the monster rose into the sky once more, sensing its prey's weakness. Taking a moment to settle itself, it leered down at Ryu, then drew back, preparing to finish him off.

"Ryu!" Ganer's voice boomed through the air. "Get out of the way!" Hearing him, the beak paused, but Ryu knew better than it what that warning meant. He flung himself to the left, away from the monster, despite his injuries. As soon as he was clear, the sky opened up, and death rained from above. Spears of lightning as wide around as a human drove straight down, obliterating the beak entirely and opening up blast craters in the earth below. As quickly as it had struck, the magic was gone then, leaving only two very frightened children below the dragon's head.

"So here you are, Yua." Ganer emerged from the tall grass, face a mystery. Holding his hands up, he cast a healing spell on his son, and the wounds from the beak closed up, the pain receding in a matter of seconds. "I've asked you both not to come up here. That was very dangerous."

"I'm sorry, Father!" Ryu whimpered, still somehow managing to hold in the tears. "I'm so sorry about this!"

"Why are you sorry, Ryu?" Ganer asked him, sounding honestly baffled. "You came here to look for Yua, like I asked you. And then you protected her against that monster. You're growing up to be a very brave boy. No, if this is anybody's fault, it's mine. If that beast was able to get in here, then the wards around the town must be growing weak, and I haven't noticed. I should have redone them weeks ago."

"If monsters aren't supposed to get in here, why don't you want us coming?" Yua asked suddenly. "I just wanted to see Mom again, that's all!"

"Oh, Yua." Ganer sighed heavily, suddenly seeming much older than he usually did. "There are far too many memories associated with this place for an old man like me, in ways you're too young to understand just yet. Besides, you know very well that your mother..." He sighed again.

"I know," Yua admitted. "She's gone. But when I take my nap here, she comes to talk to me in my dreams. That's why I ran up here when you told me it was nap time!"

"She does, does she?" Ganer stared up at the dragon. "Yua... have I ever told you how your mother died?"

"No," Yua replied after a moment, suddenly sounding very afraid. "Nobody has."

"It was three years ago." Ganer's eyes clouded over. "These gates, which had been impossible to open for as long as our people could remember, suddenly burst, releasing hordes of demons into the world. We fought back, of course, but their leaders were more powerful than anything we could ever imagine. Just when we thought all was lost, this dragon appeared, and with its aid, your mother and I were able to drive them away with our magic. In the end, your mother's wounds proved fatal, despite her vast knowledge of white magic. I've always wondered if, had I chosen to study it as well instead of specializing in black magic, I might have been able to save her."

"But then you wouldn't have been able to help the dragon fight off the demons, right?" Yua asked suddenly. "Then they would have killed us all."

"Perhaps." Ganer still looked glum. "Perhaps. Even so, I wasn't strong enough. If I'd only had more power, studied magic even more..."

"That's not true either!" Ryu told him. "Your magic saved all of us! Everybody in the village says so! They say you and that dragon were the only ones who could stand against those demons! They say you could have been the strongest magician in the world if you hadn't devoted your life to St. Eva instead!"

"Do they, now?" Ganer looked at him oddly. "You have sharp ears as well, then, Ryu. I doubt they tell you such things to your face. Have you been using the Dragon Tear your mother left you on our neighbors as well?"

"Not very often." Ryu squirmed. "Not nearly as much as I used to."

"I suppose that's the best I can expect, in that regard," Ganer commented wryly. "At any rate, no sooner were the demons vanquished than did the dragon fall asleep here, telling us only that as long as it was undisturbed, no force on earth could open these gates from either side. I suppose we'll never know who built them now, or what lies beyond them. Perhaps that's for the best." He sighed, laying a hand on the side of the dragon's muzzle.

"Dad?" Ryu asked quietly.

"Three years, and I still feel as if my life is empty without her," Ganer continued, as if he hadn't heard. "Some days, I almost can't believe she was ever there in the first place. So much about her was a mystery, even to me..." He shook his head. "I just hope that she feels the same way as you two do about that day."

"She does!" Yua insisted. "I told you, she's in my dreams when I nap here! She told me all about this already! She misses you too, dad, but she says she knows you'll take care of us!" All her previous complaints about Ganer seemed forgotten. "And she says not to work yourself too hard trying to prove you're as tough as the younger men! They all know you are already!"

"Hahaha, that does sound like her," Ganer admitted. "She did always tell me that. I never understood how she could love a man so much older than her. Perhaps St. Eva does bring her to visit you in your dreams, Yua. Why don't we go back down to the house and talk about that?" He glanced at his son. "Coming, Ryu?"

"Nah," Ryu muttered. As always, talking about their mother unsettled him. "I'll just stay up here, if that's okay."

"There shouldn't be any more monsters around," Ganer said, glancing around the glen. "Very well, then. But be back before it gets dark. Come, Yua."

"All right, Dad." Yua turned to Ryu. "Try napping here, like I said, Ryu! Maybe you'll see mom in your dreams as well!" Grabbing her father's hand, she let him lead her down the trail, back towards Gate.

Though he hadn't noticed it before, Ryu did in fact suddenly feel oddly sleepy. It was a warm and windy day, and the breeze felt pleasant on his face. Laying his rod on the dirt at his side, the boy lay down on his back, eyes gazing at the sky, as if he were watching clouds. It was not long before they closed, and he fell into a deep slumber.

"Aahhh..." As the destined child's eye closed, so did the third eye of the Demon Lord Barubary, as his other two eyes opened instead. Stretching his vast limbs with a great creaking of bones and cracking of chitin, he yawned once, and then he spoke, his terrible voice carrying through every inch of the cavernous tunnels through the mountain range he and his lurked beneath. "The time has come! The destined child is separated from the town! Go, and finish what was started three years ago, in the name of he who is both King and God!"  
When the echoes of his command had faded from the caves, there was silence for a time. Eventually, Barubary's ears picked up a familiar scratching sound approaching, accompanied by soft footsteps. Turning himself, he regarded the much smaller form of his only equal among even the Demon Lords.

"Hail, greatest of demons," the Demon Lord Habaruku greeted him sardonically, leaning on the cane he'd used for the last three years. Though they now held equal rank under their King and God, before his coming, Barubary had been the King of Infinity for eons with Habaruku as his most eminent servant and adviser. Despite Barubary's abdication, neither of them questioned which of them commanded the other.

"Hail, greatest of demons," Barubary replied. "Have the raiding party already departed, then? I would have thought you would be going with them."

"Ganer would recognize my presence approaching," Habaruku explained sourly. "Besides, Aruhameral is more than capable of command. He'll make sure everything goes well."

"Perhaps," Barubary acknowledged. "Normally, I would have preferred that Kuwadora or Shupukay do so, but in this situation, Aruhameral may be the best choice. His talents will likely prove highly effective against Ganer." He smiled, feeling the same sense of contempt he always did when talking to his oldest, closest friend. "Speaking of the old man, I would think that you would be eager to take revenge on him for your loss."

"Later, Barubary," Habaruku hissed. "Ganer will have a very long time to regret crippling me, I assure you. What of you, then? Have you no desire to repay Valerie for _your_ defeat on that night when we returned to the surface of the world?"

"None at all." Barubary shrugged. "My injuries have all healed by now, and even had they not, I am not the type to hold grudges. I am a warrior, as is Valerie. Our conflict was a natural thing, and now it is over. My mind is on my next battle, not my last one."

"You truly are different," Habaruku said with a chuckle. "Perhaps it's because you're the eldest of us. You cast aside your mortality eons before even I. Sometimes I wonder if you've gone all the way around, and started to think like them from the other side again."

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Barubary asked, speaking another name, one that hadn't been heard for millenia.

"Do you mind?" Habaruku looked away sourly. "_That_ name. I'd rather you not use it."

"My apologies," Barubary said honestly. It was odd, for him, to realize there was something he actually respected, but even the greatest of demons was imperfect.

"Hmph." Habaruku glanced back up, and a strange look came into his eyes. "Has _he_ contacted you?"

"As before, not since we left Infinity." Barubary shook his massive head. "Either even his voice is barred from the world above, or he simply chooses not to speak to us. We know our orders, after all. There would be little point."

"And he does so hate wasting his attention on pointless things," Habaruku commented dryly. "Very well then. I'll be off. Aruhameral should have everything wrapped up by the time I get to the town, and I'll be able to take things from there." His eyes glittered maliciously as he turned around. "Give the old war heroes my regards, should they pay you a visit."

"Of course." Barubary grinned. "Have fun, old friend." As the sounds of Habaruku's feet and cane faded away, he settled down again, sensing the destined child was about to awaken. Smiling, he opened his third eye once more, and sent his thoughts out to the mind of the sleeping boy. _More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

Eyes slamming open, Ryu awakened from the familiar nightmare, whimpering. No matter how many times he saw the eye, with its grey-scaled sideways eyelids over light purple tissue, the bloodshot green eyeball and fiery orange pupil, it still frightened him more than anything he ever saw in the real world. Even sleeping under the dragon hadn't banished it from his dreams. Shaking his head with disappointment, he began making his way back to the village, noticing idly that the birds had stopped singing and no butterflies flew through the air.

As soon as he entered Gate, he knew that something was very, very wrong. It wasn't apparent at first, but something in the air had changed; there was a faint, sweet smell that was unfamiliar to him. As he walked down the path, his sense of alarm grew. Though he didn't stop to talk, the townspeople all looked at him as if he were a stranger. Some of them looked worried, others suspicious, but both were equally disturbing, coming from people he'd known his entire life.

On a hunch, he reached into his shirt and pulled out the Dragon Tear he wore on a string around his neck. The only thing his mother had left him, it was a magical, teardrop-shaped jewel set in a silver frame cast in a dragon's shape. Its color changed to reflect the opinions and feelings of whoever it was focused on towards the user. It had taken him some time to learn to interpret the colors, but he knew them well now. Normally, they were a range of yellow colors, verging into green for the most kindly disposed towards him, indicating friendly neutrality.

Today, they were orange, and in some cases even red. These people held no positive feelings towards him, if not active dislike.

Still avoiding conversation, Ryu started running, bolting down the dirt path towards his home. Bursting into the cathedral, he froze. What had been strange outside was nothing compared to what he saw before him. The largest man Ryu had ever seen was standing behind the altar, polishing a candlestick. Despite his old age, he was tall with broad shoulders and a muscular frame, head completely bald and face dangling an impressive gray mustache. More importantly, he was wearing the brown robes of a Priest of St. Eva, the same kind Ganer wore on formal occasions.

"Yes, child?" The stranger said, not looking up for a moment. When he did, his shaggy brows creased in worry. "Oh... another stray? Are you an orphan as well? Welcome to the house of St. Eva, then."

"Who are you?" Ryu demanded. "Where's Father Ganer?"

"Father... Ganer?" The priest said curiously. "I'm afraid I've never heard that name before. As far as I know, no such man serves the church of St. Eva. I am Father Hulk, the priest of this humble village for more than fifteen years now."

"What?" Ryu looked around wildly. Nothing looked familiar; the tiny things that identified the building as his home-Ganer's fishing trophies on the wall, Yua's toys left lying under the pews, his own shoddy attempt at a wooden practice sword in a corner-were all gone. The cathedral still had the same layout, but it was like somebody had tried to build it from scratch without knowing anything about who lived there.

"You may think of this as your own home for as long as you wish to stay in Gate," Hulk was rambling on, apparently unconcerned. "The church would never turn away a poor child like you, even if you were a thief, perhaps one who stowed aboard the ship that came today... but then, if you were, you would be disappointed, for this is a humble church, with little of value. But that's exceedingly unlikely, so let us put that thought aside. As it so happens, another orphan has also wandered into my church today." He clapped his hands sharply. "Bow!"

"Yes, Father?" Another boy, seemingly Ryu's age, ran down the stairs. He was of no Clan Ryu recognized; though his features were canid, they were unlike the wolfen Forest Clan. Instead, his floppy ears and short muzzle gave his chubby face the appearance of a beagle. Though he had no hair on his head, his body was covered with short, brown-and-white patched fur. His undershirt and shorts were similar to Ryu's, though much shabbier.

"This is..." Hulk turned to Ryu. "Oh, bother. What was your name?"

"Ryu." He said without much enthusiasm. "Ryu Bateson."

"Well, there you go." Hulk fingered his bristling mustache. "He'll be living with us as well from now on. I suppose that means you'll have somebody to help you with cleaning this cathedral from top to bottom tomorrow."

"Of course, Father." Bow lowered his head respectfully, but then he winked at Ryu. Unsure of what to do, Ryu winked back. This seemed to satisfy the other boy; raising his head again, he turned back to Hulk. "We'll serve in whatever way St. Eva feels is worthy in order to earn our food and bed here."

"Hm, speaking of that, it's time for dinner." Hulk walked out from behind the lectern. "Follow me, boys."

Dinner was a subdued affair. Ryu, for obvious reasons, was depressed beyond what he'd believed himself to be capable of, and neither of the other two seemed inclined towards conversation over their meal either. The quality of the food didn't help matters; bread and water was a far cry from Ganer's skill in the kitchen. After helping Bow with the dishes, Ryu excused himself and went up to what had been his and Yua's room. Like the lower floor, it was stark and bore no familiar traces, all of their possessions gone. He supposed he would be sharing it with Bow instead, now. What truly disturbed him, though, was the thought of Hulk sleeping in his father's bed.

Climbing into bed, he stared up at the ceiling, but didn't sleep. His mind raced through the day's events, still trying to convince himself that there was some reasonable explanation. Despite his efforts, though, none presented itself, and he was forced to conclude that logic was no longer applicable. The hope that it was all a nightmare he would awaken from faded more and more with every passing minute. Engrossed in his own thoughts, he didn't even look over when Bow entered the room and silently blew out the candles before climbing into bed as well.

When he climbed back _out_ of bed, however, Ryu _did_ raise his head to watch as the other boy began closely examining the room, opening the closets and rifling through the drawers. Judging from the sounds of disgust he made, he wasn't impressed with what he found.

"What a cheap place," Bow muttered eventually. "Guess the candlesticks might be worth something, but that's about it."

"What are you doing?" Ryu asked, sliding out of bed. On an impulse, he used his Dragon Tear, which came up teal. Despite how they'd just met, Bow was feeling more friendly towards him than most people he'd known all his life.

"Come on, no need to play dumb," Bow said, grinning as he pinched out the candles. "Same gig as me, right? Give the old man the orphan sob story to get in, then see what's around once the lights are out? Don't worry, he's already asleep; he snores like a foghorn."

"You've got good ears," Ryu complimented him. His were better than most humans, and he couldn't hear anything.

"Thanks!" Bow slipped the candles into a sack in the corner, apparently his. "Anyways, we can take a look around the rest of this place, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. If it's like this room, we'll just be wasting our time." He winked again. "Maybe we'd have more luck in a bigger town, huh? Of course, the story'll probably be harder to sell there. It might look better if we went together, you know what I'm saying?"

"You want to team up?" Ryu asked slowly, still working his way through the other boy's assumption that he was an orphan thief as well.

"Yeah, why not!" Bow held out his hand. "I've heard of other guys working this before, but I've never met any. You look tough and smart, and watching each others' back helps us both out. What do you say? Partners?"

"All right." Ryu took his hand and shook it. "Partners." It wasn't as difficult as decision as one would think. The idea of staying here, living with an unfamiliar man in what had been his family's home and being scowled at by friends who no longer remembered him, was completely out of the question. Bow's suggestion had provided him with a way out he hadn't even thought of, and he wasn't going to pass it up; it was unlikely he'd get a better one. "We can raid the pantry for food, at least. And maybe medicine, too."

"Good idea!" Bow agreed. "I wouldn't have thought of that. See, we'll be great partners! Come on, grab your stuff."

"Right." Ryu checked the drawers just in case any of his spare clothing was there, but he wasn't in luck. Sighing, he hefted his fishing rod. "I'll need to repair this before it's any use, but it'll come in handy down the line."

"You know how to fish, huh?" Bow guessed. "Nice. With that and my sling, we'll be able to scrounge up enough food on the road. We should still see what's in the pantry, all the same, though. Just in case."

"Is that where we're going?" Ryu whispered as they slipped out of their room and down the stairs. "The road north?"

"The only other way off this dead-end is by ship," Bow explained. "And hanging around the harbor waiting for one to stow away on is way too risky. I got lucky; there was one right there after my last job. I didn't know it would be taking me somewhere like this, but that's the way it goes." He shrugged philosophically and opened the door to the kitchen. "Let's try and take stuff that'll last as long as possible."

"Sounds good to me," Ryu agreed, checking the top shelf where his father used to keep medical supplies. For once, something went right; Hulk seemed to do the same. "There's some herbs up here too, in case we get hurt." He filled an old potato sack, adding his rod to it as well, then slung it over his shoulder like Bow's. "All right, let's get out of here." The two of them slipped out the front door and began creeping down the road, keeping an eye out for anybody else out at this hour.

"Yeep!" Bow squealed, jumping suddenly, as they passed a clump of trees. "What's _that_?"

"What's what?" Ryu glanced around, then realized what had startled his friend. "That's just the old statue of Ladon."

"Oh, right." Bow walked over and stared up at it, and after a moment, Ryu joined him. "You know, I never really got why people say they're creepy. I kind of like them." Ladon, the Dragon God, had been the most popular of the spirits worshiped by primitive people before St. Eva had revealed himself to the world. From what Ryu had heard, every city in the world had an ancient statue of him somewhere.

"Me too," Ryu agreed, putting a hand on it. Though the temples that had once housed them had crumbled away with time, the statues themselves were made from an unknown rock, and apparently indestructible. He'd read that they were originally a glossy black, but age and exposure to the elements had changed this one to a pale green color. His father had always told him to stay away from the statue, but for some reason, he _had_ always felt a strange affinity for it. After a moment, he turned away. "We'd better get out of here."

"Yeah, we're gonna want to be a long way away by sunup." Bow agreed, the two of them leaving through the south gate. The road soon turned west, and they trudged along, looking around carefully for any prowling beasts. "Any idea what kind of monsters we're gonna have to watch out for around here?"

"Mostly beaks," Ryu said, watching the skies. "Sludges, but even kids like us can take those."

"Gonghead or Sniphead?" Bow asked apprehensively.

"Gonghead."

"Okay, good." He exhaled. "Had me worried there for a moment. We'll be able to see 'em coming, then, as long as we stay on the road, and I can drive 'em off with my sling."

"You're good with it?" Ryu asked, continuing the conversation more out of a need for distraction than actual curiosity.

"I can hit a Gonghead at a hundred paces," Bow bragged. "My aim never fails. What I really want is to get a crossbow, but it's kind of hard finding somebody who'll sell a kid our age one of those, you know? Even if I could afford one." He shrugged. "We'll figure it out eventually. Find a big city, score a heist, and get rich young."

"You're optimistic." Ryu couldn't help but smile.

"Better than frowning all the time, right?" Bow did as well. "Cheer up, buddy! People might start thinking that hair of yours is getting to you. It's real, isn't it? Don't think I've ever seen anybody with blue hair before."

"My sister had it too," Ryu said without thinking. Instantly, his thoughts went to Yua. Closing his eyes, he kept talking. "We got it from our mother. I don't know why she had it, but I guess it runs in the family."

"You remember them, huh?" Bow asked curiously. He hesitated a bit before continuing. "Do you know... what happened to them?"

"My mom died three years ago," Ryu said honestly. "My dad and sister... I don't know. One day they were just... gone."

"I'm sorry, man." Bow put a hand on his shoulder, the enthusiasm gone from his voice for once. "That's gotta be worse than even being an orphan. At least then you know for sure."

"Your parents?" Ryu asked cautiously.

"Yeah." Bow nodded. "I'm a half-breed, see. My mother was Forest Clan, and my father was Grassrunner. They got caught."

"You mean..." Ryu's eyes widened.

"Death penalty, for both of 'em," Bow said it simply, as if it didn't matter, but his eyes told a different story. "It's a global law, isn't it? Everybody knows what happened to the Wing Clan after that one time. Hell, look at me. I don't have the Breath of Wood _or_ Grass. I've tried. I'm just lucky they didn't kill me, too." He shook his head suddenly. "Anyways, think we'll be able to make it to the mountains by morning?"

"We should," Ryu replied. "It's not all that far. Just a few more miles."

"Good." Bow nodded. "Then we should... aw, no." He paused, sniffing the air. "You gotta be kidding me."

"What is it?" Ryu started looking around, worried.

"Smells like rain, that's what!" Bow broke into a run, and Ryu followed him. "We better hurry! There'll be some shelter around there, with any luck!"

"You really think so?" Ryu asked, already feeling light sprinkles.

"You got any better ideas?"

"Nope."  
They stopped talking then, keeping their breath and concentrating on running. The downpour came shortly afterwards, and in a matter of seconds they were absolutely drenched. Before long, Ryu lost track of time entirely, with no idea how long they'd been out. Still, they pressed on, and eventually, they saw the mountain range ahead growing closer and closer.

"There!" He pointed. "A cave, over that way!"

"Let's go!" Bow panted, and the two of them bolted for it. As soon as they were inside, both of them fell over onto their hands and knees, and spent the next few minutes doing nothing but catching their breath. "At least... we won't... have to worry... about beaks now."

"Yeah." Ryu stood up. "I just hope there aren't any monsters in this cave." Suddenly, he was aware of just how completely pitch black it was inside the cave.

"Crud!" Bow jumped to his feet as well. "I didn't think of that! Hold on, hold on..." After a moment, the flame of a lit match appeared, then settled onto a candle he was holding by the stick. "Good thing I swiped these from the church. We'd better take a look around, just to be sure. Here." Lighting another candlestick, he gave it to Ryu. "Come on, let's-whoa! Over there!" He ran off, and after a moment, Ryu followed.

What he'd seen turned out to be very strange. A length of spheres, bulbous red, ridged flesh on their undersides with heavy gray spiked plates on top. One end was a single, long purple spike; the other was beyond the range of their candlelight. As they stared at it, it began moving, dragging off away from them into the cavern's depths.

"Think we should follow it?" Bow asked, excited.

"What if it's a monster?" Ryu replied, but his heart wasn't in it. He was just as curious as his friend.

"It didn't attack us, did it?" Bow argued. "Even the part we could see was bigger than both of us together. If it was a monster, it could have killed us easily. It's gotta be something else. Come on, let's find out!" He ran after the dragging noises, and after a moment, Ryu followed. The cave was deep and dark, but though the walls narrowed at times, it was never even close to being a problem for them to fit through. They chased the strange thing with ease, until the walls suddenly widened dramatically around them into a massive chamber, and they saw, far too late, what their mistake had been.

What had seemed so huge to them was only the tail of the monstrosity crouched in the center of the chamber, now twitching around behind it restlessly. Its base was squat and vaguely cylindrical, a gray-armored mass with six insect legs spaced evenly around it. Above that, the thing's torso rose, towering as tall as a house, its back bent and curved under folded, vestigial wings. Two horrible arms sprouted from the sides like branches with no trace of shoulders, armored even more heavily than the rest of the beast. No traces of red ribbed flesh could be seen on those, plates of natural armor overlapping to end in rows of wicked, hooked claws.

It was the beast's head, however, that was the true horror. Rather than rearing above it, the head extended out in front on an unnaturally lengthy column of flesh. Broad with horns and finlike protrusions, its mouth extended along the bottom of the skull and up the sides, splitting the lower half of the head apart without any seperate jawbone. The only features on the actual front of the face were its three eyes, two of which were thankfully closed. But the third, in the center of its forehead, was open, blazing golden light.

And so it was that the Demon Lord Barubary saw himself through the eyes of another, even as he awakened.

"Ah..." Barubary hissed. "So you have come to me."

"A m... m..." Bow tried to scream, but the word wouldn't come. Ryu knew what he was thinking; the word "monster" seemed inadequate to describe something of this magnitude. There was only one word he knew that would be appropriate.

"A _demon_," He whimpered, hand shaking as he brought the Dragon Tear up. Its color was one he'd never seen before, as black as night, but its meaning was clear.

"Demons aren't real!" Bow said shrilly. "Demons aren't real! Demons aren't-"

With a contemptuous flick of his tail, Barubary slapped him away, and the boy crashed into the cavern wall before sliding to the bottom, eyes vacant.

Staring at Bow, Ryu turned back to Barubary, then slowly drew his rod from his pack, eyes defiant.

"You wish to fight me?" Barubary asked, voice deep and terrible. Staring down at Ryu, and at himself through Ryu's eyes, he did something else them, something even more horrifying. He began to laugh. "Truly, you are the one we have been waiting for! Very well then... show me your resolve, and I will reward you as is your due for such bravery!"

Before he had even finished talking, Ryu attacked, launching himself at the demon wildly. He knew that there was no hope of succeeding, but the sight of his friend being brutalized had lit his brain on fire. Without even thinking about what he was doing, he lunged at Barubary, striking at the beast's legs blindly.

Barubary watched him flail for several moments, eyes amused, before lashing out with one terrible arm, backhanding him twenty feet into the air and watching him fall back down with bone-breaking force.

"Come, Ryu." Barubary's voice rumbled, even as the boy's consciousness faded. "Let me see you open the gate, destined child. Then, and only then, will you know the true power of he who is God!"

As his eyes closed, as his mind faded, and as his body screamed in pain, Ryu's heart finally succumbed to despair. And as it did, he no longer saw the cavern, or the demon who had broken him without even the slightest hint of effort. He saw another world, deep beneath the surface of the one he knew, but not far. He saw a tower, one that stretched down instead of up, wide and vast beyond imagination, floating in an empty darkness that was vaster still. Down and down and further down still, the tower fell, until there was nothing but silence and emptiness, at the bottom of the dark.

And as he embraced the vision, as his ears were filled with Barubary's shriek of exultation, he felt it tearing at the edge of his reality, eager to embrace it, to replace it.

"_You are the one!_" Barubary's cry filled the cavern, even as his third eye closed, and the mind of the destined child with it.

Alone once more, the demon lord Barubary stared down at the fallen boy. He would live, of course; Barubary had been careful of that. So would the other, the loyal one, though his necessity was far less strong than that of the boy. Still, destiny had touched them both, and Barubary was wary of tampering with that out of whimsy. Only in absolute confidence would he chance attempting to alter that which he knew was fated to happen. Staring down at the destined child, alone and unprotected, he felt the temptation to do just that, to open the gate now, when he knew there would be no unwanted interference.

But then he heard the approaching footsteps, and he knew he had been foolish to assume he had not been seen.

"That's quite enough, Barubary," a voice snapped out of the darkness. "Don't be an idiot. Damage him permanently, and we _all_ lose."

"He knows that," another voice snarled. "The kid's tough. He'll recover. Good thing we got here when we did, all the same. He might have been tempted to break the deal, otherwise. Wouldn't you, Barubary?"

"Perhaps," the Demon Lord rumbled, voice becoming amused. "It's been some time. Welcome, Ryu and Ryu."

The two old men walking towards him were a study in opposites, aside from their age and gender. One was tall and strong, still well-muscled despite his age, clean-shaven with his white hair long but well-groomed. A horizontal scar stretched across his forehead, still unhealed despite the centuries since he'd received it, and he wore undecorated robes in red. The other was bent and twisted, hunchbacked and burly, his arms like oak branches. His hair and beard were just as white and long, but they were an unruly mess. His robes were white, and on them was the mark of Ladon, the Dragon God.

"That's really very confusing, you know," the latter remarked to the former. "We should really pick other names, at least for when we're having these meetings."

"Says the man with a thousand of them." The other one snorted. "What, should we call you 'Uncle Specs' again? You'll have to come up with one for me too, then. I'm lousy at that."

"It works." The first one shrugged. "How about 'Martin,' then?"

"Whatever." The other old man glanced up at Barubary. "Let's get on with this, then. We're all out of time to dawdle, now."

"Very well," Barubary agreed, still amused. The magic of changing shape and form was simple and familiar to all demons, even one like him, who had studied the art but little. Shrinking and shifting, he became a similarly ancient human, taller then Martin but much leaner, with a short beard and hairstyle, clad in black robes with his own God's image upon them. "This should make things a bit more convenient."

"Very funny." Specs rolled his eyes. Snapping his fingers, he conjured a table and three chairs, and they all sat down, ignoring the fallen children. "Your number two's been cheating, by the way. He thinks we didn't notice, but we did."

"Oh?" Barubary glanced at the mixed-breed boy. "I can hazard a guess as to how." He shrugged. "He will be punished."

"Charming way to talk about your best friend," Martin commented. "Sometimes you demons seriously make me reconsider my decision to become a neutral party."

"That decision need not be permanent," Specs said gently. "There is always time to reconsider, old friend. You can still come back to us."

"And then one of _you_ says something like _that_, and I remember why," Martin growled angrily. "I told you the same thing I told Ladon, Specs. I gave him one last chance, and he crossed that line too. I'm done with him, and you, and your entire damned religion. Keep trying to rerecruit me, and maybe I'll actually team up with Barubary here just to wipe you all from the face of the world once and for all."

"We might want to talk about that," Barubary murmured.

"Oh, no you don't." Martin turned to him next. "He's not going to actually push me that far. I've got my eye on you, too, 'buddy.' Because I know that if I don't, you're the most likely of all of us to try and slip past this little arrangement we have here."

"This is your fault, you know," Barubary remarked to Specs. "He's like this because you pushed him too far. If you hadn't gone over the line, he'd probably still be on your side, and he wouldn't be nearly this mentally damaged either."

"Oh, don't you even get started," Specs snapped. "You, of all people, talking about where fault lies? Don't make me laugh."

"Shut up, shut up, everybody just shut up!" Martin yelled. A few deep breaths later, he continued. "We're getting off track here. If we start arguing about every little petty thing we all hate about each other, we'll be at this all night. Let's just focus on business, so we can get this settled and over with as soon as possible."

"Very well," Specs agreed. "The fourth one is here. We can all agree on that. Beyond that, though, we all have our own, separate intentions for him." He glanced at Martin. "Or so I assume. Mine and Barubary's, at least, are clear."

"Indeed." Barubary narrowed his eyes. "Once again, let me assure you, I am _not_ going to simply allow you to lead him down the merry path of destiny and make him into your 'hero.' We've all seen where _that_ leads."

"That we have." Martin closed his eyes. "I'm with him. Talk all you want about Ladon not seeing his side as pieces on a game board like Myria did. I bought that story far too many times. Not any more. He can apologize all he wants, but he'll still do 'what's necessary.' No." He shook his head. "Try it, and I really _will_ side with Barubary."

"Fine." Specs glared at the Demon Lord. "But by the same token, we're not simply going to let you use him and dispose of him like you intend to."

"I think you might be a bit confused," Barubary said lightly. "Or perhaps you've been talking to Habaruku." He smiled as Specs' eyes twitched. "A joke. Relax. I'm aware of your opinion on _him._ There's a reason I've never invited him to these meetings, you know. Similarly, I've never told him the entirety of the boy's destiny."

"That's nice," Martin commented sarcastically. "But it's not going to make either of us inclined to let you get away with whatever it is you _are_ planning. Just because we're playing nice doesn't change the fact that we know all too well what _that_ would result in. And despite cutting my ties with Ladon, if you force my hand, I _will_ play his game one more time to stop you."

"He talks so often about choosing one side or the other." Barubary rolled his eyes. "I have to wonder why the two of _us_ have never talked about teaming up against _him._ Just to see the look on his face, if nothing else."

"He knows us both too well," Specs reminded him. "He'd just laugh. And he'd be right to do so. Because it _would_ be a joke." He glanced back at Martin. "All right, then. Looks like it's about time for you to stop hedging, and let us know just what _you've_ got in mind."

"Me?" Martin leaned forward, eyes cold. "I say we keep our hands off, all three of us. No ulterior motives, no attempts to steer him, no _destiny bullshit._ Drop him and his friend off at the other side of this cave, watch over them to make sure they don't die before they get to a town, and then let it go from there. Give him a chance to have a normal life, to make his own way. Then, if he chooses to change that... well, at least he'll _have_ a choice in the matter."

"An interesting suggestion," Specs murmured, glancing at Barubary. "You are aware, of course, that our demonic friend there has already forged a mental bond with the boy. It's a little late to go undoing that, and that would complicate matters."

"I'll swear not to interfere, if you'd like," Barubary said thoughtfully. "I like this plan, actually. And despite everything else I am, you _are_ both aware that I _am_ an honest demon. I'll even agree to allow you to balance it out with something similar, so long as you don't interfere either." He smiled darkly. "Perhaps Ladon could talk with him."

"Monitored," Martin added firmly. "I don't trust Ladon either. But under those circumstances, that seems fair to me."

"And aside from that, we all stay away until _he_ seeks _us_ out." Specs slowly nodded. "Very well, gentlemen. It seems we have an agreement. I will abide by the terms we've set down here, as will the other priests of Ladon."

"As will I, and all of the council of Infinity," Barubary agreed.

"As will I, and my friends." Martin glanced over at Ryu for the first time. "So it is agreed, and so it shall be done. I've done the best I can, kid. It's up to you, now."

"Glad to see everybody's getting along," A fourth voice said sardonically. A female voice. All three turned their heads to watch a woman whose body became that of a snake's from the waist down approach, making no sound as she moved. Her blouse and hood were both violet, and she carried a staff in her hands. Though all of them knew her to be older than any of them, her face showed no signs of it, beautiful in an ageless, unidentifiable way. Her hair was long and blue, and her eyes green and hard as she regarded them. "Because now that that's out of the way, you've got some explaining to do, boys."

"Deis," Martin greeted her, eyes a mystery. "You're awake again already. Karn and Gobi... and Bo... will be happy to see you."

"It worked, huh?" Deis asked him, staring at him. For a moment, only a moment, her gaze softened. "And Nina?"

Martin closed his eyes and looked away, saying nothing.

"You're going to talk eventually, you know." She joined them at the table. "One of you, or all of you, I really don't care. But I _am_ going to get answers, one way or another. Where's Nina, if the others are still here? Why did I wake up early, instead of sleeping until the fourth one came to find me? Where did the _rest_ of the Dragon Clan go? And the Mole Clan, for that matter? And above all else, who the _hell_ is St. Eva, and _why_ is everybody worshiping him instead of Ladon now? _Talk_, gentlemen. And I'd better like what I hear."


	2. Chapter 1: The Lost Pet

_**Breath Of Fire II: War Of The Demons**_

_**Book I: Ranger **_

_**Chapter 1: The Lost Pet **_

The sun was high and the streets were busy in the oddly-named eastern city of Hometown. The capital of the land of Auria, it was a huge city that had nevertheless seen better days. A river running down the north-south line separated the old town, built back in the days when it had been the most prosperous city in the world, from the much shabbier newer half where the poorer members of the population lived. The river shifted often, and dozens of bridges crossed its current path as well as running over roads built through empty channels.

The noon bell rang near two young men, both seventeen, as they slipped out of their apartment building through the back door and began making their way towards the richer side of town. One was human, a muscular youth in an undershirt and baggy red pants, his only distinguishing feature his strange blue hair, bound back in a short ponytail. The other was a mixed-clan mutt, stout and cheerful-looking with floppy ears and a short snout, wearing a heavy green robe belted at his waist over white leggings.

"Okay, so what were you saying about Sima back there?" Ryu asked once they were clear of the alley behind their home. "First you say they're not all that different than us, then you say they are. You're being inconsistent."

"No, man, listen," Bow told him firmly. "It's nothing huge, but it's everything that you don't really think about. Like, take their bars."

"Okay." Ryu raised an eyebrow. "They get thirsty just like anybody else, right?"

"Of course they do," Bow agreed. "But see, when everybody goes to a bar in that country, they all ask for wine instead of ale."

"So?" Ryu shrugged. "Plenty of folks like wine here."

"Sure, and there's a few who like ale over there," Bow conceded. "But the majority, man, they drink wine. I'm talking about what _everybody_ drinks. Old guys, young guys, schoolgirls, schoolmoms, bums off the street, rich folks slumming it, they go in, and they all want wine."

"So what you're telling me..." Ryu said slowly. "Is that if a crew of huge old hardass carpenters and masons hit a bar on the way home from work..."

"They'd all order wine." Bow nodded. "Every one of 'em."

"Well, I'm never going there." Ryu shook his head. "How'd you know all this, anyways? You've never been to Simafort."

"Books, man." Bow rolled his eyes. "I keep telling you, they ain't just there to be paperweights. You should try reading one somehow, so you don't forget how."

"I got enough books when my old man was still alive," Ryu reminded him. "I'll leave that angle to you. So they drink wine instead of beer? That the only difference?"

"Of course not," Bow continued. "But see, it's all stuff like that, right? The little things, that you never really think about."

"Example."

"All right..." Bow thought for a moment, and a mischievous smirk crossed his face. "What do you figure you'll have for dinner tonight?"

"Some soup." Ryu shrugged. "Bread. Some ham, or maybe beef. Hopefully not mutton. Same as usual."

"Right, except if you were over there, you wouldn't be having ham or beef," Bow explained. "You'd be having worm, or maybe beetle."

"_Worm_?" Ryu demanded. "You're full of shit."

"I'm serious!" Bow insisted. "They've got huge bugs over there. Size o' cats and dogs at the least. Some of those worms get bigger than cows."

"Worm for dinner," Ryu said with obvious distaste. "Takes all kinds, I guess. Man, I'm _never_ going _there_." Shaking his head, he stopped in front of an old house in obvious disrepair. "This the place?"

"Yeah." Bow scowled. "We should have brought our gear."

"How many we got in there?" Ryu asked, frowning.

"Five to ten."

"Five to ten?" He turned to stare at Bow. "That's a pretty big spread. Is it five, or is it ten?"

"Hell if I know," Bow growled.

"So what you're saying is, there could be _ten_ of them in there."

"_And_ the old lady."  
"We should have brought our gear," Ryu agreed. "Think we should get our ranger's licenses out?"

"You think they're gonna do any good?" Bow asked.

"Probably not," he conceded. "All right, let's get this over with." Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the front door, coughing as dust spread in his face. "Miss Marvin? We're from the ranger's guild, and-" That was as far as he got before a yowling cat took him full in the face, clinging to his head like a vise.

"_Get out!_" A filthy, screeching hag in an ancient, ruined wedding dress howled, grabbing another cat from off of a chair and throwing it at Bow next. "_Getoutgetoutgetoutgetoutgeto ut!_"

"Yikes!" Bow ducked under the flying feline and dug into a pocket frantically as Ryu yelled in pain, trying to pull the first one off of him. "We're here to deliver your medicine! The apothecary said you were out! He hired us to deliver it!" Producing a red bottle, he set it down on a dusty table and backed away.

"Mine!" The old lady dove on the bottle, snatching it up. Backing away, she looked around for another cat to throw, and found one, pitching it at Bow's stomach this time. "My precious! _Mineminemineminemine!_"

"Job's done!" Ryu shouted, finally succeeding in separating cat from face. "Let's get out of here!" Bow, disentangling his own enemy from his robes, grunted in agreement. Hurling the feral animals at what looked like soft furniture, they bolted, slamming the door behind them and running for several more streets before stopping to catch their breath.

"Join the rangers, you said," Ryu snarled once he'd recovered his wind. "Adventure, excitement, money and women, you said." He shook his head in disgust. "That was _not_ what I had in mind, technically accurate as it might have been."

"Is it my fault clowns come to the ranger's guild for stupid shit?" Bow demanded, still panting. "Just be glad it wasn't another babysitting call."

"Next lady to try slipping that one past our policy's getting an education in terminology, free of charge," Ryu muttered darkly. "Let's head back to the main office. Remind me why the hell we agreed to that job again?"

"Because it paid, that's why," Bow told him. "We're a week behind on rent, and there weren't all that many options available. This had the highest reward out of what was up on the board. Sometimes we gotta make sacrifices."

"Sacrifices, shmackrifices." Ryu sighed. "How the hell are we ever gonna save up enough to start up our own outfit if we can't even make the rent without resorting to this kind of crap?"

"You think I'm enjoying it any more than you are?" Bow shook his head. "Man, wait until Silvia hears about _this_ one."

"Seeing _that_ ought to cheer me up a little, at least." Ryu grinned suddenly. "Manage to get her to agree to anything yet?"

"No, but it won't be long now." Bow grinned back. "I've got a plan, see. I know how to get her for at least _one_ date."

"Oh, really?" Ryu asked skeptically. "This, I've got to hear."

"Four tickets to the circus outside of town," Bow explained smugly. "One of the guards handed 'em over in exchange for me keeping quiet about some of his private reading material. I tell Silvia you and me arranged a double date, and ad-lib it from there."

"Sounds like you've got everything figured out," Ryu said sarcastically. "Except for the part where I'm supposed to be bringing a date to the circus. I appreciate the free tickets, but who the hell am _I_ going to take?"

"There's always Deis," Bow suggested. "She's cute, right?"

"You want me to ask _Deis_ out on a date," Ryu said flatly. "You know, you're like a brother to me, and I'd die for you. Doesn't mean you should put me dying _into the plan_."

"Look, just tell her you're both helping me out 'cause you're my buddies," Bow explained further. "It doesn't have to be serious. We've hit the bars with her plenty of times, right? Deis is cool. She'll be fine with it."

"I heard my name!" A familiar voice called down from a wide bridge as they approached the underpass. Leaning over the rail was an equally familiar face, smirking and waving. "On the clock already, guys? Come on, you know better than that! All work and no play makes Jack an old geezer before he hits thirty!"

Deis was a student at the Aurian Magic School, a private institution on the rich side of town. The same age as Ryu and Bow, she was a longtime friend of theirs, ever since they'd wound up back to back against a gang of muggers on the first night they'd arrived in Hometown. She was beautiful in an exotic way, but neither of them was stupid enough to try expressing any romantic interest in her. They'd seen what had happened to anybody who did, on the many nights the three of them had gone barhopping after they got off work and she climbed over the wall.

"Unlike some people, we actually have to work for a living!" Bow shot back cheerfully. "Skipping class again? I'm hoping you're not drunk _yet_, at least?"

"It was one of the boring ones." Deis shrugged, brushing a lock of her deep blue hair behind her ear. She was the first person they'd met with the same hair color as Ryu, one reason they'd immediately hit it off. "The professor never even notices when I'm not there, and it's nothing I don't already know." She grinned. "It drives my roommate wild."

"Can't say I blame her," Ryu commented. "How come you've never introduced her to us, anyways?"

"We don't exactly hang out in the same places," Deis explained. "Speaking of which, see you guys in the _Brigand_ tonight at the same time?"

"Probably!" Bow agreed. "Unless we're out on a big job!"

"If you're gonna be working _that_ late, it'd _better_ be a big one." Deis snorted.

"We'll try and make it," Ryu promised. "Especially since it seems we've got a diabolical plan to discuss. Romero here went and told Silvia that you and me were going on a date to the circus so he could talk her into coming with him on his other two tickets."

"Oh, _really?_" Deis' smile widened. "And he didn't bother telling us about it first? Well, isn't _that_ interesting. You're right, we really should discuss this amongst ourselves. In detail."

"Later," Bow reminded her hastily. "We gotta get back to the office now."

"Of course." She waved lazily. "Plenty of time. It's not like you're going anywhere. Or like I couldn't find you if you did. Have a nice day, now!"

"Great," he muttered. "I'm dead. What were you saying about not deliberately trying to get each other killed, again?"

"Hey, this was your plan, not mine," Ryu reminded him innocently. "You deserved that one. Besides, what's the worst she could do?"

"For some reason, I think I can do without asking her," Bow said sourly, the two of them navigating the shabbier side of town once again. Rather than shoving their way through the crowds on the main streets, they ducked through back alleys and lanes; after several years in Hometown, they knew their way around by heart. Finding their way to a tavern in the southwest corner of the city, they went around back towards the cellar, where the local branch office of the Ranger's Guild was currently located. "Wait, hold on. Let's fix ourselves up before we go in."

"Want to look good before you hit her with your cunning plan?" Ryu teased his friend as Bow cast a quick spell on them both, causing the damage they'd received from the flying felines to heal in only seconds.

"You're just jealous because you suck at white magic." Bow sniffed. "All right, that's better." Opening the cellar door, he led the way down the stairs. "Actually, no. Let me correct that. Because you suck at magic, period."

"Hey, I know Timewarp, don't I?" Ryu argued as they entered the lobby. "That's time magic. I may not know much, but I know time magic is supposed to be top-level stuff."

"That's because Timewarp is a predetermined spell!" Bow growled. "Notice how it doesn't use up any of your mana? That's because you either have it or you don't, from birth!"

"Having another one of your scintillating intellectual discussions, boys?" Silvia, a fellow ranger, asked by way of greeting them. A serious, pretty human girl only slightly older than them with short, honey-colored hair, she generally had a better chance than anybody else of reigning in their more illogical forays. As usual, she was taking care of the paperwork from behind a desk, a book of assignments in front of her; the inkstains on the sleeves of her white and blue dress said a lot about her priorities.

"It passes the time," Bow replied easily. "We did the job, by the way. Under great protest. I know we already said we were only doing it under protest, but put it down again, just to make the point clear."

"Stop whining." She rolled her eyes. "It's paying your bills, isn't it? And speaking of which, go on in and see Elder Allen. He's already got something else lined up for you as soon as he pays you for this one." She smirked. "It's right up your alley, too."

"Why do I sense impending doom?" Ryu asked flatly.

"You'll be fine," she said. "Go on in."

"Right." Ryu rolled his eyes, but the two of them walked past her and opened the door to the Elder's office.

"Ah, Ryu and Bow." The old man behind the desk looked up from his own files, twitching his eyebrows. "I take it you were successful in your mission." The local head of the Ranger's Guild, Elder Allen was one of a dozen men and women who oversaw operations throughout the world. An ancient man with a long jaw and prominent brow, his gray mustache and eyebrows were all overgrown, possibly to compensate for his completely bald head. It was probably unkind to compare his blue robes to Silvia's dress, but one couldn't help noticing.

"Here's hoping that apothecary keeps up on his own delivery schedule from now on," Ryu commented dryly. "Yeah, we did it."

"Well then." Elder Allen tossed a pouch towards them. "Your pay. 50 zenny, as, ah, agreed."

"I still say we should have gotten more for hazard pay." Snatching it out of the air, Bow made it disappear with all the skill of a professional entertainer. "And speaking of more, Silvia said you were saving something for us. I take it that means this isn't an ordinary job."

"You would be correct." Selecting a piece of paper, he pushed it across the desk towards them. "Here, see what you think of this."

"All right, let's... aw, not again!" Bow cried upon reading the assignment. "_Another_ missing pet? Come on, Elder! We've been full-fledged Rangers for almost a year now!"

"You don't want it, then?" the Elder asked, waggling his eyebrows again.

"Hold on." Ryu frowned; something was up with the way the Elder was acting. "Let me see that."

"Here." Bow gave it to him, disgusted. "Don't see why, though. This is silly! And besides, what kind of idiot loses their pet anyways?"

"Elder Allen, sir?" A young girl's voice said quietly from behind them. Turning, they saw her, a pretty little Wing Clanswoman, several years younger than them. She wore an expensive-looking purple dress, an interesting contrast to the light pink-feathered wings sprouting from her back. What really drew their attention, however, was her long blue hair, and the silver circlet she wore around her head. "Miss Silvia said the rangers who would find Suzy were back. Are these them? They look very capable."

"Hello, Mina." Elder Allen coughed. "Well, it seems they don't want the job..."

"Whoa, wait, what?" Bow cried, reversing his mood instantly. "Nobody said we wouldn't do it!" Turning to Mina, he bowed elaborately. "Your highness, I'm Bow, and this is my partner, Ryu. You can leave it to us! We'll bring your pet back for you!"

"What he said," Ryu agreed. Out of curiosity, he fingered the Dragon Tear hanging on a string around his neck. Bow read deep blue, as usual, the color of close friendship. Elder Allen was more interesting; the jade green color was a step up from the more yellowish shade he usually showed, indicating that he actually was starting to trust them with the more delicate work. The girl, Mina, was about what he'd expected; yellow with a slightly green tinge, showing trust in their abilities if not outright approval.

"Thank you, then." She smiled shyly. "I've already given Elder Allen all the information, so I'll let you get to work." Curtsying quickly, she left as quietly as she'd entered.

"A, ah, change of heart, is it?" Elder Allen's face was blank, but his eyes were twinkling. "How unlike you, Bow. What's behind this?"

"Come on, Elder," Bow said loudly, raising his voice. "What kind of a guy would I be if I wasn't glad to help such a pretty girl find her pet?"

"Man, she's probably twelve," Ryu pointed out, amused, without looking up from the paper. As soon as Mina had left, he'd started reading it. Bow generally took the lead when it came to negotiating their jobs, which was fine with him. "Thirteen, at the most."

"And I'm seventeen." Bow snorted. "It's not like I'm asking her to marry me. Wouldn't say no to a thank-you kiss, though." He chuckled.

"Hmmmm." Elder Allen leaned back in his chair. "You're a, ah, calculating man, Bow. All right then, the job's yours. Don't let me down, hm?"

"Heck no!" Bow slapped Ryu on the back. "Come on, buddy, let's go start asking around!"

"If you want to." Ryu gave Elder Allen the paper back. "We'll see you when we return, then, Elder."

"Farewell, then." Elder Allen nodded, already turning back to his papers.

"Right, right." Bow led the way back out, humming. Silvia was behind her desk, but she had a somewhat irritated look on her face now. "Well, we got the job."

"So I heard," Silvia muttered, not looking up. "Try not to die out there."

"Gee, thanks," Bow replied, looking even more cheerful, if that was possible. "See you around, then!"

"She's ticked off at you because you were all over that girl, you know," Ryu pointed out, voice amused. He'd actually already worked out what Bow had been thinking, but that didn't mean he couldn't joke about it.

"Yes, she is," Bow agreed gleefully. "Which means she _is_ interested in me, no matter what she says." He scratched his snout. "Must be my dashing good looks."

"Right." Ryu rolled his eyes. "So what's the real reason you agreed to this, then, if it isn't because of the girl? You and Elder Allen knew something I didn't."

"Buddy, you're my best friend, but you really need to learn to keep up with this stuff." Bow shook his head in mock despair. "That was _Princess_ Mina back there. She's the heir to the Windian throne. I don't know what she's doing around these parts, but that's not important. What's important is, this is our chance for an in with the royal family."

"Finding her pet?" Ryu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, what counts is that she'll remember us," Bow said dismissively. "And then, years from now when we're running our own group, once we make a name for ourselves, she'll hear about _that_, too."

"If you say so." Ryu shrugged. "I'll let you handle the thinking part, buddy. You're better at it than I am."

"Besides, she _is_ pretty cute," Bow added. "Shame she isn't a couple years older."

"I retract my previous statement entirely," Ryu said, deadpan.

"I just hope it pays well," his friend continued, ignoring that. "How is it? You _did_ check out the paperwork discreetly while I was doing all the talking, Mister I'll-let-you-handle-the-brainwork, didn't you?"

"Oh, I did," Ryu admitted. "Here's the good news. We bring this 'Suzy' back alive and in one piece, and we get paid 500 zenny."

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about!" Bow whistled. "Man, we owe Elder Allen an apology. Handing us something like this almost makes up for all... the..." He trailed off, gears turning in his head. "All right, what's the catch?"

"The catch is, she wasn't in town when she lost the pet," Ryu explained. "She was south of here, examining some old ruins."

"Must have been that abandoned city." Bow snapped his fingers, then groaned. "Aw, geez. Which is all the way on the other side of Mt. Fubi."

"Which is a week's trip away, on foot," Ryu added.

"Damn." Bow closed his eyes for a moment, then recovered. "Well, hell, nobody promised us easy. How long is Mina going to be in town?"

"Another month." Ryu shrugged. "So we've got a week to get there, a week to get back, and two weeks to cross Mt. Fubi both ways and look for this Suzy. Which we might need, if the critter's lost in those ruins out there. Let's hope a beak didn't eat it."

"One of these days, we have got to do something about that optimism of yours." Bow looked up at the sky. "It's not even one yet. We might as well start out today. Let's go back to our place, get our gear, and head out. Deis'll just have to hit the bars without us tonight."

"You're not going to be able to run from her forever, you know," Ryu informed him smugly. "She'll hunt you down, if she has to."

"Details, details." Bow waved his hand dismissively. "I'll figure something out. Come on, let's see if we can slip back in without running into Martha."

"Sure, and if we can pull that one off, we can try burgling Duke Kilgore _and_ Count Trout in the same night." Ryu snorted as they turned back onto their street. "It'd be easier." As he'd predicted, as soon as they were inside, the door to the landlady's apartment on the bottom floor opened, and she poked her head out.

"Back already, you two?" Martha asked, smirking. Silvia's aunt and a former ranger herself, she provided lodgings at a discounted rate for all guild members, and could usually be talked into waiting a few days on the rent. Whether it was _worth_ putting up with her persistence whenever she did so was another matter entirely. "If Elder Allen paid you for that mission, then you should be able to come up with what you owe me now, hm?"

"You got it, Martha." Ryu gave Bow a glance, indicating his suggestion that they just get it over with. His friend glared back, then sighed, pulling out nearly half of what they'd made from their latest job and handing it over.

"Good." She pocketed the zenny. "I won't have to sell your possessions while you're away on Mt. Fubi. Watch out, by the way; I've heard tales that some harpies have moved in there, and they're doing a number on the local wildlife."

"Can do, Martha." Bow nodded, heading upstairs. Once her door had closed again, his voice dropped. "Man, how the hell does her information network even work?"

"Like I'm supposed to know?" Dodging a hyperactive six-year-old from the apartment across the hall, Ryu followed Bow into their own residence. It was a shabby, one-room deal, but it was the first place actually resembling a home either of them had ever had, and it wasn't bad for a couple of former street kids. As usual, their beds were unmade and old clothes were hanging around on various articles of furniture. Ignoring the mess, they crossed to the closet and removed their equipment, or what passed for it.

"First thing we do once we get paid for this, we get better equipment," Ryu suggested, slipping on a pair of steel wristbands. "Helmets made out of old salad bowls? Body armor made out of _suede_? We're lucky we don't get laughed out of the bars."

"It's the same stuff that everybody starts out with," Bow reminded him as they pulled their armor, such as it was, on over their clothes. "They've all been there, and they remember. Should we take our bum cloaks?"

"Might as well." Ryu attached the sheath for his cheap bronze sword onto his belt. "Never know when it'll rain. We don't want to get caught out there without them."

"Good point." Picking up his undersized crossbow, Bow strapped it to his back. "Bring your fishing rod, too. I don't want to be the only one taking care of food."

"You going to tell me how to tie my shoes, next?" Ryu rolled his eyes, tying his bait pouch to his belt as well before taking the rod. He'd had to save up for a year to buy it, and it wasn't even a particularly good rod, but it was better than what he'd had before. Guys like them had to plan ahead when it came to catching their dinner. "Let's get going, then."

Leaving the apartment, they drifted towards the eastern gate, out of unspoken agreement to avoided the more heavily patrolled southern one. Neither of them had any particular reason to avoid the city guard, but they nevertheless maintained a wariness of armed authority on general principle. Their path carried them past where the old Dragon Temple had once stood, now an empty alley containing only the statue of Ladon.

It was there that Ryu's world first started to change around him, slowly but surely, becoming something he never would have believed had he not lived through it.

"Another crowd of people, off to worship St. Eva," an old man's voice grumbled, startling them both; it sounded like he was standing right next to them. "One day you're seeing sermons every seventh day, the next you're out in the alley like trash."

"Hey," Ryu muttered, looking around the alley. As he'd thought, he and Bow were alone. "You hearing that?"

"Sure am," Bow agreed. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Wait." The old man's voice sounded surprised. "You _are?_"

"Yeah, we are." Ryu glanced over at the statue of Ladon. Though its pose remained unchanged, identical to every other one he'd seen, its hollowed-out eyes now seemed to be somehow watching them. That was enough for him to reasonably conclude that it probably wasn't some sort of prank. "Nothing personal, but I never thought you were real until now."

"I don't suppose I can blame you," Ladon's voice admitted. "Current trends being what they are, and all. I just wish I knew _why_ you can hear me. You're the first ones in a very long time who've been able to do so."

"You're not going to try and convert us now or anything, right?" Bow asked uneasily. "We aren't exactly the best at going to church every time we're supposed to and all that, but we're still followers of St. Eva."

"Ha!" Ladon chuckled. "No, no, lads. I'm old enough to be philosophical about that sort of thing. My time is past. I can accept that. I'm just glad to have somebody to talk to again, although I'm guessing you're busy."

"At the moment," Ryu said, shrugging. "Maybe we can stop by and talk again some time after we're done." For some reason, rather than the unease he would have assumed he'd associate with this sort of thing, he felt like he'd just met an old friend again after a long time.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Ladon joked, and they both smiled slightly. "Good luck on your journey, then."

"Thanks, man." Bow nodded politely as they kept walking. They passed through the gate with a wave to the single watchman, and continued down the road. "Huh. That was kind of weird."

"You think?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Could have been worse, though."

"Yeah, yeah." Bow glanced at him. "You're going to make me take care of dinner tonight, aren't you."

"It'll be a few days until we reach Lake Auria." Ryu shrugged. "I'll take my turns once we get there, but until then, it's out of my hands. I don't know shit about hunting."

"You don't know shit, period," Bow grumbled. "You'd better believe I'm going to keep count of how many turns you'll be saving up."

"Wouldn't expect any less of you." Ryu chuckled. "Think we'll have much trouble with monsters?"

"Not as long as we stay on the road to Coursair," Bow said thoughtfully. "Of course, we'll have to leave it eventually once we get near Mt. Fubi. We'll probably start seeing land leeches around then; I've heard they've been crawling down off the mountain at night to hunt. Until then, probably just beaks and hunchbacks, and the sludges that follow them around."

"Nothing we can't handle." Ryu fingered the hilt of his sword.

"Nope." Bow looked down the road and sighed. "You know what we need?"

"Better weapons, actual armor, enough healing supplies that it doesn't feel like we're winging it, an actual base of operations of our own, some more guys..." Ryu ticked them off on his fingers as he went.

"Horses," Bow cut him off. "We seriously need some horses."

"Do you have any idea how much good horses cost?" Ryu asked, rolling his eyes.

"Hell of a lot less than a base of operations is going to," Bow pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah."

That night, after Bow had brought down a deer, they made their camp by the side of the road, near some trees. A campfire and a makeshift spit were quick work; they'd both spent a lot of time on the road, for obvious reasons. Tearing meat off, they both ate as much as they could and cut off some more for later, then hauled the carcass off down the road a bit for the scavenging sludges that infested the area.

"You know something?" Bow asked casually after they came back to the campfire and were sitting around it, staring up at the stars. "It's been about ten years now since we first met up, back in Gate."

"Seems that way," Ryu agreed, examining his sword for nicks. They'd run into a couple of hunting beaks earlier in the day and handled them without much trouble. "Hard to believe we're still alive sometimes, huh?"

"No kidding," Bow muttered. "I thought we'd had it, that one time west of Windia with those Kimoto bandits."

"How about the time we got on the wrong side of the Capitan guard?" Ryu reminded him. "Let's hope they don't remember us, if we ever go back there."

"Yeah, and that time we nearly got sold in Coursair, too." Bow chuckled. "At least those guys are probably all hanged by now."

"Don't forget the Farmer Leary incident." Ryu made a rude noise. "Now _that_ was a disaster if I've ever seen one."

"Yeah," Bow agreed. They fell silent then, both thinking about the same thing, but neither of them wanting to say it. He was the first to break that silence. "Do you ever still think about _him_, sometimes?"

_More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Not really," Ryu lied. If Bow hadn't picked up on the nightmare he had every time he slept by now, there was no point in talking about it. "I try not to."

"Yeah, me too." Bow shrugged. "You want first watch?"

"Might as well," Ryu agreed. "Shame Timewarp only works forward."

"The fact that you think that's a _bad_ thing explains why you've always sucked at magic," Bow told him sourly. "I'm turning in. Wake me when it's my turn." Flopping down by the fire, he soon began to snore.

The night passed without issue, as did the next one, and the one after that, as Ryu and Bow made their way east, and then south. Things grew more interesting once they reached the point where they left the road, heading west again now that they were near Mt. Fubi. Even then, though, it was nothing they couldn't handle, and they arrived at the base of the mountain path a week after they'd left Hometown. Setting up camp for the night, they resolved to make their crossing bright and early the next day.

A breakfast of cold sardines later, along with the customary complaints about the quality of Ryu's rod, they started up the mountain trail. Though there weren't many people who had business on the other side of Mt. Fubi these days, enough of them passed through on various affairs to keep the trail clear. At least, that was the way it was supposed to be. Today, things had changed. A massive pile of debris had blocked the path, apparently due to a landslide.

"Well," Bow said flatly after a moment silently regarding the blockade. "This sucks."

"No kidding," Ryu agreed.

"Shhh!" A shrill voice hissed from above them. A female voice. "There's another one down there!"

Exchanging a glance, Ryu and Bow waited a moment, then bolted for the nearest cave. Once inside, they both leaned against the wall and took out their weapons.

"Harpies?" Ryu asked, glancing back outside. Nothing was visible there.

"Harpies," Bow grunted. "Martha did warn us. Guess a pack of 'em decided the hunting wasn't good enough up in the Tagwoods and came down here."

"Great." Looking around the cave, Ryu raised an eyebrow. Ahead of them was an ancient spring, water running out of a dragon's head carved on the wall into a low pool, also deliberately carved. "Hey, check it out. A healing spring."

"No kidding?" Bow looked as well. "Don't see many of those around. That'll be convenient." A hissing sound drew his attention to further down the tunnel, leading deep into the mountain. "Especially since we don't seem to be alone in here." A pack of the monstrous Mt. Fubi leeches was slithering towards them, hideously large blue creatures with ribbed red mouths and vampiric fangs like daggers. "Come back here after we clear the place out?"

"Sounds good." Ryu strode forward, sword at the ready. "Let's have some fun!"

Their fighting style came naturally to both of them, well-practiced after long years on the road. Ryu strode forward and drew their attention, chopping the forerunner in half with an overhead slash and drawing the attention of most of the rest. Only one crawled around him towards Bow, which he ignored; sure enough, it was the first to be speared on a crossbow bolt. The remaining three all lunged at him at once as he pulled his sword from the corpse of the leader; one he batted away with his blade, one he blocked with his bracer, and the third he tried to kick away.

The leech, undeterred, sank its fangs into his foot while its packmate did the same with his off-hand. Only the one he'd hit with his blade was successfully repelled, leaving him able to ignore it for a moment. As he'd expected, one of his attackers was dispatched by another shot from Bow, leaving him free to kill the one on his boot just as easily. Turning, he spitted the last one as it lunged for him a second time.

"You okay?" Bow asked, cursing as he reloaded his crossbow. "This piece of shit takes way too long to... gah."

"Couple of scratches," Ryu said, shrugging. "These things go for blood, not meat." A scuffling, clicking noise from even further back caused him to groan. "Of course, they're not all that's around here." A pair of equally huge and hideous spiders were clambering towards them now, apparently irritated by the loss of their prey. Pink and hairy, with lantern jaws and massive foreheads, they scuttled along the walls quickly, obviously ready to attack.

"Those things are poisonous!" Bow snarled, shooting one of them. The bolt struck home, and the spider squealed in pain, dropping to the ground. Still it continued forward, regardless, limping yet living. Its slower pace allowed Ryu to finish it with a chop, but by then, its companion had reached him, dropping from the ceiling onto his head.

"Any time, Bow!" He yelled, slashing wildly as it clambered on his helmet. A moment later, its fangs sunk into the back of his neck, and he cursed, unable to knock it off. Fortunately, Bow's next shot was better aimed than his last one; rather than hitting the spider's body, the bolt took it through an eye, ventilating its skull.

"Sorry, I was making sure I got it aimed right this time." Bow ran up, muttering the words of a spell under his breath. A globe of light poured into Ryu's body, and though the pain of his wounds was still there, he felt a little better. "That'll take care of the poison."

"Right," Ryu grunted. "Good thing we've got that spring... aw, no." Groaning, a pair of half-decayed corpses were dragging their way towards them, undeterred by the fact that their bodies ended at the waists. "Guess the stories were true."

"Yeah." Bow sighed. "Ghouls. The leeches were probably eating 'em."  
"We've got an entire friggin' ecosystem in here with us," Ryu cracked. "This is starting to get old. I could use a smoke break."

"We ain't that lucky."

"Point."

They ended up spending the better part of an hour in the tunnel, finding more and more monsters the further they went in. Whenever their wounds became too severe, they returned to the Healing Spring; its waters contained potent white magic, healing their bodies as well as restoring Bow's own magical stores. Eventually, they reached the back of the tunnel, only to find what they'd been hoping for; another entrance, leading further up the mountain.

"Those corpses," Ryu said once they'd finished up, leaning against the wall of the tunnel for a few minutes' rest. "There were more of them than you'd expect from an occasional unlucky traveler getting brought down by leeches and spiders."

"They've got goblins up here too," Bow reminded him. "But yeah. They looked pretty half-eaten. Harpies."

"Could they have caused that landslide?" Ryu asked. "Pretty good way to ambush travelers."

"Harpies are intelligent," Bow told him, pulling a fresh quarrel of ammo from his pack. "They're probably a clan, scientifically speaking at least. But they're completely feral; they'll eat anything as long as it bleeds."

"Let me guess." Ryu made a face. "They actually prefer prey they can play with before it's dinner time."

"How'd you guess?" Bow glanced outside. "We're gonna have to deal with them when we go out there, you know."

"I know," Ryu said, looking as well. "Think we might be able to pick up a bounty for making this place safe again? Well, safer, anyways?"

"Worth a shot." Bow shrugged. "Shall we?"

"Might as well."

"There it is again!" The voice from before said as they walked out, acting casual. "Lucky! It's handsome!"

"There's another one with it, too!" another, identical-sounding, added. "It's not as cute, but it's still good!"

"It's about time!" the first, or perhaps a third, continued. "I'm tired of eating nothing but cats and dogs! We can't actually attack the big ones in their nest, or they'll catch us and kill us! It's such a pain!"

"Good thing they come over here sometimes, then, isn't it? Come on, what are we waiting for, let's go!"

"Yeah!"

"All right!"

"Here they come!" Bow growled, both of them snapping their heads upward. There were three of them, descending fast from the mountain peak. Their human halves were pretty, but identical, all of them female with long pink hair and impish faces, their ears long and pointed. Despite that, their arms and legs were wings and talons, their bodies shifting to purple feathers starting at their shoulders and progressing down their sides to their waists. They wore no clothes, and Ryu forced himself not to stare at their chests; it would probably be fatal.

"Hi there, handsome!" The first one greeted them, diving towards Ryu with her talons. "I'm Palo! Nice to eat you!" Before her talons could rake his face, he drove her off with a slash, gouging one claw lightly.

"My name's Peach!" The second one chimed in, slashing at him as well; he was able to deflect one talon with his helmet, but the other opened a gouge on his cheek. "Back off, sis! I'm going to eat the handsome one!"

"I'm Puti!" The third harpy went for his arm, and she had the most success, getting both talons around it and digging in. "I want the handsome one too!" Before he could shake her off, she'd dipped her head down and taken a bite out of his shoulder. Distracted by doing so, she didn't see his blade coming, and took it across the chest. Bleeding from a deep gash below her breasts, she flapped back, blood trailing from her mouth as well.

"Little help here?" Ryu asked, grunting, then relaxed as green sparkles coated his body. "Oh, right." The spell would bolster his stamina and toughen his skin. "Looks like they all want me. You probably won't need that for yourself."

"I noticed," Bow said dryly, taking aim at the slightly injured leader, then pausing. "Wait a second here." Having backed off into the sky, the harpies weren't readying another dive; they'd turned on each other instead.

"Back off! The handsome one's mine!"

"What are you doing, sis? Take this!"

"Cut it out, both of you!"

"Should we... do something about this?" Bow asked as the harpies scuffled, all of them shouting insults.

"Some healing would be nice." Ryu clutched his shoulder wound. "Then take a bead on the one I ventilated best."

"Right."

"I know! Let's all eat them both!" Palo decided suddenly, jerking back and diving towards Ryu again.

"That works for me!" Peach agreed, pulling her claws from Puti and following her sister.

"Let's just eat them without fighting-_awk!_" Puti's words were her last; slowed by her wound, she was unable to dodge Bow's shot, which took her right in the mouth. Falling out of the sky, she tumbled over the edge to lie on the rocks below.

"Sister!" Palo turned her head to stare, then howled louder as Ryu cut off her wing. Screeching, she fell to the ground, and a boot to the face drove her over the cliffside as well.

"You, you-!"Shrieking incoherently, Peach struck him in the face, batting his sword away with her wings as she slashed at his head and body. No longer concerned with striking once and retreating, she tore at him over and over until another bolt took her in the chest, and she fell as well to join her sisters.

"Took you long enough," Ryu grunted.

"You're still alive, ain't you?" Bow healed him. "Looks like you finally got the luck with the ladies you wanted."

"You're about as funny as Count Trout running for mayor." Ryu glanced over the mountainside at the three bodies. None of them were moving. "Well, that's taken care of, at least."

"Yeah." Bow grimaced. "They were saying something about eating cats and dogs. Think Suzy was one of 'em?"

"They seemed like they were talking about poaching those from Hometown at night," Ryu said, making a face. "So maybe not."

"Let's hope not, then, or we don't get paid." Bow glanced at him. "What kind of animal was Suzy, anyways?"

"The paperwork didn't say."

"Oh, _great._" Bow rolled his eyes. "And you didn't ask? Fine time to bring _this_ up."

"You didn't ask either." Ryu pointed out.

"Because I figured you knew!"

"Too bad for you." Turning away from the cliff, he looked around. "There anywhere to actually go up here?"

"Looks like there's another cave over there." Bow pointed at a fairly large boulder resting against a cliffside. "Those three must have blocked it off to finish up their trap. If they could move it, we should be able to." Walking over, they braced their shoulder against it and shoved. It gave easier than they thought it would, actually rolling away and over the side. "Okay, cool. Now we just-" He stopped talking as another crash sounded from below. Running to the edge, they looked over, and both winced.

The falling rock had hit another, much larger, boulder and sent it crashing down the mountainside. The bad news was that it had collapsed the cave mouth they'd ducked into originally. The good news was that it smashed through the blockade the harpies had caused, clearing the normal pathway through the mountains. The _very_ bad news was that a group of purple-scaled Maniro fishmen had been examining said landslide at the time. Screaming, they ran back down the mountain, the boulder rolling after them.

"Think they saw us up here?" Bow asked after several long moments of absolute silence.

"I really, _really_ hope not," Ryu muttered fervently.

"I'm with you there." Bow glanced behind them. "Maybe we should, uh, get inside that cavern before they come back."

"What you said."

The cavern, as they'd hoped, seemed to lead downward. It was infested with more spiders and leeches, of course, but there were no more corpses. In the end, they emerged back down near ground level, on the normal trail once more. A pack of the vicious little goblins that infested the exterior ambushed them at that point, but after fending those off, the two of them climbed down the other side of the mountain as the sun began to set.

"Long day," Ryu commented as they made their camp.

"No kidding," Bow grunted. Neither of them was in the mood for much conversation, for several reasons, and after eating their dinner, he turned in.

Fortunately, the ruined city wasn't far from there. They'd both been there before, years ago, more for the adventure than out of any real business there. Apparently, it had once been known as Bleak, but a massive tectonic disturbance had completely destroyed the entire city while altering its geographical location significantly several centuries ago. Or, as Ryu would put it, the mother of all earthquakes had wiped it out. All that was left were the shells of buildings, slowly being reclaimed by the forest.

"Looks like that big one over there's the most habitable," Bow pointed out. The building he referred to had probably once been several floors tall, but now only one remained. There was another statue of Ladon right outside the door, to the left, on the raised section of land around the building. "Set up our camp there, and start searching in the morning?"

"Sounds good," Ryu agreed, then jumped as another voice rang through the ruins.

"Is someone there?" It was an old man, by the sound of it, inside the building they'd just decided on. "Oh St. Eva, help me! Please, help me!"

"What the hell?" Bow muttered as they both started running. "Why's someone else here too? We're coming, old timer!"

"What is it?" Ryu yelled, the two of them racing up a few steps before the door.

"Roaches!" The old man shouted. "A good half dozen of 'em!"

His hand on the doorknob, Ryu froze in his tracks, and he and Bow gave each other disgusted glances.

"We should probably still help him," Bow grumbled.

"Yeah." Opening the door, Ryu walked in. "All right, old timer, we-holy shit!" The roaches he'd mentioned were as large as most dogs. Bright red and hissing, they surrounded the old man, who was backed up against a wall.

"What are you waitin' for?" The oldest man either of them had ever seen shouted. Tall and thin, he was bald as an egg on top of his head, but his hair still grew long at the back and sides, joining an even longer beard to form a massive mane that almost worked as a shirt alone. His clothes were ragged and unwashed and his feet were bare, saying more than words could about his place in the world. Despite his age, he was vigorously fending the monsters off with a stout oak cane, but surrounded as he was, it was only a matter of time before they overwhelmed him.

Bow changed that with a shot from his namesake, pinning one to the wall. Amazingly, the roach didn't expire, but squealed at its comrades, who turned on the spot to face the aggressors before charging in a wave. Ryu met them head-on, dividing the first one in half with a swift stroke before the other four crashed into his legs, heads down like battering rams. Cursing, he fell, but managed to kick out at two of them as he went down, knocking them away. The other two were on him, scratching at his arms and chest, their weight pinning him to the floor.

Another arrow from Bow removed one of the aggressors, and with only one on him, Ryu was able to stab it until it expired. Forcing it off before the remaining two were on him as well was another story; as he shoved at the dead weight, he could see them approaching quickly and cursed under his breath. Before they could reach him, though, an unexpected party altered the equation. No longer quite so frightened, the old man smashed one of them to the floor just before it pounced, crushing its head in with repeated blows from his cane. The last one paused, and that was all Bow needed to nail it.

"Not bad, old timer," Ryu said, rising from the floor and making sure the roach was dead. The second one Bow had shot had been killed as well, and by the looks of it, the old man had finished off the first.

"I might be old, but I can still take care of myself, son!" The man cackled. "Appreciate the hand, though. Six on one's a little out of my league these days, but if one o' those rascals had come at me alone, I'd have him spitted an' cookin' before he could say eek!"

Before they could reply, more hissing drew their eyes behind them, to the door they'd entered by. Another roach was standing there like it had come for a showdown, this one as large as the other six combined. Brown and gray with pulsing, ribbed flesh under its wings and antennae trailing on the floor, it was a truly disgusting sight.

"Uh, as I was sayin', even one of 'em's a bit much for an old man like me." The hobo dropped on his rear and scuttled back into a corner. "Why don't you fellas take this one? You look like you could handle it, no problem!"

"This was _not_ in the job description," Ryu commented sourly, stepping between him and the roach.

"Gee, you think so?" Bow took careful aim, while the creature was standing still, and fired. The shot sunk into its head, but this only seemed to irritate it. Roaring, the monster charged. "Great. Looks like I'm not gonna pull off a vital shot."

"Try to slow it down, then!" Ryu held his footing as the beast rushed him, chopping down at its head a moment before it hit. "Oh, this is gonna suck." It hit like a battering ram, six legs moving feverishly, knocking him off his feet and carrying him forward into a wall. Wheezing, Ryu hacked at its limbs, and managed to sever one, causing the roach to lean away. Before it could recover, he was scampering away from it, clutching his torso. It felt like a couple of cracked ribs. He was lucky that they weren't broken, and that Bow knew his white magic. If the defensive spell from the harpies had worn off, he knew he'd have been in a lot worse shape from that hit.

Before the beast could run him down again, it reared back, hissing. Bow was behind it now, and apparently, it was a lot more sensitive in the rear. Ryu didn't wait around; taking advantage of its position, he ran forward and drove his sword up into the beast's exposed underside. Still hissing, it collapsed, and he stepped back out of the way as it fell.

"What a freaking-" he started to say, then grunted as a massive weight rammed him from behind, knocking him forward onto his face. Before the roach could trample him, it paused, snarling, from another bolt in its vulnerable rear. Rather than try the same thing again, Ryu lopped off its other foreleg as he scrambled away from it, and the roach went down, unable to keep the front of its body up now. Gritting his teeth, he began stabbing it, over and over again, until it finally stopped moving for good.

"You okay?" Bow asked, healing him. "It didn't bite you, did it?"

"Nope." Ryu grunted. "Just some cracked ribs. Those're better now."

"Good." Bow looked around the room cautiously, obviously expecting more monsters. "Wounds are one thing, but infection's another. I ain't good enough to handle that just yet. Looks like it's all clear, old timer."

"That was one hell of a cockroach, wasn't it?" The old man wandered over, as casual as if they'd just stomped a normal-sized bug. "Been wanderin' for a lot o' years now, but I ain't never seen one that size, even over in Sima. Appreciate the hand, gents."

"I'm Bow, and this is Ryu." Bow thumbed at him. "Any idea why they came after you? Just hungry?"

"Oh, they were hungry all right." The old man cackled, pointing over at another corner of the ruined building. They'd been too busy fighting to notice his campfire, with a huge metal pot over it. "Not for me, though! Soon's I started cookin', they came swarmin' in here like Maniros on free money day! Tell you what, I'll share with you folks, since you bailed me out an' all! Don't never say Niro ain't a fair man!"

"Much obliged, buddy." Ryu smiled. "Niro's your name, then?"

"That's right!" Niro bowed. "Mayor of this fair town, on account'a I'm the only one livin' here. Always wanted to be a mayor, ever since I was a kid. So I came to someplace where nobody else was gonna run me outta town. You two're okay, though. Stick around as long as you like." He paused. "Speakin' o' which, why _are_ you here? You don't wanna be mayor too, do you?"

"Not really, no," Bow somehow managed to say with a straight face. "We're Rangers." Seeing the look on the old man's face, he continued quickly. "We're looking for a lost pet in this city. Some Windians came by here a month or so ago and left without her."

"You ain't gonna kick me out?" Niro asked quietly.

"Wouldn't even if we could." Ryu looked around. "This isn't anybody else's city, is it? Isn't no law saying you _can't_ live here. And if there was? We didn't see anything."

"Knew you folks were good ones!" Niro grabbed his hand and shook it. "Anythin' you need help with, then, ol' Niro's your man! Lost pet, huh? An' here I was just thinkin' that I was wishin' there was a dog or a cat around here. Good thing I didn't find it!" He paused. "Oh, that reminds me! Forgot to take the collar off of it!"

"Collar?" Ryu muttered as Niro walked over to his pot, muttering to himself. "You thinking what I am?"

"But he said it wasn't a dog or a cat..." Bow whispered back.

"We don't know it _was_ a dog or cat. Some people have strange pets."

"Looks like a pig." Bow glanced over at the pot. "Ever seen anybody with a pet pig before?"

"A few."

"Shit." Bow raised his voice. "Hey, Niro! There a name on that collar?"

"Sure!" Niro yelled back. "Says 'Suzy' on this! Why?"

"_Aw, no!_" Both of them yelled at once. A great deal of commotion ensued then, resembling something out of a children's puppet show more than a little. Getting kicked in the face by a pig wasn't much fun, but at least nobody was caught in the eruption of boiling water. Ryu wasn't sure exactly how the pot ended up on Bow's head, or why Niro was wearing one of the small roach corpses like a hat at one point, but he didn't intend on asking for an explanation. Eventually, it wound down, all three of them sitting around an exhausted, but living, pig.

"Phew, that was close," Bow muttered. "Good thing we figured it out in time."

"So much for my dinner." Niro sighed. "Looked real tasty, too. Don't suppose you'd let me take just one bite?"

"I'll tell you what." Bow stood up. "I'll go out and get you another one, even bigger, and we'll all split that. Sound good?"

"Well, that's fair enough," Niro agreed after a moment. "Mighty generous of you!"

"I'm in a good mood." Bow grinned. "First night here, and we find her right off the bat! What are the odds of luck like that, huh?"

"After wrangling a roach the size of a caravan," Ryu added dryly.

"Details, details!" Bow waved it off. "Mina's going to be thrilled! Hehehe, she might even give me a kiss! What'll Silvia think about _that_, huh?"

"Your imagination's out of control," Ryu told him, amused. "Hit it with something."

"Nah, I'm good." Bow glanced out the door. "I'd better go get dinner, then. It's getting late. Be back in a jiffy!"

"Righto." Ryu followed him out, glancing up at the sunset. "Well, we got it done. Guess I can't complain."

"It sounds like you had quite an adventure," Ladon said, as unmoving as ever.

"Yeah, something like that," Ryu muttered, then froze, remembering Niro. His response, however, wasn't quite as expected.

"You can hear him too?" The old man demanded, hobbling up on his cane.

"Uh, yeah," Bow agreed, looking from one face to another. "Just started a little while back, when we were leaving town."

"Oh, kids." Niro sighed. "That ain't good, hearin' gods like that. Old fella like me, it's one thing if I hear gods. I'm supposed to be crazy. Couple of kids like you? You're too young to be goin' crazy like me."

"If we all hear the same thing, doesn't that mean we're not crazy?" Ryu asked.

"I would say so," Ladon agreed. "I wasn't aware you could actually hear me, either. Why didn't you tell me, Niro?"

"You get funny looks if you go around talkin' to statues, an' I get enough o' those already." Niro shrugged. "Guess it's okay out here with nobody around, though."

"It seems to be," Ryu agreed cautiously.

"Man, this still gives me the jeeblies." Bow shook his head. "I'm going to catch dinner. See you guys when I get back."

"He'll get used to it eventually." Ryu watched him walk off into the woods that were reclaiming the ruins, muttering to himself. "Probably."

"He will," Ladon promised. "So then... do you suppose you might have time to tell me about all of this now?"

"You really do like stories, don't you?" Ryu chuckled.

"Wouldn't you, if you were in my shoes?"

"You don't have shoes."

"You know what I mean."

"He's got a point," Niro chimed in. "Besides, I wouldn't mind hearin' all about this myself. Sounds interestin'."

"All right, all right, you win." Sitting down on the edge of the raised land the building was on, Ryu thought for a moment.

And then, under the rising moon, with his two new friends listening, he began to tell them his story.

_ANOTHER TALE OF INFINITE WARS _


	3. Chapter 2: The Midnight Heist

_**Chapter 2:**_ **_The Midnight Heist _**

"Man, it's good to be back," Bow said cheerfully as they walked through the south gate of Hometown, the sunset coloring the sky above their heads. Suzy was firmly carried under his arm; the look on her face conveyed her discontent with this situation, but she'd learned not to try biting them. Several mishaps along the way home had taught them to keep control of her at all times, lest all their good luck finding her so quickly go to waste.

"We've only been gone for a couple weeks, you know," Ryu pointed out, amused.

"Yeah, but it's a couple weeks sleeping in the dirt." Bow shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I love the great outdoors, but it'll be nice to actually use those beds we're paying the rent on. Think Martha'll give us a discount since we weren't using the place?"

"What do _you_ think?" Ryu asked sardonically.

"Yeah, probably not." He sighed, then turned his head to bark at a young couple under a bridge in one of the currently empty canals. "Get a room, you two!"

"Don't you have anything better to do than interfere with young love?" Ryu snarked.

"I see those two making out every time I go for a walk in this city." Bow rolled his eyes. "It gets old eventually. You know I actually saw 'em on the fountain in the middle of the square once? The pointy one?"

"What do you expect from the guy? What else is he supposed to do with a name like his, anyways?"

"Kill his parents for naming him 'Honey'?"

"When he was done with that, I mean."

"Kill himself, too, I guess." Leading the way down into the Guild office, Bow saw that Silvia was facing away, going through a file cabinet, and a smirk slowly grew on his face. He promptly walked over to Silvia's desk and set Suzy down on it. "Hey. Mission accomplished."

"Get the pig off my desk, please," Silvia said without looking. "If she drinks that ink, all your hard work will be wasted."

"Bah." Bow snatched Suzy back up quickly. "We wiped out those harpies that were hanging out on Mt. Fubi, by the way."

"I thought that might have been you, when they were reported in." Silvia glanced over now, smiling. "Would you by any chance know about an incident involving an avalanche, then? Some Maniro traders are _very_ interested in how that happened."

"Nope!" Bow lied cheerfully. "Must've happened while we were looking for Suzy here, since we did see it on the way back. Glad we weren't in the way of that."

"I'll bet." Silvia rolled her eyes. "Well, you might as well go on in to see the Elder. I'm glad you had fun."

"Spending half a month out on the road is fun, now?" Ryu asked dryly as they walked past her desk.

"I know you two," She told him, smirking. "You got to beat up some harpies who totally deserved it. That's fun in your book."

"_His_ book, maybe." Bow inclined his head towards Ryu. "I'm a _little_ less crazy. Good evening, Elder."

"Gentlemen." Elder Allen glanced at them over the top of the book he was reading. "I see you were successful. Silvia, would you please run on over to the inn and tell the Windian party the good news?"

"Of course, sir." Silvia left the cellar as Bow and Ryu took their seats, setting Suzy down on the floor. Apparently resigned to her captivity now, the pig began examining the office.

"I heard something, ah, about harpies," The Elder continued, steepling his hands on his desk. "Would those be the cause of the recent trouble on Mt. Fubi?"

"We took 'em out on our way through." Ryu shrugged. "It'd be nice if there was a bounty involved, but that might be too much to hope for."

"Come on, man." Bow gave him a look. "Seriously? And you ask why I say to let me do the talking."

"I think I can, ah, authorize about thirty zenny or so, actually." Elder Allen took some coins from his desk and pushed them across its surface to them, smiling at Bow's startled expression. "Sometimes a, ah, softer touch works better, boys."

"I'll keep it in mind," Bow muttered, taking the money.

"Come now, smile," the Elder told him cheerfully. "You did well. You got the job done and made it back in record time, as well, ah, as removing a, ah, dangerous hazard to travelers while you were passing through. Perhaps it's time I started saving the more difficult, ah, assignments for you two. You're showing yourselves to be much more capable recently."

"Was that a compliment?" Ryu asked Bow.

"I think so."

"Just checking."

"On second thought, I could, ah, always keep saving the pet-finding and medication-delivering jobs for you," Elder Allen commented to nobody in particular. "After, ah, all, _somebody's_ got to do them."

"Thank you, sir!" Ryu and Bow said in unison. "We're glad you have such faith in us! We won't let you down!"

"That's better," he replied with an admirably straight face. "I've got a lot to do tonight, but I think we'll want to have another meeting, ah, again very soon, boys."

"Any time, Elder," Bow agreed, then turned his head as the office door opened again. "Oh! Hello again, your highness!"

"Suzy?" Mina swept past, ignoring him. The pig looked up, then squealed happily, jumping into her arms as she kneeled on the floor. "You're back! Oh, thank St. Eva!" Rising, she turned around, blushing. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. You found Suzy for me, and you brought her back ahead of time, too!" She paused, glancing down at the pig. "She must have spent a lot of time out in the sun. I didn't even know pigs could get sunburned."

Bow and Ryu exchanged a nervous glance, but neither commented on that.

"Ahem." Elder Allen coughed. "It does happen on occasion, your highness."

"I'll have to keep her indoors when we go back to Windia, then." Mina took a pouch from her sleeve and pressed it into Bow's hands. "Here you go, 500 zenny, as promised. I'm so glad you got back in time!"

"Our pleasure, your highness." Bow tucked the pouch away, then blinked. "Wait. In time?"

"I've been called back to Windia ahead of schedule," she explained. "We leave tomorrow morning. Elder Allen would have had to send Suzy to Windia if you hadn't returned today, and that might be a bit troublesome, considering there's no Guild office there. We're a bit behind the times in Windia, I'm afraid."

"We'd have brought her to you." Ryu shrugged. "We've both been there before, when we were younger. We remember the way."

"Oh!" Mina smiled brightly. "You've seen Windia before? Well, the next time you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello! Maybe by then, I'll have convinced father to allow a Guild office in the capital."

"Princess?" Another blue-haired Windian, tall and lean in leather clothing, leaned her head in through the still-open door. "We really should be getting back to the inn and preparing for our journey back."

"Oh, of course." Mina curtsied, an impressive feat with a pig under one arm. "Thank you again, and goodbye."

"Goodbye, your highness," Bow said, waving, and the other two made similar farewells. Once she was gone, he slumped into a chair dramatically. "Aw, who was I kidding. She'd never go for a guy like me anyways."

"Who would?" Ryu wisecracked, deliberately not looking towards Silvia's desk. "We'll get out of your hair now, then, Elder. But sometime soon...?"

"Of course." Elder Allen nodded, returning to his paperwork. "Have a, ah, nice evening, boys, and stay out of trouble."

"No promises," Ryu joked as he walked out, purposefully leaving before Bow. He was unsurprised when his friend hung back to talk to Silvia, but continued walking as if he hadn't noticed. Once he was in the alley outside, he leaned against a wall, looking up at the red-touched sky. Seeing something familiar up there on a rooftop, he smirked and waved. It was only a few minutes before Bow joined him, grinning like he'd just found a local Lord's lost wallet.

"Is this my lucky day, or is this my lucky day?"

"No way." Ryu couldn't help grinning as well. "No way in _hell._ You are _not_ going to tell me that actually worked."

"Sorry, wrong!" Bow raised his hands in a victory pose. "500 zenny, a connection to the Windian royal family, _and_ I finally talked Silvia into a date tonight! Is this my lucky day, or what? I am unstoppable!"

"Oh, really?" Deis called down from the roofs of the building above, and Bow froze. "Tonight, huh?"

"Thought I saw you up there," Ryu shouted back up. "Pretty impressive, tracking us down this fast."

"I talked one of the watchmen into keeping an eye out and letting me know when you came back in," she explained, jumping to a gutter and sliding down to join them. "Go on, Bow. You were saying something about luck?"

"Tonight!" Bow squeaked. "She said only if we go tonight! She wants me to pick her up in two hours!"

"Oh, really." Deis started to raise her hand, and Bow flattened himself against a wall. After a moment, she lowered it. "Well, I guess I can't really make you pay now, then. Silvia doesn't deserve to have you show up looking like charcoal. Looks like today _is_ your lucky day." Turning to Ryu, she continued. "So, should I expect you to pick me up in two hours too?"

"Of course," Ryu said, deadpan. "I'll break into the Magic School so I can pick you up at your room in the girls' dorm. That's _totally_ a good idea."

"It'd be the gentlemanly thing to do," she teased.

"That would make you a proper lady," he countered. "Which is the best joke I've heard all month."

"Can't argue that one," she admitted. "All right, we'll all meet up at Sylvia's place. Two hours it is. Let's have some fun, boys. And Bow, you're paying for all our drinks."

"Guess I deserve that much," Bow muttered as she walked off. "Think she'll let me off with that?"

Ryu gave him a look.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he sighed. "Come on, let's head back home so we can get ready."

"Whatever you say, Mister Lucky." Ryu chuckled, following him out of the alley.

Back at their apartment building, they took the time to visit the bathhouse and wash off the traces of two weeks on the road. Neither of them had anything fancy to wear, of course, but they were at least able to change into fresh clothes. Bow made sure to brush his fur for the occasion, while Ryu replaced the leather thong he usually caught his hair in with a cheap silver ring as his only concession towards formality. Once they were ready, they descended the stairs and knocked on the door of Silvia's apartment.

"I see you two know how to dress for the occasion," she said in a tone that made it impossible to tell if she was joking or not as she opened the door. It seemed she'd followed the same policy as them; she looked mostly the same as she did in the office, but she'd added a blue ribbon to her hair. "I suppose I should be flattered."

"You know us," Bow played along. "Nothing but the best."

"Ignore him," Ryu advised her. "We're all Rangers here. We know that fancy is for people who can afford it."

"That might be the case for me and Bow," Silvia corrected him. "_You_, on the other hand, might be in trouble if you disappoint Deis."

"Come on, Sylvia," Deis said cheerfully, stepping around the corner. She'd changed out of the school uniform into a purple dress that slightly resembled the ones Mina wore, though much less expensive looking as well as less voluminous, with a slightly hazardous neckline. "You know me better than that."

"You _are_ the only one here who bothered to get dressed up at all," she pointed out.

"Doesn't mean I expect Ryu to do the same, though." She tossed her head. "_I_ know _him_ better than that."

"Good point."

"Are we going to stand around here insulting me all night, or are we going to head out to that circus?" Ryu asked, rolling his eyes.

"Touchy." Deis smirked. "A little high strung, are we? Worried about how far you're going to get tonight?"

"Oh, I'm not worried at _all,_" he retorted. "You'd be cranky too, if you had to listen to this guy going on about his luck for the last two hours."

"You're just jealous because I've got the prettier girl coming with me," Bow told him, unruffled. "No offense, Deis. He's got a point, though. We really should get going."

"And I really should hurt him more for that comment," Deis muttered to Ryu, the two of them hanging back and letting Bow and Silvia lead, out of the building and onto the streets. "Under the circumstances, though, I'll let it slide and keep him on his current tab. This time."

"I'd be thinking about giving him a punch or two myself, if it wasn't worth it to see Silvia finally admitting she likes him too," Ryu whispered back. "It's about time. She's been putting him off for a year now."

"Of course she did," Deis retorted. "She can't make it too easy for him. So when are _you_ going to find something, hm?"

"Hell if I know." Ryu shrugged. "This job isn't exactly the best for picking up girls. Anyways, I could ask you the same question. Don't go riding my case about it until _you_ have a guy. Or a girl, I guess."

"Girls are too high-maintenance," Deis told him. "And all the guys in the Magic School avoid me."

"I wonder if that might have something to do with you mugging every single one of them for their lunch money," Ryu said dryly. "In alphabetical order."

"It pays to be methodical," she replied lightly as they left through the south gate, joining the stream of their fellow citizens on their way to the circus. "And to establish a reputation. That's important too."

"That reputation is why you can't get a date in the entire building," Ryu pointed out.

"It's a big city." She shrugged. "I'll manage. Besides..." Grinning, she hugged him, dangling off his arm. "That's what I have you for tonight, isn't it?"

"Stop that," he growled.

"Make me."

"No."

The Circus Maxitusk had been camped outside of Hometown for the last month. A traveling company of entertainers, animals and oddities that put on a show every night, it had been popular upon its arrival, but that had dwindled quickly. Now, the only patrons were eccentric nobility, whimsical lovebirds or parents desperate to entertain their children. Still, for an evening out it wasn't bad, according to several other Rangers who'd gone already. A trail of signposts led them to the huge, striped tent, where they joined the line waiting to hand over their tickets.

"Is it just me, or is dyed hair catching on recently?" Bow asked the group after giving theirs to a nervous-looking young man with bright pink locks. "Ten years ago, Ryu here was the first guy I ever saw with a weird color. These days, half the people in town have blue hair, and I _know_ they didn't have it when we moved in. Seems like we're seeing a lot of travelers with weird colors too."

"Don't look at me." Deis fingered a few of her own curls. "This _is_ natural, and no, I don't know why any more than Ryu does."

"Do you suppose Princess Mina's was?" Silvia asked curiously. "She doesn't seem like the type of girl who would dye her hair."

"Yeah, but you never know with royalty," Bow said, shrugging. "They're a little strange."

"Good point." Deis looked around. "Do they serve us drinks in our seats here, or do we have to get 'em ourselves?"

"We should probably hit the bar before we go sit down, just to be on the safe side," Ryu suggested. "Over that way."

Surprisingly, they had an actual counter set up against one wall of the tent. The shelves full of bottles raised even more question marks, nailed to the canvas as they seemed to be. An old man with crazy white hair sticking almost straight up manned it, bustling around cheerfully as he mixed drinks and filled mugs. An odd sound to his left drew Ryu's eyes to Deis, who was staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"Something wrong?" He asked her.

"Nah." Deis shook her head, relaxing. "Mistake. I thought he was somebody I knew for a moment there."

"Good evening," the old man greeted them as they walked up. "Your pleasure for the evening?"

"Wine?" Bow asked Silvia, who nodded. "Ale for the rest of us."

"Very good, sir." The old man began filling mugs. "Thirteen zenny, please."

"That's outrageous!" Bow sputtered.

"A riddle, then, for double or half?" The old man asked keenly.

"Sure," Deis agreed before anybody could object. "Let's hear it."

"Ah." His eyes remained on her for a moment before he continued. "Very well. What grows from the earth, even if you cut it, and continues to grow even after death?"

"Uhhh." Bow's face was wooden. "Just a moment, please." He pulled the others away in a huddle. "Okay, we gotta figure this out, or else it's twenty-six zenny. It's gotta be some sort of crop, right? Like... potatoes?"

"Those grow _in_ the earth," Ryu pointed out. "Not from it. Maybe it's wheat? Or corn, I guess?"

"But those don't keep growing after you kill them." Silvia frowned. "How about grass? A lot of it is all one plant, right? So even if you kill some of it, the rest isn't dead, and it still keeps growing?"

"I don't know." Ryu made a face, then paused. Deis wasn't joining in the discussion, simply listening to them and smiling. "You know the answer, don't you."

"I've heard this one before." She turned back to the bartender. "It's hair, isn't it?"

"Very good." The old man smiled as well, putting the mugs and Silvia's glass on the counter. "Seven zenny, then."

"Nice to do business with you." Bow slid the coins across the counter, and everybody took their drinks, turning away to head for the chairs. "Okay, I think I get the riddle now. Lucky break for us, you knowing that one. Thirteen zenny? Give me a break."

"Places like this are always overpriced," Silvia told him as they took their seats. "Did you hear about the main attraction here? Apparently, they have a Grass Man working for them."

"Those are real?" Bow blinked. "Huh. Never thought they were." Though there were more than a dozen known animal-based clans, the world only knew of one that was _plant-_like, the mythical Grass Men. Experts also claimed them to be the rarest intelligent species in the world, with a population that was apparently barely in the double digits.

"They're real," Deis said firmly. "I met one once, a long time ago. They're not exactly easy to mistake for anything else."

"You'll be able to tell if this one's real, then," Ryu noted. "Good to know. Looks like it's starting. We came in just in time." A tall, thin man in a glittering blue suit was walking out into the clearing the seats surrounded, a cape whirling behind him. His gray hair tumbled behind his head, elaborately curled to match his impressive mustache.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted in a ridiculously deep bass voice, quieting the chatter instantly. "And welcome to the Circus Maxitusk! Please allow me to introduce myself! I'm M.C. Tusk, the proprietor of this fine entourage of performers, and I encourage you to enjoy the festivities! Before we get started, I'd like to thank Lord Trout for a _very_ handsome donation to our cause!" He began to clap, and after a moment the audience joined in, as a decidedly round nobleman wearing bright red finery in the front row smiled coldly.

"Somebody needs to have a word with Trout's wardrobe designer," Deis muttered. "With that hair of his, he fits right in here. As a clown." It was true; Count Trout's baldness had left only two tufts of curly blond hair on the sides of his head, sticking straight up.

"He probably bought his clothes at a discount," Bow said. "_He_ gave money to the circus? Is he sick or something?"

"It could be part of his latest plan to upstage Duke Kilgore," Silvia suggested. "It won't work, of course. He never wins." The constant contention of the two most wealthy nobles in the city was known to every citizen, as well as Trout's tendency to wind up with the short end of the stick. Despite that, the two were supposedly close friends in private.

"Well, then!" Tusk continued. "Let's begin the entertainment with some of our fantastic beasts, from all across the globe! Bring in the camel!"

Nobody talked much for the next few minutes, as the animal performances began. Unfortunately, the actual show fell short of expectations. Though the animals themselves were interesting, they were mostly untrained, and did nothing but walk-or, in the case of the sea turtle, swim-around. Following acts were just as dull; the acrobats never got more than six feet off the ground, the monster tamers kept their "partners" at arm's length the entire time, and the "great mystery box" turned out to contain absolutely nothing. The ringmaster seemed to expect the audience to find that hilarious, and was affronted when they responded with absolute silence.

"This place is a snorefest," Ryu whispered to Deis as a knife-thrower began puncturing stationary watermelons. "No wonder Bow got four tickets so easily."

"I've seen worse, actually," Deis replied. She'd been watching Tusk, rather than the shows, for the most part.

"At least he knows what he's doing," Ryu commented, looking at the ringmaster as well. Despite his overconfidence in his performers, Tusk's loud-mouthed commentary had been the only really interesting thing about the show, aside from when the firebreather had nearly exploded. "Shame he can't get better acts."

"Wonder what his connection with Trout is, though," Deis muttered.

"You don't buy Silvia's guess either, huh?" Ryu looked at the obese Count again. Trout was visibly bored, but still smiled regardless, apparently out of habit. "It seems too subtle for him. From what I've heard, Trout's plans to get the better of Kilgore are usually pretty blunt. Contributing to a circus doesn't give immediate results. It's not his style."

"That, and I've seen Tusk sneaking into Trout's manor at night through the back," Deis added. "I wondered who he was. It's safe to say he wasn't burgling the place."

"You think something shady is going on, then?" Ryu asked. "Everybody's heard rumors about Trout, but..."

"I don't know." Deis bit her lip. "And I don't like it when I don't know what's happening."

"And now, for the grand finale!" Tusk bellowed, cutting off the conversation, as a curtained wagon was brought into the ring behind him. "Our star performance, our greatest exhibit! Of all the clans in this world, none is more rare or more bizarre! Feast your eyes on the walking plant, the talking flora, the intelligent vegetable! Behold, the Grass Man!" The curtains drew back, and the crowed oohed and ahhed as the Grass Man stood revealed behind thick iron bars.

Deis had been right; there was no mistaking him for any other form of life. Though his shape was humanoid, his body seemed comprised of bright green stalks and leaves, rigid-looking and stiff. From his wrists and neck, flowerlike growths formed his hands and head, the petals coloring from white at their base to a deep pink. From inside the head-flower, a delicate face peeked out, its feature androgynous, with a melancholy look to them. The chains attached to his wrists and ankles probably had something to do with that.

"That's a Grass Man, all right," Deis muttered. "Doesn't look like he's here voluntarily, either. Figures."

"I'm not exactly a fan of authority, but shouldn't somebody do something about that?" Bow asked, growling under his breath.

"Grass Men aren't covered under the First Laws," Silvia explained. "Not unless they start sending a representative to the annual meeting of the World Council in Prima. Since slavery is in those, most countries don't bother coding it into their local laws. Clan Laws usually don't have much to say about it either. And if the Three Laws don't cover it, there's not much anybody can do. Loopholes happen sometimes." Her voice was bland, but the look on her face told a different story.

"Shame." Ryu shook his head. "I'd like to do something about this myself, but not if it means getting a price on my head."

"Wasn't that amazing?" Tusk asked as the curtains closed, and the cart was taken out again. "I hope you enjoyed your evening at the Circus Maxitusk! We'll be here for two more weeks, before heading on our way to our next performance in Windia! Thank you, thank you!" He bowed flamboyantly to the polite applause, following the cart.

"Well, that's the show, then." Bow stood up, helping Silvia to her feet. "Wasn't _too_ shabby. Shall we?"

"Yeah, okay." Ryu deliberately did _not_ offer Deis his hand; she probably would have bitten it. Instead, she grabbed it herself as she rose.

"You're walking me back to the Magic School like a gentleman, right?" She asked teasingly.

"I'll take you to the wall," he offered. "You're on your own after that. I know what the patrols are like."

"Spoilsport." She kept the patter going as they left the tent, both of them both aware of the real reason they'd be splitting off from Bow and Silvia once they were back in town. "Not hoping to get invited back to my room?"

"With your roommate?" Ryu reminded her. "Somehow, I don't think so."

"It was worth a shot."

"And you say _I_ need to keep my hormones in check?" Bow asked Silvia dryly.

"They're joking," she pointed out. "Mostly. I'll admit, I'm unsure as to exactly how much. But that's nothing new."

"She's got us figured out." Ryu sighed dramatically. "Damn."

"We'll have to get a new act," Deis suggested. "Any ideas?"

"Nope."

"Me either." She echoed his sigh. "So much for _that_ brilliant idea."

"You know, you two are making me look like the _normal_ guy by comparison," Bow pointed out, waving to the guards as they reentered the city. "Just saying. All right, we'll let you do the gentlemanly thing or whatever, buddy. See you in a few."

"Don't get arrested without me keeping you in line," Ryu shot back as he and Deis split off, heading north. Once they were out of earshot, he glanced at her. "Think he's actually got a chance?"

"If he doesn't screw it up," Deis said thoughtfully. "She's not a complicated girl. As long as he just keeps playing it smart, he's got a shot. He'll have to marry her eventually, of course, if he gets that far."

"For some reason, I just can't see Bow married," Ryu winced. "Then again, we're all still a _little_ young for that. I don't think she'll bring it up any time soon."

"That's cute." She winked. "That you actually think that, I mean."

"Oh, shut up."

"You wish." Looking up at the stars, she let the humor drain from her face. "Listen, Ryu. Has anything strange been happening recently that you've noticed?"

"I fought off a cockroach the size of a horse," Ryu replied glibly, thinking of the statues of Ladon. "Does that count?"

"A bit odd that there would be some of those around here, but that's not what I meant." She shook her head. "Something's been in the air recently. I don't know what it is, but something's different, and I don't think I like it."

"Magic stuff?" Ryu guessed.

"Something like that." She gave him a look, as if wondering how much to tell him. "I get feelings like this every now and then. They always mean something big is going to happen. And this is the strongest I've felt in a long time. Something is very wrong, Ryu. Either in this city, or in the entire world. I can't tell which."

"So why are you telling me?" Ryu asked bluntly. "I'm a Ranger, Deis. What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Who said I was asking you to?" She pointed out. "I'm trying to warn you, doofus. Whatever this is, it's bigger than people like us. If something starts happening that you notice, keep your head down, and make sure Bow does too. He gets enthusiastic sometimes, and that gets him in trouble if he's not careful."

"Boy, is _that_ true," Ryu agreed. "All right, I'll keep an eye out, as long as you do the same."

"I'm behind fortifications if trouble breaks out," she reminded him as they reached the ten-foot wall around the Magic School. "You're not."

"Point," he conceded. "Be careful anyways."

"All right, all right." She made a face. "I thought I was the one giving _you_ a heads-up, not the other way around. How'd that happen?"

"Maybe I'm agreeing with you," Ryu suggested. "You're right. I don't know what it is, and I don't know how big it is, but something's felt wrong recently. Let's just hope it blows over before the year is out."

"We can hope, I guess." She smirked again, walking towards the wall. "No good night kiss?"

"Do I look like an idiot?" Ryu rolled his eyes, turning away. "Don't answer that. Have a nice night, Deis."

"Same to you." She waved as he walked off. He didn't really know how she always made it over the wall, and he didn't want to.

The streets were still gradually emptying out this early in the night, and there were enough pedestrians for him not to worry about nosy guardsmen or overconfident muggers. Ryu took his time walking back home, whistling under his breath. When he returned to his apartment, he found Bow waiting for him with a couple of bottles, beaming.

"Good-night kiss," he explained before Ryu could even ask. "Did I tell you, or did I tell you? Lady Luck _loves_ me today."

"I'll drink to that." Ryu took a bottle, and they clinked them together. "To luck, money, and girls."

"Says it all, that," Bow agreed, and they downed the bottles. "Think Deis had fun?"

"Something like that." Ryu chuckled. "She's still going to murder you, you know."

"It was worth it." Bow shrugged.

"We'll see if you're saying that tomorrow, when your luck runs out," Ryu told him. He considered bringing up her warning, but decided against it; he didn't want to ruin the mood. It could wait for tomorrow.

"Yeah, yeah." Bow tossed his bottle into their trash can, one they'd stolen from a nearby alley. It looked slightly ridiculous indoors, but there was no arguing with the price. "I'm turning in. You?"

"Might as well," Ryu agreed. Their beds were cheap, like everything else in the room, but they beat camping out. Throwing their clothes in the corners, they were both out like lights in a matter of minutes.

_ More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

As always, Ryu slept restlessly for several hours, until horns began screaming through the night sky, awakening him instantly. The first thing he noticed was that Bow's bed was empty. Shaking his head, he dressed quickly and left the apartment, more out of a desire to find out what was going on than any actual concern. That lasted up until he crossed the street and was accosted by a guardsman in blue-painted armor.

"You're Ryu, right?" The guardsman demanded. "The Ranger?"

"That'd be me," Ryu said lazily. "Something I can help you with?"

"You can tell me where your partner is," the guard replied. "Bow, isn't it? He's wanted for burglarizing Count Trout's manor."  
"Huh." Ryu forced himself to keep his face and voice calm. "I just woke up, I'm afraid, and he wasn't in our room. Haven't seen him since. I'll keep an eye out for him, though."

"You'd better," the guard growled. "We've got multiple eyewitnesses of the crime, and he's pretty easy to pick out of a crowd. Trout's furious. Turning himself in's the only hope Bow's going to have." Turning abruptly, he stalked off, screaming at some other pedestrians.

"Ryu!" Silvia ran over to him from the street corner, eyes wide. "Did you hear?"

"Yeah." Ryu's eyes narrowed. "This is _not_ good. You haven't seen him either, I'm guessing?"

"No." She looked around, obviously worried. "Oh, Ryu, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to look for him, that's what," Ryu decided. "You're better with sending out messages than I am. Get word to Elder Allen, Hanz, Powell and Bud... and see if you can get Deis, too. They're all trustworthy. I'll search the northeast quarter, around Trout's place."

"All right." Silvia nodded, professionalism overtaking her worry. "I'll take the northwest once I have those messages sent out. What do we tell him if we find him?"

"To find any bolthole where he can hide out until morning." Ryu glanced at the southern gate, where more guardsmen were congregating. "They won't be letting people in or out of the city tonight, but even Trout won't be able to keep that up for long. Once it settles down a bit, we can figure out somewhere he can stay long-term while we sort this out."

"All right." Silvia started to run off, then paused. "Ryu, he didn't really do it, right?"

"This is Bow we're talking about." Ryu forced a chuckle. "If he _had_, he wouldn't have gotten caught."

"True." Silvia laughed as well, but it was visibly strained. "All right, I'll get going. Let's keep our hopes up."

"Right."

Heading towards the northeast quarter as he'd said, Ryu began scouring the streets, carefully avoiding more of the Count's guards doing the same thing. For obvious reasons, they were especially thick around Trout's manor, but there were plenty of them on the rest of the streets as well. It soon became apparent that he was spending so much time avoiding them, he was barely getting any searching done.

It was right when he had decided to give up and head back when he heard hasty footsteps from around the corner. Before he could react, somebody rounded it and slammed straight into him, both of them tumbling to the cobblestones.

"Ouch! Sorry!" The young girl who'd hit him hissed, flipping back to her feet with admirable agility. In the dim light from the torches, he saw that she was a tall, skinny girl several years too young to look good wearing the tight red leather leotard she had on, along with a little too much makeup. Before he could see anything else about her, she was dashing away again, but seeing her from behind made one more thing apparent; her large, dark wings were unmistakable.

"Wing clan?" Ryu muttered. "Doesn't look like the type who'd be with Mina..." He frowned, remembering the city's layout. "And she's running straight for the north gate." Curious, he followed her, only to see about ten guards standing at the gate, looking bored. There was no trace of the strange girl. "Huh. Did she get out? Pretty impressive." Shrugging, he turned around and headed back home, operating on a hunch without anything to back it up. It turned out to be accurate; as soon as he opened the apartment door, he saw Bow waiting for him in their single shoddy chair.

"Hey, buddy," Bow greeted him, looking exhausted, but unwounded. "Guess you heard the news. I really did it this time, didn't I?"

"It's starting to look like it." Sitting down on his bed, Ryu stared at him, then sighed. "All right, I'm listening. This had better be good."

"First things first." Bow closed his eyes. "I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but it's true. I didn't steal anything from Trout, okay? Even if I wanted to return what was stolen, I don't have it."

"I was afraid of that," Ryu muttered. "There was no way this was going to be that simple."

"You believe me, then?" Bow asked, a little desperate.

"Come on, man." Ryu gave him a stern look. "We've known each other for _how_ long? Of course I believe you."

"Thanks, buddy." Bow ran a hand through the fur atop his head. "I needed to hear that. It's been one of those nights." He took a deep breath. "All right, here's what happened. About two hours ago, somebody started knocking on the door. You were out like a light, so you didn't hear it, but it woke me up, so I went and answered it."

"Can't believe I was sleeping that hard," Ryu muttered. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Who was it, then?"

"That's the crazy thing." Bow shook his head. "There were a couple of guards, a butler-looking guy, and somebody else wearing a mantle and hood. Asked if they could come in. I said sure, and it turns out to be Duke Kilgore!"

"I'm starting to see where this is going now," Ryu said grimly. "Let me guess. He said he had a job for you?"

"Yeah." Bow made a face. "He said Trout had stolen something from him recently. An ancient artifact from the Isle of Tunlan called the Magic Hood. Apparently, Kilgore got it for 4,130 zenny. That's the same amount Trout donated to the Circus."

"I get it." Ryu nodded slowly. "That was just to taunt Kilgore about getting away with it. _Now_ it makes sense. It was just part of their little game."

"And Kilgore wanted to make the next move," Bow continued. "I don't know how he found out about us, but he said he'd heard we were skilled, discrete, and cared more about the spirit of the law than the letter of it. I told him that was us, all right, and he told me he wanted us to steal the Magic Hood back from Trout for him."

"Taking a risk, there." Ryu shook his head. "If Trout got away with the original theft, Kilgore doesn't have any legal basis to back you up on. And either way, breaking and entering still applies to Trout's place."

"I know, I know." Bow sighed. "But he offered me a thousand zenny, and more work down the line. He said it didn't really count as stealing, since it was his in the first place, and I believed him; Kilgore's got a good reputation, and Trout doesn't. You know that. And my luck was running great tonight. How could I go wrong?"

"By not waking me up, that's how." Ryu frowned deeply. "That's what really bothers me. Not that you tried to rob Trout's house. Not that you got in over your head. Not that you've got a price on said head now. That you went to do it without me."

"If I had, you'd be in this with me," Bow protested, then stopped. "Okay, I know. But you suck at stealth, man. Sorry, but it's true. You always have. I figured I could make it through Trout's manor undetected, but you? No way."

"Except you didn't," Ryu reminded him. "You got caught. I'm guessing it was before you even made it there, and Trout just told everybody you stole from him to get the guards all fired up over this?"

"I wish." Bow chuckled bitterly. "No, I was doing fine, actually. Managed to dodge the guards, get in through the servants' entrance, and everything was going fine until I actually reached Trout's storeroom. As soon as I opened the door, this weird girl runs out, slams into me, and keeps going! I look in there, and the place has been ransacked! Chests gaping open, moneybags spilled all over the floor, the whole nine yards. Amateur work, not even cleaning up. But she got away with it, on account of a patrol hearing her and coming to check."

"And finding you there instead," Ryu finished. "I guess it's pretty impressive that you managed to get away from them, considering that. The problem is, nobody's going to buy that story, even if Duke Kilgore backs us up."

"Exactly." Bow put his head in his hands. "Trout'll have a price on my head before dawn, and he'll spread the word across the world. I'm screwed, buddy."

"Not quite." Ryu frowned. "This girl. Anything weird about her you noticed?"

"She had wings," Bow said after a moment's thought. "Didn't look exactly like a Wing Clanswoman, but it was too dark to tell why. They were real dark, too. Her wings, I mean. Why?"

"Because she ran me down while I was looking for you," Ryu explained, smiling grimly. "If she's the real thief, then all we have to do is catch her, and make her clear your name. Trout's an ass, but he likes it when people do things for him. If we bring the loot back, he'll drop all charges against you."

"That's all well and good, but what am I gonna do until then?" Bow demanded. "I can't hide out here for long, and-eep!" He fell silent as somebody rapped harshly on the door. Both of them surveyed the room quickly, and Bow's eyes fell on the trash can in the corner. There was nowhere else. With a resigned roll of his eyes, he quickly climbed in and pulled the lid on over his head as Ryu went to answer the door.

"Ryu the Ranger?" The guardsman at the door growled. "I'm Sergeant Larkin, and I'm here to ask you a few questions about your partner."

"I take it this is related to the incident at Lord Trout's manor?" Ryu asked mildly, offering him the chair as he sat back down on his bed.

"That's right." Larkin took a seat, but continued to glare at him. "You Rangers are always keeping one toe on the line, but your buddy Bow finally stepped off of it. Lord Trout wants him, bad, and he's got the law backing him up. You'd better not have anything to do with this, or else you'll be sharing a cell with him, too!"

"I was sleeping here until after the news hit the town." Ryu shrugged, fighting the urge to punch him. "Plenty of people in this building saw me leave the apartment. They were doing the same thing. I went out to find out what was going on, then came back here."

"So you say." Larkin began glancing around the room. "Still, that doesn't stop you from helping him out now that he's in a scrape. Keep in mind that if you do, you'll still be going down with him. Lord Trout has a lot of influence in this city!"

"Everybody with half a brain knows that." Ryu leaned back against the wall behind his bed. "They'd know not to come back here, too. First place you boys would look. Obvious, really. Sorry, I haven't seen him."

"Why, you..." Larkin started to stand, then made a visible effort to control his temper. "All right, boy. But you'd better not get any ideas! We'll be watching you! And now that your friend's shown himself for the dog he really is, I'm gonna be the one to bring him in! No matter where he runs, no matter where he hides, he's going down, and he'll remember for the rest of his life that it was _me_ who brought him in! If you see Bow, you tell him I said that!" Rising, he left, slamming the door behind him.

"Jackass." Ryu snorted.

"That was _way_ too close." Bow peeked out from the garbage can. "Good thing he didn't search the room."

"Yeah, but the next guy to come by here might actually know what the hell he's doing," Ryu growled. "We need to get you out of here, now. And while we're at it, figure out where you can hide until I track that thief down."

"I had an idea while that dumbass was trying to scare you, actually," Bow explained. "Old man Niro, in those ruins by Mt. Fubi. He's a good guy. He'll hide me, and nobody's gonna come looking for me down there."

"Perfect." Ryu smiled. "Good thinking, buddy. Now we just need to figure out how to get you out of town. The guards will never let me just carry this thing out."

"They will if you've got paperwork authorizing it," Bow said slyly. "Think Elder Allen would help you out?"

"Any day." Ryu stood up again. "Silvia will have woken him up already. I'll go see him. You should probably stay in that can, just in case any more guards drop by."

"It's gonna take me all day at Lake Auria to wash this stench off," Bow commented wryly. "Try not to take too long."

"Yeah, yeah." Waving, Ryu left again. "Man, oh man, it is _way_ too late for me to be rushing all over the city like this. Early. Whatever."

Muttering to himself, he ran over to the Guild office, which was open, but almost deserted. To his surprise, in Elder Allen's office, he saw a familiar-looking nobleman, apparently meeting with him.

"Are you Ryu?" Duke Kilgore asked, turning his head from where he was seated in front of the desk. A tall, lean man in his sixties, his back was unbowed by his years, though his hair had turned iron gray long ago. Despite the hour, he was immaculately dressed in deep blue finery. "Bow's partner? Elder Allen said you'd probably be coming by soon."

"He was correct, your grace." Ryu started to bow, but before he could, Kilgore had risen, and was clasping his shoulder.

"That's not necessary, young man," Kilgore told him quietly. "Especially considering the mistakes I've made tonight, and how much they've cost your friend."

"Bow told me." Ryu relaxed a little. "He also told me why you did it. I believe him. It's not your fault, your grace."

"If only my conscience was so easily alleviated." Kilgore sat down again, running his hands through his hair. "I've been conferring with Elder Allen about a way to solve this problem, but we're not coming up with much."

"Count Trout won't let this slide easily," Elder Allen agreed, looking as if he was still half-asleep. "He'd consider it a, ah, personal humiliation to do so. If the evidence wasn't so blatant, Lord Kilgore would be, ah, able to use his own influence to quiet this down, but, ah, as things stand..."

"Trout wouldn't let this go, even if I offered him my entire treasury." Kilgore shook his head grimly. "He's always been stiff-necked about his pride, and he's grown even worse over the last few years."

"We've got a plan, actually." Ryu glanced at Kilgore, then at the Dragon's Tear. It showed green; the man was sincere. "Bow didn't get anything. Somebody else burglarized the house the same night, and she got there first." He quickly explained what had happened, and gave them a description of the strange girl.

"I see." Elder Allen murmured once he was done. "If we catch this thief and bring her back to Trout, Bow's name will be cleared."

"And we'll be able to sweep the entire matter under the rug, including what Bow _was_ doing there!" Kilgore brought his fist down on his palm. "I like it! I'll put the word out immediately, and start looking for leads."

"The Rangers will do the same." Elder Allen nodded. "Officially, of course, Bow is, ah, a wanted criminal now and we won't be, ah, able to, ah, assist you in your search. That just means we'll have to keep it off the record. We look after our own, first and foremost."

"Thank you, both of you," Ryu said simply. "There's one more matter I'd like your help with, Elder Allen. If you could write up an order for disposing of a trash can's worth of hazardous material outside of the city wall immediately?"

"Of course." Elder Allen smiled, understanding instantly. Pulling some paperwork from a drawer, he filled it out quickly. "We'll say it's, ah, an experiment gone wrong from the Magic School. The headmaster owes me a, ah, favor, so if they check up on it, he'll play, ah, along. Where will you go from there?"

"The ruins south of Mt. Fubi," Ryu explained. "There's one building there that's still inhabitable, barely. It's a good place to hide out."

"We'll send a message as soon as we have some leads for you, then," Kilgore promised.

"And I'll follow them up." Ryu took the order from Elder Allen's hand as he held it out and rose. "I'll get out of your hair now, your grace. Elder."

"Good luck, young man." Kilgore shook his hand firmly.

"Thanks." Ryu walked out, then stopped a moment before he would have bumped into Silvia. "Hi. Listen..."

"I found him," she interrupted him. "He sent me down here to meet you. It'll be more convincing if it's both of us."

"True," Ryu admitted. "All right, let's head back. I've got the paperwork. Did he tell you everything else?"

"The whole story." She nodded, biting her lip, as they walked back down the streets. "This is a real mess, isn't it?"

"Believe it or not, we've dealt with worse," Ryu told her. "This is going to suck for a while, but we'll get over it. I'll find that thief, and then we'll both be right back here again."

"You'd better," she said quietly. "I'm counting on you for this, Ryu."

There wasn't much he could say to that. Reaching their home, they climbed the stairs back to Ryu's apartment, and found the trash can lying on its side.

"Hey, guys," Bow said sheepishly. "Little help here? I'm kinda stuck."

Ryu and Silvia exchanged a long stare.

"We got the paperwork," Ryu told him. "Let's go."

"All right," Silvia agreed. Each of them grabbed one end of the can, and they lifted it between them, grunting.

"No cracks about my weight, okay?" Bow commented. "I've heard it all already."

"Hush," Ryu said flatly. "Keep quiet until we're outside the city." Slowly, the two of them hauled him down the stairs, and then through the streets to the south gate.

"Hold it!" One of the guardmen there yelled, seeing them approach. "City's sealed, folks! We're hunting down a burglar! Nobody gets in or out until tomorrow! You can wait until then to take out the trash!"

"Not _this_ trash, we can't," Silvia disagreed, showing him the paperwork. "Something went _very_ wrong in the lab over at the Magic School, officer. Wrong enough that they hired us just to take it out of the city and get rid of it, fast. The way I heard it, in fifteen minutes nobody had better be around this can. If you want to take care of it for us, be our guests."

"Oh, no you don't!" The guard snapped. "We've got better things to do than your busywork." He looked over the papers, then glanced sourly at the can. "It certainly smells like some sort of failed experiment... and this _is_ Elder Allen's signature." He handed the paperwork back with an annoyed grunt. "All right, get it out of here. Don't take all night about it, though, or we might just 'forget' who we're supposed to let back in."

"Yes, sir," Ryu muttered as he and Silvia hefted the trash can again, carrying it out down the road. They kept going, conscious of the guards' eyes on them, until they'd vanished into a clump of trees. "All right, we're clear," he told Bow, then swore as he heard a hunting cry. "Dammit, that's a Beak."

"I'll get it." Silvia sighed, pulling a slim crossbow from up her sleeve. "Help him out of that thing."

"If we have to break this to get you out, I'm not gonna be amused," Ryu growled, removing the can's lid.

"Less with the cheap shots, and more with the help, okay?" Bow replied testily. "Hey, wait, what are you doing?"

"Getting you out," Ryu said, turning the can upside down before lifting it and shaking it. As he'd hoped, Bow fell out, landing on his head before tumbling over.

"Gee," his friend muttered, lying in the dirt. "Thanks."

"No charge." Ryu threw the can into a ditch. "You okay, Silvia?"

"I'm fine." She came back, keeping a wary distance from Bow. "You need a bath."

"I noticed," he agreed sourly. "We'll stop by Lake Auria on our way south."

"All right." She glanced back at the city. "I'll come up with a story to explain why you're not back yet, Ryu."

"Thanks." Ryu smiled. "We owe you for this one."

"Just get this cleared up, and come back," she told them quietly. "That's all I want." She looked at Bow for a moment longer as if she wanted to say something more, then shook her head and walked away.

"Shit," Bow muttered, watching her go. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."

"Pretty much," Ryu agreed somberly. "Let's get going, buddy."

The trip was a more subdued one than their previous journey, for obvious reasons, but aside from that it was similar. Once they reached Lake Auria, Bow was able to wash the stench off of himself and his clothes, to Ryu's vast relief. Crossing Mt. Fubi, at least, was much less stressful this time, thanks to the absence of harpies and the cleared path. Navigating the mountain with relative ease, they continued on to the ruined city, arriving as the sun began to set like they had before.

"Hey, guys!" Niro called from the overgrown "porch" outside of the building as he saw them approach. He was sitting on the steps, strumming some sort of stringed instrument that was larger than he was. "Whatcha doing back here so soon? I ain't eaten any more pets, don't worry!" He laughed, then winced. "Haven't eaten anything last few days, actually..."

Bow and Ryu exchanged a long glance.

"I'll go hunt some more food down in a while," Bow told him. "First, though, we need to talk about something. The old man still feeling chatty?"

"How droll," the statue of Ladon replied dryly. "I take it you've both been busy?"

"Oh, you have no idea." Ryu rolled his eyes. "Listen to this story..." Sitting down next to them, they explained the events of the disastrous night.

"So what you're sayin' is, you want to move in?" Niro asked slowly once they were done. "Well, all right, but you'll be sleepin' on the floor." He glanced back at the building. "Actually, you came at a perfect time. This old place is startin' to fall apart, so I was thinkin' it was time I started doin' some renovations. Else we won't _have_ no building left to hide out in!"

On cue, the roof collapsed.

"That's gonna suck to fix," Niro commented, unfazed.

"No kidding." Bow stared at the building with a visible lack of enthusiasm. "Exactly how much work were you planning on doing?"

"Oh, about as much as'd make it worth it not to turn you in," Niro joked, cackling. "Kiddin', kiddin'! Now don't go wimpin' out on me, son. You're young an' strong. If I can do this stuff, you ain't got no excuse for not keepin' up. 'Sides, what else are you gonna do while you wait for Ryu to clear your name? Shame he can't stay an' help us out, but lookin' for that thief's gotta come first."

"He's useless at this sort of thing anyways." Bow shrugged. "We hired on with some builders for a few months once. I ain't exactly a professional, but I learned enough to get by, back then. Ryu eventually just wound up getting the drinks and sweeping up, though."

Ryu gave him a flat look, but didn't comment.

"Well then, you an' me workin' together, we'll get this place off the ground in no time." Niro patted the side of the building. "Ol' dear's been neglected, but the foundation's good. It ain't too late to put it back together again. Hell, you boys can even stay here permanent-like if you want, once it's all finished. Least I can do for you."

"Hey, there's a thought." Bow perked up suddenly, looking over the building with a different eye. "How many people do you think could have lived in this, back when it was brand new?"

"A good dozen, at least." Niro shrugged. "Gonna take a hell of a lot more work if we want to go that far, though. You got that many friends lookin' for somewhere to crash?"

"Not yet." Bow grinned suddenly. "We might soon, though."

"I get it." Ryu smiled as well, looking at the building. "It's like this, Niro. We've been wanting to start up our own group of adventurers for hire, but we need a lot of things before we can get it off the ground. One of those things is a base."

"And you figure this ol' ruin is lookin' like prime real estate, huh?" Niro's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Adventurers, eh. By that, I take it you mean mercenaries. I'm a bit old for runnin' around like that, boys."

"We'd need somebody to watch the place while we were out on jobs, actually," Bow explained. "Standard practice."

"Equal shares?" The old man asked shrewdly.

"Of course," Ryu agreed as Bow winced.

"Done, then!" Niro spat on his hand and held it out, and after a moment, Bow did the same, shaking it. "You've got your first recruit, boys! Now we've got some _real_ motivation to fix this place up!"

"Never thought this would be how we'd be starting up." Bow shook his head. "Guess there's one good thing coming out of this mess."

"No kidding," Ryu agreed. "It's not much, but it's a start. As soon as we get Bow's name cleared, we can start looking for more guys."

"How many were you figurin' on bringin' in?" Niro asked, scratching his head.

"Ideally?" Bow began counting them off on his fingers as he spoke, starting from three. "Another tough guy to take the front line with Ryu. Another white mage to help me keep everybody in one piece. A good knife man. At least one, preferably two, black mages. And a couple jacks-of-all-trades to balance it all out."

"So, ten guys total." Niro shrugged. "Should make divvying out the pay easy."

"Who knows, maybe I'll find some good guys while I'm looking for the thief." Ryu glanced north. "Elder Allen's message should be arriving soon with any leads they've found. I just hope they've got... bingo." They all turned their heads as an aura of blue light appeared in the air inside the building, a piece of paper materializing inside it. The magic faded a moment later, and the message dropped to the ground.

"All right, let's see here." Bow picked it up and glanced at it. "Two leads so far. Apparently, a reclusive female student at the Aurian Magic School has black wings. The other lead's over in Coursair, to the northeast. Some girl showed up a few months back and made a name for herself in the coliseum duels real quick... _and_ she was out of town during the theft."

"That's the more promising lead, then," Ryu decided. "Besides, getting into the Magic School would be a pain in the ass. I'm off to Coursair. With luck, I'll be able to figure out if it's her or not with one glance."

"A girl like that stands out in a crowd, any day," Niro agreed. "You'll find her, son. Mark my words."

"Indeed you will," Ladon said firmly. "This mishap is only a beginning. I foresee a great adventure in your future, boys."

"Just as long as we get paid," Ryu joked, watching the sun creep towards the horizon.

_WHY SHOULD I WORRY _


	4. Chapter 3: The Violent City

_**Chapter 3:**_ **_The Violent City_**

"Easy, girls," Ryu murmured, holding his hands before him. "I'm not going to hurt you. Easy, easy. Nice biruburu." Unfortunately, the monsters menacing him-a tough, purple-skinned hybrid of sow and cow-were more concerned with _their_ ability to hurt _him_. Squealing, they both charged simultaneously, and Ryu cursed, diving awkwardly over their wicked horns and landing on the back of one. Bucking wildly, it attempted to throw him off, but he was able to hold on long enough to cut its throat. Enraged, its companion attacked again, and he shoved the carcass into it. Before it could recover, he stepped around and sent it off with a stab to the eye.

"Man, oh man, what a wake-up." Wincing, Ryu cleaned his sword and sheathed it again after carefully looking around for any more monsters. The eastern seacoast stretched north for several more miles before reaching a small forest; he'd have to head back to the west and rejoin the path at that point. The good news was, when he did, he'd be able to reach his destination within the day, so he wouldn't _need_ to stick to the coast. Without Bow's hunting skills, he'd been forced to rely on his own talent with the fishing rod for all of his meals.

At the moment, no more threats were visible, but he knew that was hardly a guarantee for long. Sighing, he glanced back at the dead biruburu. "A couple more days of nothing but fish, and I'll probably be finding out if these things are edible." Prodding one with his foot, he considered it, then shook his head and turned to the ocean.

To the northeast of Auria was the land of Tantar, hereditary homeland of the reclusive Forest Clan. Said Clan had shunned contact with the outside world for many centuries now, reportedly due to conflicts with the Church of St. Eva, and the human population of the country had expanded in their absence. Their capital city of Coursair was relatively new, but it was a popular destination for travelers due to the massive coliseum at the city's heart. It had taken him half a week since he'd crossed the border between the two lands, at the bridge across the River Bleak, to get that far.

As he sat on the shore, fishing line dangling into the water, something caught his eye further out; what appeared to be a man-sized fish, wearing clothes. It was a Maniro fishman, apparently swimming north towards Coursair. On a whim, Ryu decided to try something he'd heard about in a bar a few months ago. Yesterday, he'd been attacked by a murderous devilkid, one of the violent imps that infested Tantar; despite the awkward name, they were neither hellish in origin nor sentient children. More importantly, he'd found a piece of fool's gold in its claw after killing it.

Reeling his line back in, Ryu took off the bait and tied the end of the line around the rock instead before casting it back out. As he'd been told, the Maniro Clan's inherent eye for gold was so phenomenal that the passing fishman saw the glint immediately, barreling down on it like a shark. Ryu waited, amused, until it grabbed the glittering bait, and curses began to bubble to the surface. A few minutes later, it burst from the water's surface, fool's gold in hand.

"All right, wise guy, real funny," the Maniro told him sourly. As far as Ryu could tell, he was an old man; the Maniro Clan had no hair to turn gray, and scales instead of skin, which didn't wrinkle with age. Said scales had silver patches mixed with their normal orange hue, though, and the white fins on the top and sides of his head were unusually long. "You're lucky I've got a good sense of humor. Some folks would pound you into canned lizard for that kind of stunt."

"What if I wanted to see if you had anything interesting to sell?" Ryu countered, ignoring the bizarre threat.  
"Hey, why didn't you say so?" Blasting out of the water in a surprising display of agility, the Maniro landed on his feet next to Ryu, unstrapping the huge pack he wore on his back, so large it had to be reinforced with wooden poles. "The name's Gobi, nice to meet you! Now then, I have some very nice sets of steel armor, perfect for the aspiring gladiator. Or, if you're more of an offensive type, I'm also stocking some silver daggers, enchanted with fire magic! I'll let both of those go for only 1,400 zenny each! A bargain price, let me tell you!"

"Um... old man?" Ryu held up a hand. "Do I _look_ like I can afford _anything_ that's 1,400 zenny? Look at me."  
"Good point." Gobi scratched his chin. "Yeesh, kid. Is that a _salad bowl_ you're wearing on your head? Please say no."

"It used to be," Ryu admitted. "It was cheap, and it keeps flying rocks from braining me. You go with what you can in my position."

"I'm all for bargain hunting, kid, but you gotta draw the line somewhere," Gobi told him, grimacing. "You'll never get a girlfriend looking like that. Hell, you'll probably get laughed out of all the bars in Coursair. Tell you what, I'll help you out with that instead." Reaching into his pack, he produced an actual helmet, admittedly one without any facial guard, flared around the edges. "Standard issue for the Windian guard, and they're a cut above your normal watchmen. I got these babies at a steal on account of surplus, so I can let 'em go cheaper than I usually would, too. 800 zenny, and believe me, you're never gonna find a better offer on these babies."

"Hmmm." Ryu examined the helmet. It _was_ authentically well-made, he could tell, and Bow had given him almost all of their combined savings for use on his quest. It was tempting. "I'll give you 750."

"795," Gobi countered.

"760."

"790."

"Throw in some information about what the air's like up in Coursair right now, and you've got yourself a deal," Ryu said. He'd had dealings with Maniros before-it was hard not to, since their merchants more or less controlled the global economy by now-and he knew that haggling _too_ extensively would just make things worse.

"I _thought_ you were heading up there." Gobi smiled. "All right, deal. What did you want to know?"

"How to find a tavern called the _Rat's Head_," Ryu said as he pulled out his wallet. "The story on this fighting girl I've heard about at the coliseum. And anything else I should be keeping my eye out for." Elder Allen's letter had told him that the local Ranger's Guild office was located behind the tavern, but hadn't specified where said tavern was.

"The new girl, huh?" Gobi chuckled. "I know what you're thinking, kid, but trust me, don't. Her first night in, some guy tried putting the moves on her. She put him and six of his buddies in the doctor's, single-handedly. She only shows sporadically; apparently, she drifts in and out of town. Augus, the manager, has managed to get her to let him know a week in advance every time she'll be going a round, though. Whenever that happens, seats sell out within a day. The people up there _love_ her."

"Let me guess." Ryu made a face, counting out coins. "Knowing my luck, they started promoting her next fight yesterday."

"Afraid so, kid," Gobi agreed. "You can ask around when you get up there, but I doubt you'll have much luck. Maybe the Guild can help you out; the _Rat's Head_ is over on the east side, on Rat Street."

"Guess that explains the name," Ryu commented. "I was wondering about that. I see you already know why I was asking. Guess they don't keep it a secret."

"It beats what the one on the _other_ end of that street is called, let me tell you." Gobi snorted. "The ale's better, too. You'd be surprised how long it's taking some brewers in Coursair to catch on to the fact that open vats are a bad idea when you're too cheap to set traps. If you're looking for an inn, the _Rat's Arms_ a couple doors down runs clean and cheap. I don't really want to know what a Ranger's doing in Coursair asking about that girl, do I?"

"Probably not, no." Ryu shook his head, handing over the cash. "It's a long story, anyways. Anything else I should know?"

"Like you said, it's none of my business, but be careful if you're snooping around the coliseum." Taking Ryu's money, Gobi handed over the helmet. "There's been some nasty rumors going around about Augus recently. Some people are saying he's got connections to the Joker Gang that operates around here. Even if that's bullshit, the coliseum matches have been getting more and more violent recently. It's a bad trend, and it's leading to bad habits in the viewers, too." He snapped his fingers. "One more thing. Don't know if this'll mean anything to you, but the Church of St. Eva's sent a paladin into town."

"You don't see many of _those_," Ryu said, blinking. "Especially not in this part of the world. Any idea what he's doing there?"

"Nope, and I don't want to know, either." Gobi shook his head. "I'm _real_ good about not knowing things I shouldn't, kid. It's how I've lived this long. Take my advice, and do the same, and you will too."

"Unless there's a profit in it?" Ryu guessed, smiling.

"Depends on how much!" Gobi shot back, grinning as well. "You're all right, kid. Good luck up there. Maybe I'll sell you something again someday!" Diving off the coast, he vanished beneath the waves, and Ryu went back to his fishing.

After eventually catching and eating a fat tuna, Ryu continued north, and drifted into the city of Coursair around noon. It had been a long time since he and Bow had been here, and at first glance, the city hadn't changed; the streets were familiar, and he found himself walking the same paths he had back then almost automatically, recognizing more and more the further he got. Coursair was shabbier than Hometown, the streets narrow and winding with more alleys and nooks. They'd had a few close scrapes, some of them unpleasant, but all the same, it wasn't bad to be back.

Not everything was the same, though. Despite the fights that were the city's most popular attraction, when they'd been there, Coursair had been a fairly relaxed city, without much turmoil. That much had clearly changed; in his first fifteen minutes, he saw three fights in the streets and a violent arrest by the town guard. The guardsmen brutally pummeled the criminal, but ignored the brawling between citizens. The bars weren't open yet, so that clearly wasn't it; all that Ryu could think of was that violence was in the air, and he didn't like where that was going.

The first thing any newcomers noticed about the city was the massive coliseum, looming over even the outer walls; it was Coursair's heart, and the citizens wanted everybody to know it. The first time he'd seen it, Ryu had stared for an hour without even moving. Bow and him had tried to get in a hundred times, and failed every single one. He knew it wasn't going to be any easier now, but just to check, he made his way towards it first. Reaching it presented him with a riot going on outside the front gate, armed and armored guards mercilessly pummeling angry citizens.

"There are no more tickets for sale!" A weedy man in a hideous bright green doublet was shouting from behind a barred gate. "I repeat, the seats are sold out for next week's fight! Anybody within a hundred feet of this entrance _will_ be treated as a violent rioter! Leave immediately, or the Coursair coliseum will bear no responsibility for any injuries inflicted upon your person! You have been warned!"

"Friendly place." Ryu whistled. "Yeah, I'm not getting in there that way." Shaking his head, he turned away and started looking for Rat Street. A bricklayer working on one of the houses gave him directions, and he soon found the tavern, which was still closed. The door behind it, however, was leaning open, and Ryu peeked inside.

"I hate to ask you to become involved in the Church's business, but as the situation rests... well, you seem to understand," a man who looked to be about Ryu's age was saying. That was the only thing they had in common, though; his hair was a long, flowing strawberry-blond mass that fell down the back of his blue-enameled plate mail. He wore the entire suit, save for the helmet, with no signs of discomfort as he sat before the desk in the room, and a sword was belted at his waist. Sensing Ryu, he turned his head to look at him with piercing violet eyes.

"Sorry, your grace." Ryu held up his hands, recognizing what he was immediately. "I didn't know you were talking in here. I'll come back later."

"That won't be necessary, young man," the man behind the desk, probably Elder Mac, told him. He looked almost as old as Elder Allen, but tough and muscular, with sun-browned skin and a completely hairless head. Despite his age, he was clearly somebody not to be trifled with. "We were just concluding our discussion anyways."

"Indeed," the paladin agreed, standing. "I'll leave it in your hands, then, Elder. Go right ahead, then, young man. Are you a resident of this town?"

"Actually, I just arrived today," Ryu explained. "I'm a Ranger from Hometown, to the east. Elder Allen sent me here." That seemed the best way to explain the situation without giving too many details. "Ryu Bateson."

"Ray Braddoc." The paladin held out his hand, and Ryu shook it, wincing at his steel-clad grip. "I'd best let you two discuss your business, then. I'll be in town for some time more; perhaps I'll see you at church later this week?"

"I'll do my best to attend," Ryu promised, actually meaning it; in the presence of the holy knight, it suddenly seemed like it had been too long since one of his admittedly occasional visits to a church.

"Until that day, then." Ray released his hand and left.

"Allen sent me a message telling me about the situation," Elder Mac said bluntly. "Sit down, kid. He told you we can't get involved openly, right?"

"Yeah, I understand that," Ryu agreed, taking a seat. "Off the record is fine with me. What I need is information on the coliseum, and any ideas on how I can get in there for the fight next week. I'm aware that's not going to be easy."

"Oh, only about as bad as mud-wrestling a biruburu, unarmed and naked," Mac grumbled. "Everybody wants to know about that place recently. I've got a man on the inside, so that's helping me with my other problems, but I can't have him help _you_ out." He thought about it for a moment. "You have anything to do for the next few hours?"

"Nothing I can't put off." Ryu shrugged. "Why?"

"We open up at three, and it's the busy season," Mac explained, jerking a thumb behind him towards the rest of the building. "Why don't you help us out for a few hours? Only makes sense that another Ranger would sign on as a temp for a day if we needed it. There's a couple of folks from up at the coliseum who come in nearly every night around six. Once they show, you can bring 'em a round. That'll start you off on the right foot, and then you can give 'em their next on the house for helping you out with your inquiries. I know those two, and if they can't do it, no one can."

"Do I get paid?" Ryu asked shrewdly.

"Tch." Mac grinned. "That what you ask everybody who does you a favor, kid?"

"I heard it was Elder Allen who did _you_ the favor, a while back," Ryu countered. "Which would make this paying that off, and you getting five hours of work out of me on top of it."

"You're sharp, kid," Mac told him. "I like that. All right, eight zenny an hour."

"Deal." Ryu stood up. "I'll get to work, then."

He'd never worked in a tavern before, but he'd visited enough of them to have a vague idea of what to do already, and he picked the rest up from Mac's two nephews who did most of the work fairly quickly. Once the doors opened at three, a couple drunks started filtering in, but it didn't really pick up until five. Even then, the four of them managed to keep up with everything, and Ryu was able to keep from botching any orders. He even picked up a few tips, mostly from female patrons, although there was one Maniro in drag who he did his best to ignore.

"All right, kid, that's them." Mac grunted a little after six, glancing over at a pair of customers who were wandering in. "Bring 'em what they want, then go ahead and get some for yourself too. You've earned it."

"Thanks, old man." Ryu nodded, wandering over to the table the two sat down at. A more oddly matched pair would have been difficult to find; both were of clans he'd never seen in person before, for one. "Hey there. What can I get for you?"

"New here?" The girl asked. She was about his age, and a Woren Clanswoman; from the waist down, she was covered in fur, complete with an idly twitching tail. Since it was long enough to keep her decent, the only clothing she wore aside from fingerless gloves and half-boots was a low-cut purple top, although steel bracers circled various places on her arms, legs, waist and neck. Her ears were pointed and furry, her hair was short and red, and her face was cute in a dangerous way, with stripes on her cheeks. A casual onlooker would have taken her to be nothing more than eye candy in a tavern like this, but the scars on her knuckles and the glint in her eyes told an entirely different story.

"Ale for both of us," her companion said cheerfully. Unlike her, his basic shape was the only thing humanoid about him. He was the hugest man Ryu had ever seen by a long shot, easily ten feet tall with massive shoulders and more muscles than most sports teams. His leathery gray hide accentuated his toughness even more, as did the plated brown shell that covered his back and shoulders. Another ridge crowned his head, which looked oddly tiny compared to the rest of his body, with a long snout and small eyes. Like the girl, he wore half-boots with the toes out, and his were cloven. His purple toga wasn't quite as revealing her clothing, but it still left his arms and most of his upper torso bare.

"Two mugs of ale, coming right up." Ryu nabbed the coins out of the air as the girl threw them, earning a smile from her. Filling the mugs, he got a third for himself, took off his apron, and carried them back to the table. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Mac won't yell at you?" The girl asked with a sly grin. Her teeth were very white and very sharp, he noticed, and her eyes were wide and green, with mischief in them.

"I'm a temp, and I'm off the clock anyways," Ryu explained. "He told me you two were the ones to ask about the coliseum."

"That's us, all right," the big man agreed. "We both work up there, and any friend of Mac's good in our book. Name's Rand Marks."

"Ryu Bateson." He took a seat and his mug. "Thanks."

"Katt Chaun," the girl finished the introductions and started on her ale. "You don't look like the kind of guy who'd try getting tickets out of us, so I'm guessing we can rule that out."

"Sort of." Ryu shrugged. "It's Ranger business, actually. I'd like to get into the coliseum, but not for the usual reasons." He debated for a moment about how much to tell them. "There was a major theft in Hometown recently, and my sources are telling me that this fighting girl who's making the news up there might be the culprit. I'm trying to figure out a way to either confirm or deny, but that's not looking likely without being able to get in there."

Katt and Rand lowered their mugs and stared at each other.

"What?" Ryu asked.

"Oh, nothing," Rand replied, smiling, as Katt lowered her head and began to laugh. "That's just a hell of a story, that's all. Which leads me to believe it's probably true. You can't make this stuff up. How much do you know about the girl on stage, anyways?"

"Not much," Ryu admitted. "But then, even if I knew her name, it wouldn't help me. How about you two?"

"We work construction and repairs, so we're not in the arena when the show's on," Rand explained. "You'd think we'd get to go watch for free since we work there, but Mr. Conte is kind of a tightwad."

"His wallet's tighter than his ass," Katt agreed, recovering from her fit of laughter. Taking a long drink, she lowered the mug and smirked at Ryu. "Speaking of ass, you sure you don't just want to get in so you can watch a pretty girl kick some?"

"Tempting, but business before pleasure," Ryu drawled. "I've got a lot riding on this, so it's kind of important."

"Well, let's put our heads together then." Rand drained his mug. "After we get some refills, anyways."

"Sounds good to me." Ryu signaled one of Mac's nephews, who knew what was going on and took their mugs without collecting money. "On the house. My treat."

"Okay, now we _have_ to help him out," Katt told Rand in a dramatically serious tone.

"Without a doubt," Rand agreed. "Okay, let's put our heads together. Tickets are obviously out, and we'll never be able to sneak him in as staff."

"Why not?" Katt frowned.

"Remember when that last guy tried that?" Rand reminded her. "He would have made it, too, if he wasn't drunk at the time. Ever since then, the supervisors have all been cracking down hard on that. I don't know what Mr. Conte's more worried about, some idiot interfering with the fights, or breaking into his office."

"Let's go with 'both,' then." Katt drank some more ale. "It'll save time." Wiping her mouth, she glanced at Ryu. "If tickets are out, and so is staff, that just leaves one more way. You _look_ like you're tough. Are you?"

"You don't last long in this line of work if you're not," Ryu replied easily. "No formal training or anything, but I can hold my own."

"I get what you're thinking." Rand slowly nodded. "Entering as a contestant. That'll get him into the coliseum, all right, but not on the big night. Mr. Conte makes fighters buy their own tickets just like anybody else these days. Unless you were thinking..."

"Exactly," Katt agreed, grinning impishly.

"All right, what am I missing?" Ryu looked from one of them to the other.

"We work up there, so we already know who the girl's next opponent is," Rand explained. "Guy named Baba, from up north in the Tagwoods. A lumberjack. Real mountain man guy. He's known for fighting with this huge axe."

"It's five more days until the big fight," Katt continued. "He won't be coming down here until the day before. Say you head up there first, brawl with him, and take that axe of his when you win. Then you come down here, say _you're_ Baba, and show 'em that axe as proof. Bing bang bong, you're in."

"Sounds like I came to the right people." Ryu smiled. "Nobody's going to notice that I'm _not_ exactly the mountain man type?"

"The way people will see it is, if you took Baba down, you'll be even better in a fight than he was." Rand chuckled. "So the fight will be even better, too. That's all they care about, when you get right down to it. They might 'lose' all of Baba's paperwork and make you go through that 'again,' though."

"I think I can live with that, considering," Ryu said dryly. "Well, as much as I'd like to stay up drinking all night, I should probably turn in if I'm heading up to the Tagwoods tomorrow. Will you two be there on Sunday?"

"Maybe." Katt smirked. "We'll see what we can do, huh? Stop by here and see us again once you get back, and it might encourage us."

"You know, I think I'll do that." Finishing his mug, Ryu stood up. "See you in a few days, then."

"We'll be here." Rand waved laconically as he walked out.

The inn Gobi had suggested was where he'd said it was, and the rates were cheap. After getting a good night's sleep under his belt, Ryu did as they'd suggested, leaving the town once more and heading north. The Tagwoods they'd told him about were one of the many clumps of forest spread around Tantar; reportedly, the Forest Clan lived there, but he doubted he'd actually see any of them during his trip. From what he'd heard, even native humans could and usually would go for years, even decades, without even catching a glimpse of the elusive canids; it was unlikely that any of them would be inclined to greet a traveling stranger.

Two days traveling north brought him to the edge of the woods, and after camping out there for the night, he entered the next morning. Almost immediately, it was as if he'd been in the woods for days. Hundreds of trees quickly surrounded him, growing tall and thick enough that their spreading branches blocked out most of the sun. Fallen leaves and branches covered the ground, and moss grew profusely.

"Guy could get lost here real easy," he muttered, then frowned as he heard the sound of wings flapping.

"Hi!" A harpy, identical to the ones he and Bow had slain at Mt. Fubi, said cheerfully as she flew through the trees. "A traveler, huh? You look delicious!"

"Thanks, lady," Ryu quipped, unconcerned. "Shame I can't return the compliment." There was probably no point in asking her where to find Baba, so he drew his sword and waited for her to swoop down.

"Fiesty, aren't you?" She giggled. "We'll see how fiery you are in a few minutes! Over here, big guy!"

"Big guy?" Ryu repeated as crashing and growling noises began drawing closer. "Oh, this isn't going to be good."

It wasn't. A moment later, a furry monstrosity smashed its way through the foliage. Despite being bipedal, there was no semblance of humanity about the shaggy green and white creature; its massive arms ended in paws with wicked, six-inch claws, and its head was a feral snarl that seemed to protrude directly from its shoulder without a neck. It was slightly ursine, but only barely; that, though, was enough for Ryu to identify it as a bugbear.

"You make the kill, I'll eat the spill!" The harpy crowed, and the bugbear obliged, charging at Ryu with a fearsome roar.

"I hate this place already!" He snarled, falling back as the beast swung. Its attack was massive, but slow, and the clawed limb whooshed over him as he put his hands back to steady his landing. Springing back to his feet, he slashed at the side of its head, carving a bloody trail. Unfortunately, this seemed insufficient; it struck again, this time ripping into his chest and slamming him into a tree.

"Ugh!" Ryu hissed, clutching his wound with one hand. Despite the pain, though, he still stood firmly as the beast advanced. Growling still, it paused, apparently not expecting him to still be fighting. That proved fatal; ducking under its next swipe, Ryu struck at the same spot he'd hit earlier with a two-handed blow, taking the monster's head.

"Aaaah!" The harpy screamed. Shrieking curses, she dived recklessly, and Ryu met her with his blade, cleaving her in two in midflight.

"Ow, ow, ow," he hissed, removing his shirt. "All right, time to see just how bad I am at white magic again." Concentrating, he attempted to cast a healing spell. As when Bow cast it, light fell over him, but the healing was less effective; the wounds closed, but that was all. "That'll have to do. Guess I should be glad it worked that well." Putting his shirt back on, he glanced at the bodies once, then shook his head and started walking again.

Though there was a path through the woods, it was hardly easy to follow, doubling back and splitting off on numerous occasions. Sighing, Ryu resigned himself to a long day searching for the lumberjack. More harpies and bugbears infested the woods, along with the carnivorous man-eater plants that also plagued the rest of Tantar. There were other monsters as well, but unfamiliarity with the area had its drawbacks; even when he and Bow had come through Tantar in their childhood, they hadn't been crazy enough to go into the woods at their age.

When he came across a stump with branches like arms, he shrugged it off and turned away, only realizing his mistake just in time to dodge its swipe. Turning, he saw that what he'd taken for an odd horizontal knot had opened up, revealing a huge blue eye that rolled madly as it stared at him. Before he could counterattack, though, an ax almost as large as he was descended, splitting the monster from branch to root.

"Never seen a dokaden before, kid?" The man holding the ax asked, pulling it from the slain arboreal menace. Despite being human, he was almost as big as Rand, though stouter and shorter. His earth-brown hair and beard were wild and long, both almost reaching his waist, and he wore a sleeveless green tunic, with bands around his wrists and forehead. "Gotta watch out. The damn things'll use fire magic if you piss 'em off without killing 'em fast, and that's a no-no around here, to put it lightly. Wish I knew what damn god had _that_ bright idea when he put those things together. I'd like to shake the dumbass's hand, _real_ hard."

"No kidding." Ryu winced, imagining it. "Thanks for the save. Baba the lumberjack, I presume?"

"That's me, Baba Deri," the big man agreed. "What's a kid like you doing in a place like this, huh?"

"I'll skip to the point," Ryu said, smiling slightly. "Hate to do this after you just helped me out, but I'm going to need that ax of yours."

"Them's fightin' words, kid." Baba smiled back, but his eyes were dangerous. "Down in Coursair, tryin' that would get a nice little brawl goin' anywhere, anywhen. I'm guessing that's what you're here about. The coliseum, right? On Sunday. Came here huntin' me down over it. Now, ain't that cute."

"Pretty much." Ryu kept his hand on his sword, watching the lumberjack carefully. "It's a long story, but I'm going to need to get in there."

"Not happenin', kid." Baba turned his head one way, then the other, cracking his neck. "That little girl's getting an awful big head down there. It's about time somebody gave her a lesson in reality, before it gets handed to her the hard way. I'm kind of a nice guy like that, and you don't look like you'd be up to it."

"That's why I'm coming for you first, isn't it?" Ryu asked challengingly. "If I can take _you_ down, means I stand a better chance than you do."

"Cocky, ain'tcha?" Baba's eyes narrowed, but the Dragon Tear went a shade greener, showing approval. "All right, kid, I'm interested. Let's see if you can back it up!" Gripping his ax in both hands, he took up a ready stance, then swung a mighty overhand blow. Despite the fact that Ryu dodged the attack, the force of it still shoved him further away, kicking up leaves and branches as it carved a furrow in the earth.

"Yeesh," Ryu muttered, moving around Baba as he pulled his ax back. The big man clearly had him beat on both range and power, but Ryu's speed was superior. That wasn't much of an advantage compared to his opponent's, but it was all he had, and he knew how to use it. Waiting for Baba's next attack, he sidestepped the blow and stepped in, sword slashing at his opponent's wrists. Before he could hit, though, the lumberjack deftly moved his weapon sideways, the pole deflecting Ryu's sword even as the flat of the axhead slammed into his side.

"Thought you had me, didn't you?" Baba laughed as Ryu fell back, winded. "Not gonna be that easy, kid!"

"So I see," Ryu muttered, stepping back. As powerful as the blows were, Baba clearly knew what he was doing, and he wasn't going to let the ax get lodged in the ground. Other things, however, were a different story. Backing off from the lumberjack's attacks, he pretended to stumble over the roots of a tree when he felt them underfoot, tumbling backwards against the trunk. As Baba lunged forward, he angled his roll to the side instead, and the ax whooshed past him, slamming into the treetrunk.

"Hey!" Baba yelled as Ryu rose, sword slashing up at his enemy's arm. Unfortunately, the big man surprised Ryu again; rather than trying to dodge the attack, he caught the sword in one meaty hand, gripping it tightly despite the obvious pain as the blade cut into his palm. His other fist swung out, and Ryu took it in the side of his head. Reeling, he nevertheless replied with a punch of his own, rattling Baba's jaw.

The two of them laid into each other like tavern brawlers for a few minutes, neither of them relaxing their grip on either end of Ryu's sword; once he'd gotten a hold of it, Baba had adjusted his grasp so that he held onto the backside, keeping it from slicing his hand completely through. Despite that, it was still bleeding heavily, and as it became apparent that punches alone weren't going to bring Ryu down quickly, his expression grew more and more irritated. Finally, rather than punch him, he seized Ryu's free hand with his own, shoved him against another tree, and delivered a staggering headbutt.

Even with his new helmet, Ryu crumpled, vision swimming, and Baba turned away to retrieve his ax. He tried to get back up, and after a false start or two did so, but he was still seeing stars, and the lumberjack had freed his weapon with his unwounded hand. As he brought it down once more, Ryu narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and reacted on pure instinct rather than thought. A part of him he usually tried to suppress, that arose from and helped him survive the worst parts of a childhood spent in stinking alleys and roadside ditches, kicked in and drove him forward, past the axblade and inside Baba's range. Instead of attacking Baba, he sliced at the wooden pole of his ax.

"Huh?" Baba asked, blankly staring, as the axhead spun off into the trees. As his eyes went to the pole, Ryu stabbed his other hand, and he dropped the pole with a howl of pain. Falling back, he met Ryu's eyes, both of them breathing heavily.

"Well?" Ryu asked after a long moment. "Still want to keep going?"

"Like this?" Baba snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. St. Eva damn it all." He shook his head, sitting down. "I can tell when I've lost, kid. Here." He tossed the ax's pole at Ryu's feet. "You'll have to repair it yourself, though."

"I can do that." Ryu leaned back against a tree, smiling. "Good fight. You would have had me with the headbutt if it wasn't for this." He tapped a finger on his new helmet. "Just picked it up the other day. Looks like I made the right call there."

"Yeah." Baba chuckled, wincing. "Gotta admit, it was. Shame we couldn't do it in the coliseum." His face turned serious. "Honestly, though, I've been thinkin' about getting out of that game for a while anyways. Now I've got a reason to. The place just ain't what it used to be any more."

"I take it you aren't referring to girls getting in?" Ryu asked dryly.

"As if." Baba rolled his eyes. "As long as they don't mind gettin' their hands bloody, more power to 'em. But the people running the place... Augus most of all... they've been takin' it in a different direction lately, and I don't like it. There's fightin' for sport, and then there's kill-shows. It might not seem like much of a difference, but trust me, there is, especially when it comes to audience participation. You get what I'm sayin' here?"

"Oh, yeah." Ryu slowly nodded. "I'll make sure to watch my back down there, then. Thanks for the heads-up." He hesitated before asking his next question. "Want a healing spell? I'm crap at it, but it looks like we could both use one."

"Let me, kid." Baba began chanting, and in a couple showers of light, both men's wounds healed. "That's better." Standing back up, he raised one eyebrow. "I don't really want to know why you need to get into that fight, do I?"

"It's a long story." Ryu shrugged, walking over to claim the axhead. "Let's just say I might have some old business with this cocky fighting girl."

"Oh." After a moment, Baba began to laugh. "Oh, I get it now. Ha! Now it all makes sense!"

"Wait, what?" Ryu blinked, than realized what he'd said, and started laughing as well despite himself. "No, no, not like that."

"Sure, kid, sure." Baba clapped him on the shoulder, still laughing. "You'd better get moving, then, if you wanna make it back to Coursair in time. I was just getting ready to head out myself when you found me."

"Yeah." Ryu made a face. "I just hope I can remember the way back through all these trees and shit."

"Why don't I help you with that a little?" Baba offered. "Let me ask you something. You any good at climbin' trees, kid?"

"I can make it up and down one fine," Ryu said with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"

"Just make sure you grab hold onto one on your way down!" Baba replied with an evil chuckle. Before Ryu could respond, he'd grabbed hold of him by the scruff of his neck, actually picking him up bodily. With a mighty heave, he hurled Ryu into the air, through the treetops.

"Ohhhhhh shiiiiiiiiit!" Screaming, he sailed over the Tagwoods towards the edge, then came down again, right towards the trees. Despite his terror, he still maintained enough presence of mind to do as Baba had suggested, trying to grab a branch. After a few failed attempts and subsequent painful bounces, one of which roused a thoroughly surprised harpy, he succeeded, and was able to climb down with minimal fuss afterward. It had definitely saved him time, but on the whole, he'd had more pleasant experiences while traveling, including the time he'd fallen over a waterfall.

The trip back to Coursair was much the same as the one from it to the Tagwoods, albeit slightly more unpleasant due to the necessity of lugging a gigantic broken ax around the entire way. As soon as he was back in town, the first thing he did was make a trip to the general store for a roll of tape so he could fix the ax. The Maniro shopkeeper didn't bat an eyelid upon seeing him with it, simply ringing him up as if nothing was out of the ordinary at all. He repaired it as best as he could on a bench outside; the end result was hardly satisfactory, but it would do. Hoisting it over his shoulder, Ryu headed to the coliseum.

"Tickets are all sold out," the guard behind the gate said laconically as Ryu approached, not looking up. "Got a problem, take it up with-" He broke off as Ryu set the ax down on the ground, glancing at it, then him.

"Name's Baba," Ryu told him flatly. "I'm in the fight tomorrow."

"Sure, kid." The guard looked him over, then snorted. "And I'm the Princess of Highfort. Go on, beat it."

"Listen, you..." Ryu started to say, then paused, catching sight of somebody more familiar. Up on the exterior of the coliseum's second level, Rand was working, spreading plaster over a damaged spot. "Hey, Rand! Mind helping me out down here? It's me, Baba!"

"Huh?" Rand glanced down, then jumped. As Ryu watched, surprised, he curled himself into a ball, the curved armored plates on his back covering him completely. Upon hitting the ground, he rolled around in a circle, slowing down until he uncurled and stood back up. Looking Ryu over, he smiled. "Hey, Baba. Made it down here? What's the hold-up?"

"This guy won't let me in." Ryu thumbed at the guard, who was looking back and forth between them, confused.  
"Uh, Rand? What's going on here?"

"This guy's in tomorrow's fight," Rand told him, still smiling. "Baba Deri, right? He's got that ax, right? Everybody knows about that, right?"

"Oh." The guard smiled as well after a moment, as the light finally dawned. "Oh, all right. Sorry, Mr. Deri. Didn't, uh, recognize you." Snorting, he pulled a lever, and the gate retracted. "Right this way."

"Thanks, man," Ryu told Rand, following the guard in.

"No problem," Rand replied cheerfully as he turned away, presumably to return to his work. "See you tonight."

The guard led Ryu into the coliseum's lobby, a massive, expensively decorated hall with tile flooring, tapestries hanging on the walls and interior fountains. More guards stood around at various places, chatting to each other lazily; though they didn't seem to be paying much attention, the sheer numbers said more than they probably realized. One was even behind the front desk, feet propped up on it. Nodding to him, Ryu's escort took him to the right, past several more guards standing around a wooden door.

"Hey, Jeanne," he said as he walked through, hailing a girl behind another desk in the main center of the room. A multitude of other doors covered every wall, each with a brass nameplate on it. "Baba from Tagwoods is here."

"I see." The girl gave Ryu a clinical once-over, her eyes lingering on the ax strapped to his back. "I'll take it from here, Eddy. Go on back to your post."

"Gotcha." The guard gave Ryu an incomprehensible hand gesture that would probably lose all meaning within a couple years and left.

"We've been waiting for you to check in, Mr. Deri." Jeanne turned on what looked like a standard smile. "While we're glad to see you here, I'm afraid there's been an error in our filing system. We've lost all your paperwork."

"So I have to fill it in again?" Ryu replied. "No sweat. I can write. Kind of."

"No, no, our Director of Human Resources will do that," Jeanne told him, shaking her head. "He'll want to interview you again, is all. He's in right now; why don't you go on in? Third door on the right."

"All right." Nodding, Ryu walked over and knocked on the door marked, "Andre," before opening it and walking in.

For a moment, he thought he'd made a wrong turn; the room inside was solid stone all around, like a dungeon. The effect was amplified by the room's inhabitant, a muscle-bound hulk who looked like he modeled for statues in his spare time. Bald as an egg with a perfect tan, he wore only a bright red, _very _small swimsuit and a bow-tie; how the latter stayed on was a question Ryu didn't particularly care to ask. More importantly, he was chained to the wall, manacles attached to all of his wrists and ankles. Despite this, he also sat at a wooden desk, and was writing something down by candlelight.

"Yes?" He looked up, tiny eyes squinting at Ryu through a tiny pair of spectacles. "Can I help you?"

"Jeanne sent me in for an interview," Ryu explained, resisting the urge to flee for his life.

"I see." Removing his glasses, he stood up, chains clinking. "Well, let's get started then." In a swift movement, he flexed his arms, and a burst of force from his muscles actually entered the air between them, slamming Ryu back against the door. "State your name for the record, please!"

"Baba Deri," Ryu grunted, prying himself off the door. Before he could move in to attack, though, the Director flexed again in a different pose, and the resulting force slammed him into the floor face-first.

"Education?" He asked casually.

"None," Ryu replied, peeling himself off the floor.

"Occupation?" The Director struck a pose, ramming Ryu against the back wall again.

"I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay," Ryu muttered dryly, spread-eagled. "I sleep all night and work all day."

"Hobbies?" The Director crouched, hands on knees, and stomped the floor with one foot, then the other. The first knocked Ryu off the wall, and the second onto his ass.

"Smoking." Ryu stood up again and made a run for him. "Drinking. Fishing. Fighting."

"Talents?" The Director started shadow-boxing, each blow knocking Ryu in a different direction.

"Ax throwing, log rolling and whittling," Ryu answered in between pained wheezing.

"All right, you pass." The Director sat back down suddenly, pulling his glasses back on and returning to his paperwork. "Go on out and tell Jeanne."

Ryu thought about making some sort of objection to the entire debacle, but in the end, he just cut his losses and left.

"Still conscious?" The secretary noted. "A pass, then. I was fairly sure it would be, but we do have protocol to follow. The manager, Mr. Conte, has been notified of your arrival, and he asked to meet with you once you were done. Down at the far end." She identified the door.

"All right." Wincing, Ryu walked down and knocked before opening the door. "Mr. Conte? I'm Baba Deri."

"Ah, Baba. Come in, come in." The man inside the room told him without getting up from where he was seated, in front of a roaring fireplace. "Please, sit down. Call me Augus." The room was even more expensively decorated than the rest of the coliseum, with luxurious padded chairs and couches before the fire. Weapons of every kind hung on the walls, and each corner had a different suit of armor standing in it. Passing a gold-trimmed desk, Ryu took a seat in a chair opposite the manager, then turned his eyes to the man who ruled the coliseum.

Augus Conte was a slender man in his mid-fifties, by the looks of him, short and thin with long, delicate-looking fingers steepled in front of his face as he watched the fire roaring. Despite his age, his dark red hair held no touches of gray, worn long down his back in an obvious show of vanity. His features were harsh and unattractive, eyes deeply sunken. One turned to Ryu, as red as his hair, while the other remained on the fire, but he remained silent, apparently waiting for Ryu to speak first.

"Glad I made it here on time," Ryu said eventually. "Almost got held up in the Tagwoods. Still, no harm no foul."

"Indeed," Augus murmured, his other eye turning to Ryu as well. "Your first time here, isn't it, Baba? Well, luckily, your opponent tomorrow will be a woman. An easy win, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't know," Ryu replied noncommittally, remembering the thief girl. He'd only had a quick glimpse of her, but from what he'd seen, she hadn't looked like a pushover. "I've met some pretty tough girls before."

"Oh?" One of Augus' eyes widened dramatically. "A believer in equal rights, I see. How... refreshing. Many male warriors believe that women pose no threat to them. They're usually wrong. Especially against our spirited little firebrand!" He laughed briefly, then subsided. "But fear not, Baba. For you see, the winner of tomorrow's fight has already been decided. I've written the script, and all the lines have been planned to perfection, to stir the hearts of the onlookers."

"Okay, you've got my attention," Ryu replied after a moment, keeping his voice calm to conceal the alarms shrieking in his head. "I'm listening." Casually, he checked the Dragon's Tear and confirmed his suspicion; Augus was reading the same deep red as his hair, a very bad sign.

"It will be a marvelous, emotional show," Augus continued, eyes on the fire again, seeming more like he was talking to himself than Ryu. "After a long, brutal fight, Baba gains an edge over the girl. She falls, pitiful and broken, and some men would show her mercy. But no, not today. Baba is a cruel man, and he knows not what the word means. The winner of the match decides the fate of the loser, and so, before the cheering crowd, he brings her sad young life to a slow, tortuous end..." As he spoke, the Dragon's Tear darkened further, to an oily, noxious black.

"Huh." Ryu pretended to think it over, while focusing on keeping himself under control. Despite the revulsion he felt, an outburst would almost certainly be fatal. "And the crowd will go for it?"

"Oh, yes," Augus assured him with a haunting grin, turning his full gaze on him now. "The population's taste for violence has been growing lately. Seeing such a fan favorite fall before their eyes, disappointing them so... well, they may even be cheering you on, urging you to make her pay for letting them down. What do you say, Baba?"

"Hell, that works for me." It took every ounce of deception Ryu had in him to smile at the man. "Like I care what happens to her? As long as I get the glory, I don't care. That and the pay. The pay's good, right?"

"Very much so." Augus turned one eye back to the fire, while the other remained on Ryu. "You see, the reason we can assure you of your triumph is simple. A friend of mine recently supplied me with some rather exquisite poison from the wasteland of Scande. Exactly five minutes in, I'll have one of my men use a blowgun to hit her with a needle coated in that same poison. She'll fall into a stupor almost immediately, and after a few days under, die peacefully... but why wait for that? Once she falls, you can kill her however you... or the crowd... wish."

"Sounds pretty dangerous." Ryu grunted. "What happens if I'm the one who gets nailed instead, huh?"

"I advise you take every precaution to ensure that that is not the case," Augus said dryly. "You asked about the money. I believe once you examine the sum in your locker room tomorrow, you'll agree that it compensates for the slight risk involved."

"Yeah, okay," Ryu grumbled. "Long as it's worth it. Just hope your shooter knows what the hell he's doing."

"He will, I assure you." Augus turned his remaining eye to the fire as well. "Well then, I won't keep you. Return here at five o' clock tomorrow, and your locker room will be ready for you. The fight starts at six."

"Gotcha." Ryu stood up, mind still racing furiously. "See you then." He turned away, self-control forcing his legs to move, to carry him out the door and away. Jeanne gave him a nod and a quick smile as he left; he returned the nod, but not the smile. As he left the right wing, another man passed by him going the other way; Ray, the paladin. Their eyes met in surprise for a moment, and then they both kept walking, neither of them saying a word.

"What's _he_ doing in there?" Ryu muttered to himself once he was out of earshot. "Just what I needed. Something _else_ to wonder about." He nodded perfunctorily to the guards as he left the coliseum, making his way down the street to a nearby park where he could rest under a tree and do some thinking.

Augus' offer was, of course, completely out of the question. Morality notwithstanding, if his opponent tomorrow _was_ the thief, then her untimely death would kill any hopes of vindicating Bow as well. However, directly refusing Augus' offer or making any attempt at confronting him would just get _him_ killed. The manager's influence in the city would make going to the authorities an impossibility as well. There was a solution somewhere, he knew, but no matter how hard as he tried to think, it wasn't coming to him.

In the end, he got up and went to the _Rat's Head_ with no plan and no idea what he was going to do. The tavern was busy, so he didn't bother Elder Mac aside from getting some ale. Instead, he took a table and kept an eye out for Rand and Katt. After almost an hour, he was signaling for another refill when a light hand grabbed his head with far more strength than one would expect and rubbed his hair roughly.

"Gotcha!" Katt snickered, letting him go and taking a seat next to him. "Should have looked around better!"

"All right, I'll bite." Ryu did his best to fix his hair. "How'd you get in here?"

"Back door," Rand explained, walking up and sitting down as well. "We saw you in here before we came in, and she wanted to pull a prank."

"Why am I not surprised by this." Ryu rolled his eyes as one of Mac's nephews walked over. "Ale all around, I take it."

"Of course." Katt put one elbow on the table and leaned forward, smirking. "So. What's with the axe?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you last time?" Ryu played along. "I'm actually Baba Deri. Sorry, I should have brought it up."

"So you're gonna be in the fight tomorrow?" Rand sighed dramatically. "Rats. Your name's pretty weird. I was hoping I'd get to see one between a cute girl and some freaky whackjob. That would've been better."

"Very funny," Ryu replied drily. "Sorry to disappoint you, chief."

"I don't know." Katt raised an eyebrow. "He's not too bad-looking himself. This way, everybody gets someone to look at."

"For those who like it violent, that is," Ryu pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "Not everybody does, you know."

"Would they be going in the first place if they didn't?" She countered.

"Good point," he conceded. "I'll be sure to put on a good show, then."

"I'll be looking forward to it." She leaned back and exchanged a smirk with Rand.

"So," the big man said before Ryu could ask what was going on. "You never told us exactly why it's so important to you that you catch this girl you're looking for. I get that she knocked over some places in your hometown, but you're acting like it's personal. Did she take something of yours, or what?"

"Not exactly." Ryu thought about it a moment, then decided to trust them; after all, he already was, in a way. "Keep this to yourselves, but my partner's been framed for the big job she pulled. I have to bring her back if I want to clear his name."

"Ouch." Katt winced sympathetically. "Yeah, that's pretty bad. I'd offer to help you out, but we haven't actually been here that long, so it's not like we have much of an information network or anything."

"We have _got_ to start going places other than here and the coliseum," Rand agreed.

"You two came in together?" Ryu guessed. "Been friends for a while?"

"Not all that long." Rand chuckled. "We met up west of here, over in a lodge north of Gate. Since we were both heading the same way, we figured we might as well go together, and neither of us really found anything in Windia that was worth sticking around for."

"Is that place still around?" Ryu asked, thinking back. "Must be nine years now since the last time I was there. Good to know."

"You've been up there too, huh?" Katt replied teasingly. "Not a Hometown boy all your life, then?"

"As if." Ryu rolled his eyes. "Me and my buddy just settled in there when they actually let us apprentice as Rangers. Up until then, it was life on the open road for us. Nowhere to go, no place to be."

"Story of my life." Katt shrugged. "Guess I'll be sticking around here for awhile, but this is the first time something like it's come up."

"Girl out on the open road alone?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "There must have been some assholes who got the wrong idea about that."

"A few times." She examined her scarred knuckles. "Funny thing, though. None of them ever tried it more than once."

"She's a Woren Clanswoman," Rand explained with a small grin. "They almost all grow up alone. It's a cultural thing for them. So you can probably imagine how tough their kids need to be to survive that."

"Breath Of Spirit." Katt grinned, flexing a bicep. "Nothing showy like other Clans, but ramped-up strength, speed and agility. I was lifting guys off the ground by their necks back when I was waist-high."

"So, only a couple years ago?" Rand joked, receiving a punch in the arm for it. "Ow."  
"That must have been interesting to see," Ryu commented. "Pretty cool. I've always kind of wondered what it's like to have Breath." He chuckled. "Used to hope something from an ancestor I didn't know about would crop up out of nowhere one day, actually. I mean, blue hair? Not exactly normal."

"It's not dyed?" Katt sniffed the air. "Huh, it really isn't. That _is_ kind of weird." She paused, looking awkward. "Did you, um... know your parents?"

"A little," Ryu said with forced calm. "They died. But I remember I got it from my mother."

"The old stories say Light Dragons all had blue hair and green eyes," Rand suggested. "Maybe you secretly have Dragon Clan blood."

"Yeah, sure, and maybe I'm a long-lost Prince of Windia, too," Ryu snarked, and they all laughed, finishing off their mugs.

"Refills?" Katt suggested.

"I don't know." Rand poked Ryu. "Our pal Baba here's got a big day ahead of him tomorrow, after all."

"Thanks for bringing it up, _dad._" Ryu snorted. "What about you, then? Farm Clan, right?"

"You got it." Rand nodded. "Let me guess. You've never seen one of us before?"

"Outside of books," Ryu admitted. "I'm guessing there's a reason for that?"

"Most of us stay home," he explained. "We're pretty sedentary, which makes me something of a freak, I guess. And even I didn't leave until I was almost thirty."

"Wayward vagabonds all around, all the same." Ryu raised his empty mug. "To the open road, and not having to sleep on it tonight at least."

"Amen to that." Katt raised her mug, and Rand did so as well.

"Guess we probably shouldn't have too much either," he suggested. "No point in being hungover tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah." Grumbling, she gazed at the mug. "One more round?"

"Rand's right in my case," Ryu reluctantly pointed out, remembering his promise to Ray. "I should get going."

"Fine, fine." Katt put it down. "We might as well too, then."

"Think about how nice it'll be to wake up without a headache for once," Rand told her as they all left the table.

"We don't drink _that_ much," she protested. "Most nights, anyways. Well, some nights. You know what I mean."

"Hey, if there's something wrong with good brown ale, there's something wrong with you," Ryu pointed out, leading the way out onto the street.

"See this?" Katt clapped him on the shoulder. "This guy knows what's going on."

"Two of them." Rand clutched his forehead. "I don't think I'll be able to handle two of them."

"Hate to disappoint you, but I'm probably not sticking around," Ryu reminded them. "If tomorrow pans out, I'll be taking her back to Hometown. If it doesn't, I'll probably look around here a bit more for the thief before heading off."

"More leads to check up on?" Katt guessed.

"There's one back in Hometown, too, but that one's going to be a pain in the ass to look into, which is why I came here first," he explained. "If I do a detailed search of here and there and come up with squat, I'll have to assume she went west of here. The only other way she could have gone by land is across the mountains to the south, and if that's the case I'm pretty much screwed."

"She might have left by sea," Rand suggested. "You'd be in even more trouble then, wouldn't you?"

"Don't even say that, man." Ryu groaned.

"Here's hoping that works out, then," Katt said with a grin. "Maybe we'll be able to help you out with that some. Let's talk about that after tomorrow night either works or doesn't."

"Sounds like a plan." Ryu glanced at the _Rat's Arms_ as he reached it, but didn't go in. Instead, he leaned against the building, looking up at the night sky. "It's been eight years since I've been to this city, you know? It's changed, since then. There's more blood on the air." He chuckled self-consciously. "That probably sounds weird, but it just feels that way to me."

"No, you're right." Katt agreed, leaning against the wall as well, next to him. Crossing her arms, she looked up too. "Something about never being in the same place for too long does it to you. You start to get a feel for what the mood is like when you head in somewhere." She grinned then, and it wasn't with the same cheerfulness as before, but something fiercer, wilder. Something she normally didn't show. The fact that she was now probably meant something, but Ryu wasn't sure what. "This is my kind of town right now. But that's a thin line, and it's heading downhill. This keeps up, I might not like it around here for too much longer."

"I can't tell if that's one of the craziest things I've ever heard you say, or one of the least." Rand sighed gustily, but took up position along side them, then glanced at Ryu, his features serious. "She's got a point, though. Be careful up there tomorrow. Something's wrong in the Coliseum. Everybody's heard the rumors, of course, but I'm not talking about that. I don't know _what_ it is... but whatever it is, it's seriously bad. Just watch your back."

"I try to do that on general principle," Ryu muttered, thinking about Augus's plan. For a moment, he considered asking them about it, but he threw that idea away almost immediately. They were helping him enough already; they had their own lives, and their own problems. There was no sense getting them dragged into something that wasn't their business any further than he already had. Instead, he remained silent, and the three of them lingered there for some time, as clouds crept over the skies.

"Damn," Katt muttered as drops of water began to fall. "I _hate_ the rain."

"Can't say I'm too fond of it either," Ryu admitted. "Too many nights ten miles from shelter."

"I kind of like it, myself." Rand shrugged. "You _could_ just go on in."

"Nah," Ryu said, still looking up. "In a few minutes."

"What he said," Katt agreed.

"Right." Rand rolled his eyes, but didn't argue the point any further. The rain continued to fall, and they remained there, watching it come. Three wandering souls, with nothing and everything in common, waiting to see what tomorrow would bring.

_TOMORROW COMES TODAY _


	5. Chapter 4: The Fighting Girl

_**Chapter 4:**_ **_The Fighting Girl_**

The Church of St. Eva had been established nearly a thousand years ago. Before its coming, the world's religions had mostly consisted of worshiping various pagan spirits, the most popular of which was Ladon, the Dragon God. Historians attributed this to the Dragon Clan's weight in the world; even when the Dark Dragon Empire had crumbled, the reunification of the Dark Dragon and Light Dragon factions had coincided with the union of the Dragon Clan and Wing Clan, actually increasing the overall authority of the Dragon Clan as a whole.

When the entirety of the Dragon Clan vanished inexplicably from the earth, the power vacuum left behind had been filled by the Church of St. Eva. It was only natural that people would have turned from Ladon to a new faith, considering the circumstances, and apparently St. Eva himself had seen that as well. In only a matter of years, the true God's teachings had spread across the globe. Why God had needed to wait for such an opportune moment to reveal himself to the world had always been something of a mystery to Ryu; he'd always wondered if that portion of doctrine had been purposefully obscure, or if it was simply beyond his grasp.

Regardless, the Church's mission had clearly succeeded. Today, they were only steps away from global devotion, their reach only exceeded by the Maniro mercantile empire that controlled global commerce. Even the Isle of Tunlan, so removed from the rest of humanity that their language didn't even use _words_, had given their consent for a chapel to be built. The only remaining holdouts were a few of the Clans, the most prominent being the Wing Clan, who were now militantly atheistic. It was widely considered to be only a matter of time before they conceded as well.

Ryu had never exactly been the most devoted son of the church. Few men in his line of work were; it tended to require a more cynical, practical attitude than the priests of St. Eva favored, with little time for black-and-white morality or belief in absolutes. Even so, he and Bow had always had a certain feeling that kicked in when they'd dodged the Sunday congregation for long enough, and it was time to make another visit.

Despite his practical nature, Ryu had to admit that there was something about attending church that got to him, in a good way. When he listened to the sermons along with the rest of the congregation, it seemed to wash away all of his fears and worries, all of his conflicting emotions and troublesome urges, leaving him comfortably numb and at peace with the world. The priest's sermon seemed to lack any sense of time, but that wasn't a bad thing; it was like nothing else mattered outside of the church, and the people within it, all united for one purpose for just a few hours.

Ray was there, of course; Ryu had seen him at the front of the congregation, and they'd both nodded, but hadn't had a chance to talk before the sermon began. He'd looked for Katt as well, but hadn't been able to locate her in the crowd; once or twice, he thought he saw her hair, but was unable to get closer to verify that it was her. Rand was the opposite; the Farm Clansman would have been visible from a mile off, so the fact that Ryu couldn't find him meant he obviously hadn't come.

Before he knew it, the priest had concluded the sermon. As the congregation scattered, chattering amongst themselves, Ryu saw Ray walking towards him, and inclined his head towards a now-empty pew. The Paladin followed him silently, and they sat at the far end, away from the milling crowd.

"I'm glad to see you here," Ray said quietly. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if you would really come or not."

"I'd say I was offended, except I'm not, actually." Ryu chuckled. "I'll admit it, my attendance hasn't exactly been perfect in the past. I try not to let it go for _too_ long without showing up, though. I just don't feel right, you know?"

"Of course," Ray agreed solemnly. "St. Eva's hand cleanses the soul. It's natural to seek it out." He smiled suddenly. "But I'm guessing you've had enough doctrine already. It's been several days since we last spoke. How have they found you?"

"Oh, you know how it goes." Ryu shrugged. "I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere, so I'm doing pretty good."

"An interesting basis for determining luck," Ray replied after a moment. "I must say, I didn't expect to see you in the coliseum the other day." He glanced at Ryu curiously. "What _were_ you doing back there?"

"Ranger business," Ryu told him bluntly. "Sorry, but I'd be in deep shit if I ran my mouth about it." Despite feeling the same odd sense of kinship around Ray that he did with Rand and Katt, he didn't feel like he knew him well enough to take the same chances. "What about you?"

"Church business," Ray replied in the same offhand, but firm, tone. "Or so I'd like to say. But to be honest, the reason I asked was because there's something I've been worrying about." He closed his eyes, as if thinking about how to phrase his next sentence. "If you can't tell me what you were doing there, that's fine, but has something seemed... off about the coliseum to you?"

"You know, funny thing about that." Ryu stared straight ahead. "Everybody who's been helping me out on this job has warned me about that place. An old merchant I ran into on the way in, this lumberjack up in the Tagwoods, and even a couple guys who actually work up there. They all say that things used to be good, but they're getting messier... and it all leads back to Augus Conte." He turned to look Ray in the eye. "This city's got an ugly wind blowing through it right now. A violent wind. And I'd bet five zenny any day it's coming from the top."

"My own research has led me to a similar conclusion," Ray agreed, no trace of lightness in his voice now. "Augus Conte. Last descendant of the coliseum's first owner, who financed its construction, a widower of advanced middle age with no heir. Widely known as 'first citizen' of the city of Coursair, a close friend of the mayor. The power behind the throne, as it stands... and a longtime devotee of St. Eva, known for financing the rebuilding of the church we stand in, and for making frequent donations afterwards."

"I get it," Ryu said quietly. "You got sent here on business having to do with Augus, but what's been going on here has made you wonder about that same business."

"Exactly." Ray closed his eyes. "You met him. I won't ask why, but... what did you make of him?"

"Honestly?" Ryu did the same. "He belongs in a nuthouse. There's something wrong with his head. The problem is, in this city, he's untouchable by legal means."  
"I had come to the same conclusion," Ray agreed. "We of the Church of St. Eva have access to channels of information that are unavailable to normal people. After I met with him, I asked some questions, and the responses I got worried me. Rumors only, and yet..."

"The Joker Gang?" Ryu guessed.

"Correct," Ray said. "As well as certain shady wandering operations. _Not_ what one expects of a devoted son of the church." He opened his eyes again. "Thank you for your input. I'm guessing you'd appreciate it if I didn't mention you officially."

"Definitely." Ryu glanced up at the statue behind the altar, at the back of the hall, then back to Ray. "Look. Something's going to go down in the big fight tonight. Not sure what it's going to be, can't say why. But that's when it'll happen, and when it does, Augus will get involved. I'm guessing you weren't too interested in the fight. You might want to be there anyways. Up to you."

"Perhaps I shall, then," Ray said speculatively, eyes narrowed. "Augus will be involved, you say. Will you?"

"Ranger business." Ryu started to stand. "Sorry."

"A friendly warning, then." Ray put a hand on his shoulder, heavy and gauntleted. "Be very careful. I dislike him as much as you, to be honest, but Augus Conte is not a man to be lightly crossed in this city."

"As cliché as it is, neither am I." Ryu looked him in the eye. "Here, or anywhere else. May St. Eva be with you, Ray."

"That's normally my line." Ray smiled, and despite his anger at the entire situation, Ryu had to as well. "And also with you, Ryu. If you need my aid in a manner that I can give it, come find me at my room at the _Rat's Arms_. Good luck, my friend."

It was noon when Ryu left the cathedral, leaving him with several hours to kill before it was time to report to the coliseum. After getting some lunch, he drifted out of the city gates once again. A little fishing, a monster or two and some deep thinking seemed in order; too much fighting was out of the question, of course, but there was nothing wrong with a little warm-up. A school of unagi and a couple of hungry snapdragons took care of the first two, but when he reentered Coursair as the bells tolled five, he still had no idea what he was going to do about Augus' plot. Still troubled, but out of time, he made his way north, to the coliseum.

The lines were long in front of the gate, of course. Once more, the guards were out in full force, carefully monitoring everything and making sure nobody tried to cut ahead, let alone get in without a ticket. The fights that periodically broke out in midline were ignored, though. Ryu crept along the side, conscious of the guards' eyes on him, and hoping their leader was who he thought it was.

"Hey, hey, Mister Deri!" It was Eddy, the same guard who'd let him in the previous day. "About time you showed up! Come on in!" As the crowd began to howl, unaware of who he "was" but incensed at seeing anybody get in so easily, the guards quickly surrounded Ryu and shoved him through the gates. Once he was inside, they quickly melted away, leaving him standing in the lobby with curious pedestrians looking him over.

"Keep taking lefts to get to the dressing rooms," Eddy called as the guards went back out. "Once you get there, though, it's the door on the right. The one on the left's your opponent's. Take my word for it, do _not_ go in _there._"

"Right." Ryu started walking to the left, then froze, as a thought struck him. "Hey, wait a second here..." After a moment, he kept going, slightly faster. Fortunately, the doors to the two locker rooms were unguarded; nobody else was around either. After a moment's hesitation, he set Baba's axe down next to his door, then knocked on the one on the left. "Hello? Anybody in here?" There was no response. Waiting a bit more, he pushed the door open and crept inside.

The room was luxuriously decorated, though not nearly as much as Augus' office; there was not only a sitting table with chairs and a mirror, but an actual wardrobe against the wall next to the armor stand. It held what looked like a leather leotard, lightweight and allowing complete freedom of movement while still offering slight protection. What really got his attention was the weapon leaning next to it, though. At first glance a simple wooden staff, its ends had been carved to resemble the claw of some animal, with three sharpened points. Testing their sharpness, he winced as one drew blood.

"This thing could do some damage," he muttered, trying not to imagine what a throat-jab would result in.

"Glad you approve," a familiar voice said lightly from the back door of the room. It was Katt, leaning casually against it, amusement and anger mixing in her eyes.

"Hey, Katt." Ryu turned to glance at her. "What are you... doing... in..." His eyes widened as, after _far_ too long, the zenny finally dropped. "Oh. Oh, shit."

"So, you figured it out," Katt commented, advancing on him. "Good for you. Now then, I think the big question is, in fact, what are _you_ doing in here. A few answers come to mind, but I don't really like any of them. I do kind of like _you_, though, so why don't I give you a chance to come up with a better one, and we'll go from there?" Her smile was like a knife. "Baba Deri?"

"Okay, listen." Ryu held up his hand, mind racing, while he casually checked his Dragon Tear with the other. It was plain yellow, which stung a little, but at least it wasn't anything actually bad. All thoughts of the thief had left his mind, replaced by the more immediate concern of Augus. "We can talk about what exactly you and Rand were up to another day. Right now, we've got bigger problems. I came in here to try and warn her... you... whatever that the fight's been fixed. Augus wants a death in the games, and he's planning to take you out with a poisoned needle and a blowgun."

"The old poison needle, huh?" For a moment, she looked like she was considering it, but then her eyes hardened, and the Dragon Tear faded to a darker shade of yellow. "That the best you can come up with? I'm not too bright, 'Baba,' but I ain't dumb. More to the point, I thought better of you. Do you have something about going up against a pal of yours? Or do you just not want to get your ass kicked by a girl? Because if it's that, I'll give you a preview to get you used to the concept!"

"Wait-" Ryu started to yell, but got no further before her fist connected with his jaw, spinning him around. As he reeled, her other fist connected almost immediately, slamming him against the door. The third blow was a kick, and his last thought as darkness crashed down like gravity was that he was pretty sure it had put him _through_ the door.

This impression was confirmed when he woke up, soaking wet and on his back. He was lying in one of the ornamental fountains, and Rand was standing over him; it looked like he'd been slapping him to his senses.

"Awake now?" The big man asked, chuckling. "Man, what did you _do_?"

"What did _I_ do?" Ryu growled, sitting up. "What the hell did _you_ two think you were doing, huh?"

"Easy." Rand helped him to his feet forcefully and began steering him towards the locker room on the right. "In here, champ. Let's have a quick chat. We've got time." The room was much smaller and shabbier than Katt's had been, but it did have a couple benches. Baba's ax was in a corner; Rand had probably brought it in before waking him up. Once they were both sitting and the candle was lit, Rand continued. "Look, we didn't know how serious this was at first, okay? It was just a prank. A gag. We couldn't resist. When you told us about why you were here, I kind of wanted to own up, but Katt said no way. She really wants to go up against you. I think it means she likes you, actually."

"Did." Ryu made a face. "Did like me."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Rand laughed again. "Girl like that, a fist and a kiss might not be too far off."

"We can talk about our emotions and shit some other time, man," Ryu said. "We've got bigger problems than that." He quickly told Rand about Augus' plot.

"A poison needle?" Rand scoffed when he was done. "Come on, don't be an idiot. He was just bluffing. Trying to sell you a story because he thought you were a wimp or something."

"You know Augus better than I do," Ryu told him. "Do you think he's the kind of guy to bluff about something like this?"

"Well..." Rand thought about it. After a moment, he shook his head. "No. He's not. I wouldn't think he was the kind of man who would _do_ something like this, but if he really told you that... he wouldn't bluff. He _did_ really say that, right?"

"St. Eva damn it all, what do I have to do?" Ryu yelled, suddenly enraged. "Take you down to the freakin' church and swear a solemn oath in front of the priest? Because I'll damn well do it, if that's what it takes! This is her _life_ we're talking about here!"

"All right," Rand said quietly after a moment more. "I believe you. Shit! This is a real mess." He stroked his chin for a moment, thinking about it. "All right, I've got a plan. Can you spot me some cash?"

"Sure." Ryu looked around, and quickly spotted a bag of coins lying in a corner. "Here, this is Augus' bribe for putting up with his crap."

"We'll use it to spike his wheel, then." Rand smiled grimly. "Perfect. Here's what I'm thinking. We've still got an hour until show time. I'll see if I can find out what exactly that poison is, then sneak out the back door and go have an apothecary fix me up with some antidotes. I hand one over to her, and one to you. If you can both dodge the needle, that's fine, but if you don't, you'll both have some insurance."

"That'll mean talking her into believing my story," Ryu reminded him. "I didn't have too much luck with that."

"I'll try to be more eloquent," Rand promised, standing up. "Be back in a little bit. Let's hope this works."

"Damn straight," Ryu agreed.

The minutes dragged on like hours after his friend had left. Ryu paced around, then spot-checked his armor, as well as his sword. Still, nothing happened, and he went back to simply staring at the wall, waiting and waiting. As the night dragged on, oddly enough, he could almost _feel_ the sun setting, even though he couldn't even see it. It was a decidedly odd sensation, and it seemed coupled with the growing noise level he was hearing as the crowds piled in.

It was Sunday night, there was blood in the air, and somehow Ryu knew that by dawn, nothing would be the same any more.

In the end, what alerted him to Rand's return was not his presence in his room, but the adjoining one. He heard their voices, quiet at first, although Katt's quickly grew louder. The sounds of _more_ violence, of course, were unmistakable, and he winced sympathetically when Rand staggered in, clutching his head.

"Why'd you have to go and do that, huh?" The Farm Clansman muttered. "I might have been able to sell her on it if you hadn't pissed her off first. She gave me this to, and I quote, 'teach me not to be such a gullible moron.' That girl's as ferocious as a biruburu when her blood's up."

"I noticed," Ryu commented dryly. "I doubt she'd appreciate that comparison, though."

"I wasn't planning on sharing it with her." Rand held out a couple cloth-wrapped bundles. "Here're the antidotes, then. Jeanne told me what poison it was. Seriously bad stuff. Ran me a hundred zenny each, but that was okay." He tossed the purse back to Ryu as well. "There was a thousand in there, man!"

"Augus knows how to bribe a guy." Ryu tucked it under his belt, then pocketed the antidotes as well. "So if I get shot, I take this. What if _she_ gets nailed?"

"Make sure that doesn't happen." Rand shook his head. "You can try and forcefeed it to her if you need to, but that might not work. It's best if nobody gets hit. If they really _are_ aiming for her, you'll need to shield her with your body, then take the antidote, but..."

"She's not going to take that sitting down." Ryu stood up. "I'll have to actually beat her."

"Think you can?" Rand asked bluntly. "Round one didn't go too well."

"I wasn't fighting back." Ryu put a hand on his sword. "If I lose, she dies. I'll win. I have to. No way around it."

"That's the spirit." Rand clapped a hand as large as his head on his shoulder. "I'll see if I can spot the shooter. Good luck out there. Keep her alive. And when this is all done with..." The light from the candle in the room reflected off of his eyes. "The three of us will go have a little _talk_ with Augus Conte."

"Damn straight." Ryu smiled nastily. "Might want to leave. I don't think you want to be in here when they come for me. Thanks, man."

"Just pull this off," Rand said as he left. "That's all the thanks I need."

"Mr. Deri?" A guard opened the back door only seconds later. "You're on."

"Thanks, man." Ryu stood up, strapped Baba's ax to his back, and walked past him into a long, dingy back hall. The door closed behind him, cutting off all light save from the other end. As he continued down it, the noise level slowly grew louder, as did the light emanating from the portal before him. He walked through it, and out into the arena, without fear. It was time.

The arena was simply designed. Twelve-foot stone walls with metal spikes topping them surrounded it, cutting off any hope of escape. Ryu stood on a wooden floor, split down the middle by a water-filled moat, with a single log bridging the gap. Above, roaring onlookers filled the stands, four guardtowers looming over them. Magical spotlights shone down from those, creating bubbles of illumination that circled the arena. Ryu's eyes tracked up, above Katt's door, to an enclosed private seat. There, Augus stared down at him, eyes burning.

"And here he is, ladies and gentlemen!" The man he'd seen outside the front on his first day in the obnoxious lime-green doublet was yelling, voice enhanced by more magic, hanging by one arm from a rope that floated in the air far above. He clearly had guts, if not fashion sense. "The wildman from the woods, the lunatic lumberjack! Baba! _Deri!_" Two of the lights zoomed in on Ryu, as the crowd began to cheer and jeer, mostly the latter.

"Hey, Baba! Your ass is dead!"

"Lumberjackass!"

"What the hell kind of a name is Baba?"

"Go back to rolling logs!"

"And over here!" The man continued, as the other two lights zipped over to the opposite side of the arena. "The little catgirl that could, the feline firebrand! Katt! _Chaun!_" She entered just as he said her name, wearing the leotard now, carrying her staff over her shoulder. The crowd erupted again, even louder than before.

"Marry me, Katt!"

"Go, Katt! Eat him alive!"

"We love you, girl!"

"Nice ass, baby!"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Augus stood up and began what would probably be a fairly lengthy oration. "Welcome to the Coursair Coliseum, and welcome to the main event on this night of fighting! And now, who here is ready for some _carnage?_" The crowd roared its approval, and he spread his hands. "As I thought! Fortunately for all of us, violence is our specialty here at the coliseum!" As he continued to ramble on, Ryu inclined his head towards the log, then walked forward. Eyes curious, Katt did the same.

"Applause seems a little one-sided, doesn't it?" Ryu said quietly as they met in the center. "What a load of shit."

"You're telling me," Katt agreed, rolling her eyes. "Assholes, the lot of 'em. If I wanted to be drooled over, I'd have gone into modeling for statues." She glanced up at the announcer. "I'm gonna have to kick Enrique's ass, too. I've _told_ him not to call me a catgirl." Turning her eyes back to him, she shot him a grin. "Ready to do this, tough guy?"

"More than." Ryu smiled as well, then decided to try it one more time, heartened by her mood. Up above them, Augus was still going on, but he wasn't listening, and it didn't look like she was, either. "Listen, Katt. I know you don't believe me about the poison needle, but will you just take one of these antidotes, just to be on the safe side? I've got two, right here. If I am full of it, no harm done, but if I'm not..."

"You just won't let up, will you?" Katt shook her head in wonder. "Trying to psyche me out like this. It's not gonna work, Ryu, so just cut it out, will you?" She smiled again, sharp and vicious. "What gets me is that you don't even need it. But you just keep trying to play dirty. Boy, did I ever misjudge you. Don't get me wrong, a little bit nasty just makes things interesting. I'm no girl scout either. But you? It's like it's all you know."

"What would you suggest, then?" Ryu shot a glance at his Dragon Tear, and was slightly surprised; instead of fading further, it had reverted to its original shade of yellow. Above them, heavy drums were beating regularly now, accompanying Augus' speech.

"Look around you." Katt spread her arms dramatically. "Look where we are, and what's happening around us. It's fight night, and we're it. A thousand eyes are on the two of us, and they all want one thing. One hell of a fight. And funny thing is, that's what I want too." Her smile widened, and her eyes glinted. "Beating up wimps is no fun. Getting stomped is just as bad. The thrill is when it's _good._ When both of us give it our all, put everything we have into it, and the only thing left to do is see who's better. You get it, Ryu. I _know_ you do. Throw everything else away, just for one night, for one fight. And dance with me the dance of blood."

"Fine." Ryu gave in, and smiled as well, in a way he rarely allowed himself to do. He _did_ know what she meant. He felt it, just like she did. "You want a dance, girl? You've got one. If you won't listen to me, I'll just have to pound you into the ground, and ram that antidote down your throat the hard way. And you know what? I can go with that. But if I'm going to get into that mood, it had better not be easy for me. I don't do this very often, so I'm counting on you to make this worth it. Don't disappoint me, Katt."

"Same to you, Ryu." Her eyes were like fire, green and wild. "Now you're talking. I _knew_ you had it in you. You should do it more often, you know. It's the only real way to feel alive. Now hurry up and ditch that dead weight on your back, and let's go. I've been looking forward to this for far too long already." She lowered her staff, planting one end between them.

"That works for me." Ryu shouldered the ax off, letting it fall to the ground behind him on the edge of the moat, and drew his sword, holding it at his side confidently. "Sounds like Augus is almost done up there. It's time. Ready?"

"Bring it," she whispered, stepping slowly back off the log, without taking her eyes off of him. Still watching her carefully as well, Ryu did the same, retreating step by step. Apparently noticing this, Augus finally stopped his tirade for a moment, and the heckling of the spectators gradually died down, along with the drums.

"Brave warriors!" The master of Coursair shouted once there was absolute silence, and they both stood as far away as possible, backs to the gates that had been lowered behind them to trap them inside. "The time for combat has come! Now prepare yourselves, and may the best fighter triumph! Three! Two! One! _Go!_"

In the instant that the last word left Augus' mouth, Katt was in motion, running forward. As Ryu watched, eyes wide, she drove her staff into the ground, launching herself into the air over the moat. For a moment, he thought it a stupid, showy move that would leave her wide open when she landed, but then he realized she wasn't merely jumping. Katt was _spinning_, forward momentum continuing vertically, and her staff was bearing all of that force with it. He barely managed to get out of the way in time; the impact when she landed practically created a shockwave, and her staff smashed a hole through the wood, spraying shrapnel in all directions as the crowd roared its approval.

Katt herself was unharmed, landing on her feet with a cocky grin, her knees bent to absorb the impact. That still left her open, and Ryu was there, striking at her side. His sword slashed through her leotard at the waist, but struck off the steel belt she wore under it. He'd been expecting that; the antique bronze sword never would have been able to penetrate. It would still hurt, though, and possibly even dent; even if it didn't, the bruises would take their toll. The wince she displayed for a moment told that that much had been accomplished.

She swept her staff at his feet then, but he managed to jump it and strike again, this time at her shoulder. She raised her arm, forcing his sword away with her bracer, and he frowned; her boasts of inhuman strength clearly weren't exaggerations. Still, she was in his range, and they both knew it; judging by their mixed response, so did the crowd. Her solution to the problem was to choke up on her staff and jab at his stomach using both arms, forcing him back and to the side to avoid being neatly spitted.

Her next move surprised him; she waded back in close, and then before he could attack, hit him with the same combo that she'd used when she'd caught him in her room. He was familiar with it now, though, and ducked the first punch. The second hit, but he turned his head with it, absorbing some of the force, and stayed on his feet as she went for the kick. Catching her leg, he whirled and threw her towards the moat. He didn't actually expect her to fall in, though, and wasn't disappointed; she slammed into the side of the gorge with a grunt, but got her hands on the edge, and flipped up, landing on her feet again. Turning around, she regarded him, staff held in one hand.

"Well?" She taunted, bending over and making a face, tail lashing behind her. "Come on and make my night!"

"Gladly!" Ryu yelled back with a grin. He stepped onto the log and made a beckoning gesture with his hand, and with a smirk of her own, she jumped on as well, though staying out of range of his sword. Immediately, she lashed out with a horizontal swipe, clearly trying to knock him off. Ryu was expecting that, though, and dived forward onto his stomach, under the attack. Ignoring the crowd's booing, without even regaining his footing, he lashed out at her legs with his sword, finally drawing visible blood. This victory was short-lived, though; even as she scrambled to regain her balance, she shifted her grip and swung again, her staff hammering into his back.

This turned out to be a mistake on her part; bouncing, Ryu's forward momentum carried him into her, and they both tumbled over the side. As they fell into the moat, Ryu somehow managed to plunge his sword into the log's side. The crowd was silent for the moment, not sure what to make of this unexpected turn of events. They hung there, Katt clinging to Ryu's back for a few long moments, and then she clambered up onto the log. Turning back, she grabbed his hand, pulling his sword from the log as she flipped him over her head, slamming him into the floor on his side of the arena.

"Thanks," he grunted, standing back up, as the crowd exploded in approval, cheering them _both_ for the first time.

"No charge." She snickered, taking up a ready stance again. "That would have been a sucky way to beat you. Now come on, big boy. You want to talk, or fight?"

"Heh." Ryu didn't dignify that with more of a verbal response than a quick chuckle, but instead ran forward, leaping onto the log and then off of it towards her. Katt watched his approach curiously, the tip of her tail twitching while the rest of her remained absolutely motionless, until he jumped into the air before her, at which point she naturally lashed out with her staff, intending to smack him out of the sky. He swung his sword as soon as she moved, and not at her; though the weapon smashed into his ribs, his blade still came down on it, and sliced a good foot off of the end. Ryu hit the ground, hard, but the damage had been done.

"You..." Katt stared at her weapon, then back at him, and then she moved again, reversing her grip and swinging the other end at his head as the crowd gasped in shock. Due to its altered length, though, the swing was awkward, and Ryu was able to roll out of the way as he came to his feet. Before he could attack himself, though, she was moving in again, grabbing his head in one hand and forcing it down. Deflecting his counterattack with the bracer on her other arm, she flipped back and kicked him in the face, sending him flying over the trench to sprawl across the ground on the other side.

It took a phenomenal amount of effort just to stay conscious, let alone keep moving, but somewhere in the back of Ryu's mind, he knew that Augus didn't actually care about who lived; as long as anybody died, it would be good enough for him. If he looked like he was down, he would be hit by the poison dart, and he hadn't taken the antidote yet. The arena spinning around him, the crowd's now-indiscriminate shouting filling his ears, he sat up and turned his head to see Katt watching him from the other side, keeping her anger under control with visible effort.

"Still up?" she called over. "You've got stamina, I'll give you that much!" Despite her taunts, she was breathing heavily, and her stance was unsteady; she was clearly running down.

"Gee, thanks." Staring at her, Ryu slowly realized the way to win. Rising to his feet, he sheathed his sword, and picked up Baba's dropped ax instead. Before she could realize what he was doing, he brought it down on the log bridge, chopping it in two. The weight of the ax pulled it into the moat along with the pieces, and he let it go with a muttered oath before standing back and meeting Katt's eyes. "Come and get me. If you can."

"Playing hard to get?" She shot back. "I can do it that way." Running forward, she launched herself over the moat like she had at the opening of the fight, spinning in the air and striking down with the same massive force. She'd forgotten her wounded legs, though, and she botched the landing, falling forward onto her face. Ryu had avoided her attack again, and as she fell, he moved in, bringing the flat of his sword down against the back of her head. Even that didn't quite do it; he saw her struggling to rise, and hit her again.

"Here it comes!" Rand shouted then, his deep voice audible even above the crowd's mixed response, and Ryu knew what it meant. Frantically groping for an antidote, he pulled one of the bundles from his pocket, pulled it open and shoved the entire thing into his mouth even as he threw himself over Katt. He felt pricks of pain, still sharp despite his wooziness, moments later, and had to chuckle despite everything; he was in no shape to count, but there had to be at least a half dozen.

"What's so funny?" Katt muttered, losing consciousness as well by the fading sound of her voice. "And what the hell are you doin', anyway? Better not be gettin' any funny idea, climbin' all over me like this..."

"Paladin named Ray," Ryu tried to say with a mouth full of cloth, even as he struggled to force the antidote down. "Staying at the same inn as me. Said he'd help me out. Get me there if this doesn't work." And then the light faded from his eyes, and the arena vanished around him, the howling voices trailing off into nothingness.

_ More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

Even in unconsciousness, Ryu couldn't escape the demon's voice in his nightmares, or the eye that watched his every move. When it faded, he knew he was awake again, but it was slow, and his eyes refused to open. As feeling slowly, gradually returned to his body, he realized he was in a bed, and that he was not alone; he could hear voices, and familiar ones.

"I don't even know what I'm going to say when he wakes up!" Katt was complaining. "I mean, 'sorry' doesn't seem to cut it. And I'm not the kind of girl who goes all, 'thanks for saving my life,' either, you know?"

"I believe I know what you mean, yes," Ray replied, sounding slightly awkward. "Perhaps he will as well. I'd suggest just talking to him like you normally would."

"That's the problem!" Katt explained. "I've never _had_ something like this happen to me before! That's why I don't... hey. His breathing's changed." Ryu felt her hands on his shoulders, and then he was shaken roughly. His eyes finally opened, and he saw her face above him, staring down in concern. Still halfway out, he was struck by the bizarre thought that sad emotions didn't really suit her face.

"You've got good ears," he managed to say. "So. Believe me now?"

"What?" She blinked, then punched him in the shoulder, but smiled despite herself. "Ass. You've _got_ to be feeling better, if you're giving me grief already."

"That's no reason to injure him again immediately," Ray advised her, walking over to look at Ryu as well. "That would rather defeat the point of bringing him to me in the first place."

"He's made of tougher stuff than that." Katt brushed that off. "Besides, you could just zap him back like you did to us already if I did, right? You sure know your stuff, buddy."

"My supply of white magic is hardly inexhaustible," Ray informed her drily, but the faint hints of a smile were playing around the edges of his mouth. "I brought Kay over here for a reason, you know. At any rate, welcome back, Ryu. You've had quite an evening, haven't you?"

"I told you, didn't I?" Ryu sat up, surprised by how well he was feeling. Now that his grogginess was fading, he was noticing quickly that he couldn't feel any of the injuries Katt had given him. "She fill you in on what happened?"

"She did." Ray nodded slowly. "I was expecting something interesting, but seeing a beaten-up Woren Clanswoman standing at my door carrying you over her shoulders wasn't quite what I had in mind. You do know how to liven up an evening, both of you."

"We keep things interesting," Katt joked. "Maybe a little _too_ interesting this time around."

"I'll drink to that," Ryu agreed. "I'm completely cured, then?" He paused. "And who's Kay?

"A friend of mine, and a brilliant doctor," Ray explained. "When Miss Chaun brought you to me and explained the situation, I asked for her assistance, and she gladly complied. The antidote your other friend provided remedied most of the poison, and Kay was able to easily purify the last traces from your system. I followed that up with some healing magic for your injuries. You're in perfect health."

"Thanks, then," Ryu said, smiling. "Looks like I owe you one, and your friend too." Now that he could see her clearly, Katt was healed as well, though she still wore her torn leotard. She was sitting in a chair now; Ray's room had several as well as a table, unlike Ryu's own cheap quarters.

"A big one," she agreed. "We both do. Um... I hate to ask for this after everything else, especially since this is your room and all... but could you give us a moment?"

"Of course." Ray stood up and headed for the exit. "I'll be outside."

"What's up?" Ryu asked as the paladin closed the door behind him, swinging his legs out of the bed so he could sit on the edge; they'd taken his armor off, but he otherwise remained fully clothed, thankfully.

"It's like this." Katt shook her head. "Look, Ryu. I'm kind of shitty with words sometimes, but... I really screwed up back there. I should have known you were a good guy, that you were telling the truth. It's just..." She bit her lip. "The kind of life I've had... you don't really meet many guys who do things like you did. Most of the ones I've known would've just let me take the hit, if the money was good."

"You haven't known the right ones, is all," Ryu told her seriously. "Me and my partner... we're no angels. But we don't do shit we don't like. And I don't like that kind of business one bit. Rand's a good guy, too. And Ray."

"Yeah." Katt smiled again, but it looked forced. "Look at me, up to my ass in nice guys. I don't know how to deal with that. Crazy, the lot of you."

"Hey, I _did_ beat the crap out of you," Ryu reminded her. "I don't think that's exactly got 'nice guy' written all over it."

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "You were the one who went out like a light, little boy blue. _I_ got back up, and that netted me the win."

"Only because I took that poison needle for you, furface," Ryu bantered easily. "I had you beat. Don't go bringing _technicalities_ into this. You know better than that."

"I was still in that fight," Katt argued. "I'd have gotten back up. My head's pretty damn hard, you know."

"Boy, I'll say," Ryu cracked. When she just stared blankly at him, he sighed. "All right, let's call it a draw, then. Extenuating circumstances."

"Yeah, okay," she conceded, then smiled, eyes glittering. "One of these days, maybe we'll settle it. The right way, this time."

"Had fun, did you?" Ryu asked, smiling as well.

"Of course." She scooted closer. "So did you. What I don't get is why you're so reluctant to let that part of you out. If it makes you feel good, why hide it?"

"It's not really something I'm proud of," Ryu explained, looking away. "Whenever I used to give in to it, people would get hurt. Sometimes badly. You know how people react when a ten-year-old kid breaks a grown man's legs?"

"How about a _six_-year-old girl?" Katt replied sardonically, staring at a wall as well. "No matter how bad he was asking for it. Yeah, it kind of bothered me at first, too. But then I figured out I didn't really care all that much what anybody but myself thought. So I just learned how to live with it. It's who I am."

"Maybe I would have done the same, if I'd been alone," Ryu admitted. "But my partner and I... it wasn't fair to make him have to put up with shit just because I couldn't control myself. Guess that's why I learned how to keep it hidden."

"That'd do it, all right." She turned back to him. "You've been together a long time, huh? You and this partner of yours."

"Two lost boys against the world," Ryu said with a slight smile, looking back at her as well. "No family, no home, nothing to keep us alive but each other. When it's all you've got, it means a lot to you."

"It's got to." Katt slowly nodded. "All right... I've got it. That's how I'll pay you back for this. I'll help you track down this thief of yours!" She smirked mischievously. "That is, unless you still think I did it?"

"Naaaaah," Ryu drawled. "She wasn't nearly as cute as you."

"First you slice me up, then you tell me I'm cute?" She winked. "You sure know how to treat a girl."

"What can I say?" Ryu spread his arms, mock-helplessly. "I'm just a classy kind of guy, hmmm?"

"Sure you are." She shoved him lightly. "And I'm a well-mannered lady, with a fancy dress and everything. Maybe even a hat. And shit, gloves, while we're at it. Maybe even a friggin' parasol." She was still smirking, but there was something else in her eyes. "You don't mind, then? If I tag along, I mean?"

"Why the hell would I?" Ryu told her, keeping his own voice deliberately casual. "We're friends, aren't we? As a matter of fact, once we're done with that, I might even have an offer you'd be interested in."

"Knowing you, I just might be," she agreed, the smile leaving her face. "But before that, we still have business here to take care of." Her eyes were dangerous now, a violence in them that held no trace of pleasure.

"Damn straight." Ryu stood up and began to put his armor back on, face grim. "You and me have all _sorts_ of business with Augus Conte. Rand was saying something about that, too. Seen him since the fight?"

"Nope." She frowned. "Hope that doesn't mean he got started without us."

"Rand's a considerate guy," Ryu reminded her. "When you get right down to it, he's a better person than either of us. I'm sure he'll save us a piece, even if he did." Belting his sword back on, he glanced at her staff. "Hey, you got it fixed?"

"Backup staff," she explained. "I've only got the one, though, so don't go breaking this one too, all right?"

"Deal." Gathering his armor, Ryu quickly put it all back on, then inclined his head towards the door. "Shall we?"

"Hell yes." The two of them left the room, only to find Ray leaning against the wall outside, waiting for them. He'd found the helmet for his armor somewhere and put it on, giving him a decidedly grim appearance.

"Going somewhere?" the paladin asked dryly.

"We need to talk with Augus Conte about how he runs the place," Katt replied in the same tone of voice.

"What a coincidence." Ray turned slightly, and they saw that his hand was on the sword at his waist. "I have matters of my own that I need to discuss with that same individual. It seems that he has strayed from St. Eva's path more than a little. As a servant of St. Eva, it is my duty to correct that lapse, by any means necessary. Shall we pay a visit to him together?"

"The more the merrier." Ryu inclined his head. With the paladin at his left and the fighting girl at his right, he left the inn, the man behind the desk averting his eyes and asking no questions. The pedestrians in the street apparently felt the same way; seeing the three of them, and the looks on their faces, every one of them melted out of their way without a word. Even a brawl that spilled out into the street from a nearby bar slowly stopped as the participants looked up, saw them waiting silently, and quietly stopped fighting, got back up and left.

"Whoa," Eddy the guard said when they walked up to the coliseum's gate. "Katt and Baba? Damn, you got better fast."

"Thank St. Eva, and his hiring policy." Ryu thumbed at Ray, who didn't comment. "Mind letting us in? We need to talk with your boss."

"I don't really know if I should be doing that, guys," Eddy replied, hesitating. "But... I don't know if I like what happened out there either." He looked away. "Word's getting around. It wasn't any of us who did that, you know. Augus brought in some hired pros. Jeanne was the only one who knew, and she didn't like it either. S'why she started talking after Rand leaned on her a little." He looked over at Ray. "The Church knows, right? How big is this going to be?"

"So long as you had no knowledge of events prior to their occurrence, no blame is yours, my son," Ray told him. "However, my presence here is in furtherance of St. Eva's will. Denying us would force me to report to my superiors for further instruction."

"That won't be necessary." Eddy raised the gate. "Rand's already back there. Nobody tried to stop him. They ain't gonna stop you." He gave them a serious look. "Town guard gets involved, none of us saw anything. But we ain't gonna stand in their way, neither."

"We weren't going to ask you to," Ryu said, nodding. "Just stay out of the way. That's good enough for us." They walked past him and headed towards Augus' office, and though more guards were stationed in the halls, none tried to stop them. Jeanne was still behind her desk; when they walked past her, she looked away, remaining silent. The door was slightly ajar, and they heard Rand's voice from behind it. Opening it, they walked inside.

"-but they'll be here soon, and they're not going to be happy." Rand was telling Augus. The big man had what looked like knuckle guards on his massive fists and a bowl-like bronze helmet on his head, and he loomed over the older man in an unmistakably threatening mood. Augus, for his part, was sitting in front of the fireplace, just as he had when Ryu had met with him the other day. His eyes were still on the roaring flames, and he showed no signs of hearing Rand's words.

"A little late for that, chief," Ryu told him as they walked in, standing to their left. "We appreciate doing the decent thing, though. Means _we_ don't have to, so much."

"It was worth a shot." Rand glanced over to them. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Ray, then narrowed, and he walked over to stand next to Katt. "He doesn't seem to be paying much attention, though."

"Well, we'll just have to do something about that, won't we?" Katt cracked her knuckles. "I don't appreciate people trying to kill me, Augus."

"Are all the actors in place, then?" The older man asked suddenly, and despite the softness of his voice, something in it froze them all to the spot. He stood, slowly, and turned to face them, the fireplace's light casting him in darkness from behind. "It seems none of you cared for my script... ah, criticism is such an ugly thing." One eye looked straight ahead at all of them, while the other flickered over to Ray. "Ah, but it seems there's an extra on the stage! The false fighter, the champion firebrand, and the honest worker I expected, but my friend from Evrai? How... interesting. Do you have a role to play in this as well, Ray?"

"Enough of your wordplay," the paladin told him firmly. "I've heard everything, and I am most displeased. Such behavior from such a devoted servant of St. Eva is something I cannot forgive, and neither can our God. Explain yourself, Augus."

"An explanation?" Augus spread his hands. "Why, Mr. Braddoc! If that's all you wanted, you could have asked me of it when we first met, a week ago!" He bared his teeth in a vicious sneer. "I would have told you all about the marvelous performance of death and despair I was crafting for our friends here, even then!"

"So you've been planning on killing me off all week?" Katt demanded. "Or was it even longer? Were you just waiting for me to get popular enough that it'd be worth your while?"

"Oh, no." Augus shook his head. "It was only when Mr. Bateson here became involved that I decided to up the stakes. Yes, I know your true name. I've known it ever since you came to my city. We've been watching you all for some time. Yes, quite some time indeed." He met Ryu's eyes then, his own burning with a dreadful fire that had nothing to do with the one behind him. "Lord Barubary sends his regards."

"Ryu?" Rand asked, puzzled.

"Am I supposed to recognize the name?" Ryu replied, fighting a chill. "You're babbling, old man. And you're not improving our mood."

"Am I?" Augus asked softly. "Such a waste, then. I work so hard to set the mood... if honesty is what you desire, then honesty you shall have." And then his head split down the middle, a vertical gash opening it from crown to chin, forcing the halves apart like a fruit.

"What the _hell_?" Katt spat, then froze, eyes wide in horror, as the two halves of his head continued to speak.

"An explanation, you say?" Augus growled, voice deepening, as his transformation continued. His body shifted, then bulged with muscles, the older man's wiry frame expanding into one that only came second to Rand's, his rich blue clothing splitting at the seams in several places. Thick brown fur sprouted like grass, covering every inch of him, as he stretched up to at least seven feet of height. "We make you fight each other, here in this grand arena, but that is not enough. Were you to kill each other, to murder at the whim of the crowd, your love of bloodshed would increase tenfold... and all of that negative emotion would become the strength of our God!"

"Namanda, Namanda..." Rand muttered, awestruck. "What sort of monster _is_ he?"

"No monster at all," Ray whispered, just as stunned. "There is another word for one such as he, who has sold his soul to the void. _Demon._"

"Bullshit! Demons aren't real!" Katt protested, but it sounded feeble as they watched their enemy's horrific transformation continue. His head was the worst of it; the two halves of his skull were reforming now, their missing portions of bone and muscle and blood and flesh regenerating individually in turn. Only when each was complete did they shift to match the rest of his body, becoming the snarling visages of a bear.

"Demons are _very_ real, feral child," the two-headed monstrosity Augus had become corrected her, both mouths speaking in unison. "And though I have failed in my attempt to change your fates and ensure our success, I retain the power I received in exchange for my soul! My life may be forfeit for my disgrace, but I will not go into the abyss alone. I shall offer your souls up to our God as my coin!" From over the fireplace, he pulled down what had looked like decoration; two brutal stone clubs, primitive but deadly. "My only regret is that we could not make a public show of it... oh, to be able to kill you in style!"

"Spread out!" Ryu yelled. "Don't make it easy for him to nail us! Keep him moving!" The others did as he'd said, circling around.

"Let me take the lead!" Ray told them, drawing his sword. "I can take hits better than any of you!"

"Oh, hell no!" Katt yelled, dashing in. "This piece of shit's _mine!_" One of the huge clubs swung down from overhead towards her, but she darted to the side, swung her body around the arm, and continued that momentum to bring her staff against the right head's jaw.  
"Ha..." Augus chortled, grinning back at her. "That smarts, girlie!" Before she could pull back, his other arm lashed out, smashing the club into her ribs in an underhand swing. The blow flung her through the air, into the far wall. Augus' triumph was short-lived, however; Ryu had moved in from his other side, and slashed under the raised arm. Roaring, Augus hit him as well, knocking him into the fireplace.

"Shit!" Rand cursed, advancing from behind the demon. As Augus turned, he lashed out with his fists, smashing the back of one head into another with a powerful punch. Before he could deliver another punch, though, a club returned the favor, sending him sprawling on the floor. He loomed over Rand, the other club raised.

"One down..." Augus growled, then roared in pain as Ray's longsword cut deeply into his side. Whirling with far more speed than his massive frame should have allowed, he laid into the paladin with repeated blows, knocking him to his knees.

"Over here, tough guy!" Ryu yelled, scrambling out of the fireplace and ignoring the flames that he'd been knocked into. There was pain, but he had grown accustomed to pain. He could scream about it later. For now, there were more important things. Namely, attacking Augus once again, but not with his sword. Gritting his teeth, he shoved his hand into the ashes. Whimpering, he still forced it up, and hurled the embers full into Augus' faces. Howling, the demon fell back, pawing at its eyes. "Get away from him, people! Quick!"

"That's our line!" Rand yelled, pulling himself to his feet. Still, he and Ray did as he'd said, dashing over to where Katt was pulling herself from the wall as Ryu did the same. "You two need to be less reckless!" He began chanting under his breath, and healing magic covered Katt. A moment later, Ryu received the same treatment, and he turned to stare at Ray. "Was that you?"

"What kind of paladin would I be if I didn't know white magic?" Ray replied. "I'm not quite as good at black magic, though. You?"

"Same." Rand slowly nodded. "I know Thunder. That's about it."

"You'll probably do better with that than close combat," Ryu pointed out. "He's too fast. Much more than anybody his size should be. And just as strong as you are, too. We're not going to be able to bring him down just going after him individually like we've been trying. He's more than any of us can handle one-on-one."

"Teamwork, then?" Ray glanced at the roaring demon, who was glaring at them with one head as he pawed at the other. "We'd better figure out what we're doing, fast. It looks like he's almost ready to come at us again."

"Let me go in," Katt said, then held up a hand. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna try and take him out again. One hit like that was enough to get the point through even my skull. I'm the fastest. If I focus on just keeping him busy and dodging his moves, I'll be fine. Ray, that armor slows you down too much to keep up with him, and Rand..."

"I'm just too slow, period." He smiled tightly. "I know."

"Soften him up with your black magic, then," Ryu continued, picking up where she'd left off. "I'll circle him and wait for an opening."

"Here, then." Ray handed him his sword. "Take this. It's better than yours." The blade was the same length and style as Ryu's, but it was made of good steel rather than bronze. "Put it to good use, my friend."

"I will," Ryu promised, handing over his. "Here. In case you need to go in after all."

"Chattering like schoolchildren at a time like this?" Augus bellowed, and they all turned their heads to see him charging. "Foolishness!" One club came down, and they scattered.

"Missed me!" Katt brought her staff down on the demon's wrist, then leaped back, dodging his other club. "Missed me again! Come on, asshole! Over here! Nyah nyah!" Taunting him, she bobbed and weaved, leading him on a merry chase around the room.

"Now!" Ray held up one hand, and bolts of electricity appeared, lashing Augus like a whip. Roaring, the beast buckled under the assault, freezing. A second spell from Rand drove him to his knees, one of which Katt promptly crushed.

"Ryu!" she called out.

"Right!" Moving in, Ryu was prepared for the club when it swung out, and managed to duck under it. Before the other could strike as well, he struck out with both hands, bringing the paladin's sword into the left head's neck with all of his strength. Blood and worse sprayed, showering them all, as the head nearly flew off; only the demon's massive, forked spinal column had stopped the blade. His throat was completely carved through. That had come at a price, though; the sword was stuck, and Ryu's efforts to pull it out left him open to a club.

"Shithead!" Katt snarled, dodging another swing from the other club. Before Augus could bring the one he'd hit Ryu with to bear on either of them again, she lashed out at the broken knee once more, and Augus crumpled, roaring. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Ryu winced, left arm hanging limply; it felt dislocated. Still he stood, unarmed but still in the fight. "Let's finish this."

"Ryu!" Ray called, and the bronze blade came flying through the air. Catching it in his good hand, Ryu nodded to Katt, and the two of them moved in together. The first club was aimed at her, and the second at him; the first was evaded, and the second deflected with the bronze sword. Sword and staff lashed out, and Augus screamed as his jaw shattered and one eye was crushed.

"You're finished," Ray told him quietly as he and Rand advanced once more. "Now speak, demon. Tell us more of this 'God' you spoke of, and of your purpose in this city. The purpose for which the legions of Infinity bought your soul."

"Ha..." Augus laughed, slowly and painfully, as they stood around him. Despite all of his injuries, both heads still spoke together, the biological improbability of this apparently irrelevant. "Fools, the lot of you. I have already told you, my life is forfeit for failing. By now, I'm sure my masters have discovered what I have done. Failing in my mission would be worthy of punishment enough, but attempting to slay those who we have waited a thousand years and more for? And you still think you will have time to interrogate me? That I will live long enough? My time has come!"

And then, before their stunned eyes, he burst into jet-black flame.

"St. Eva..." Katt whispered, all four of them backing away in horror as Augus forced himself to his feet one last time, even as the flames consumed him.

"You wish to know of my purpose?" the demon bellowed. "Then I shall tell you one thing, as your reward for triumph! Enjoy your time while you still have it, for your triumph today shall turn to despair tomorrow! God's time is at hand!" Laughing insanely, the two-headed demon vanished into the dark flames and was gone, leaving nothing but smoke and ashes.

"What the hell was _that_ all about?" Katt asked once the fire had burnt itself out completely.

"A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Rand sighed. "I wish. But we're not that lucky. He was insane, but he wasn't just rambling."

"Why us, though?" Ryu demanded angrily. "We're nobody special. Just a bunch of castaways. Aren't we?"

"The legions of Infinity have access to sources of information beyond the grasp of mortal men," Ray murmured, clearly disturbed. "Perhaps one or more of you is destined for greatness... and Augus sought to turn that destiny to evil. If demons are abroad in the land, then this is a much greater problem than I had thought." He shook his head, wandering over to Augus' desk and beginning to search through his paperwork. "I will have to inform the leaders of the faith in Evrai. I assume you would prefer I left your names out of it?"

"It's be appreciated," Rand agreed. "My people and the Church of St. Eva don't really see eye to eye."

"I am aware," Ray replied absently. "I've been to that part of the world before."

"Yeah, well..." Rand looked away. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about it. I think we've all had enough trouble already today."

"I swear to St. Eva, if you two start going at it now, I'm slamming your heads together," Katt told them, sinking to the floor. "What a night."

"It isn't over yet," Ryu reminded her. "I don't think we'll want to be in town when the guard finds this."

"Good point." She made a face. "Very good point. Well, looks like we're out of a job, Rand."

"You think?" the big man replied dryly. "I talked with Jeanne for a bit before I came in, and I don't think anybody else who works here will raise a stink. She said she'd send everybody home after you guys came in. I figure we'll have a good six hours to get out of town before anybody finds this. That should be plenty. With no corpse, and nobody actually saying we were here, we'll want to stay out of Coursair and lay low for a while to avoid getting brought in 'for questioning,' but they'll drop it eventually, and we won't have a price on our heads."

"Works for me." Ryu shook his head. "I was just about done here anyways. Looks like this was a bum lead."

"Gee, thanks." Katt snarked. "We're going back to Hometown, then? You said there was another lead there, right?"

"Yeah, but let's drop by where my partner's hiding out first," Ryu decided. "It's this old ruin south of Hometown; he's working with another buddy of ours to try and fix it up. You can meet them there, and we can fill them in on what's happening."

"Heading out together?" Rand guessed. "Why am I not surprised by this?"

"You're coming too, right?" Katt pressed. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"The more the merrier," Ryu agreed.

"Well, I _am_ out of a job." Rand shrugged. "All right, I'm in, but I'll be staying with your buddy at that hideout you mentioned, if that's all right. You two don't stick out _too_ much in a crowd, so you should be fine even if somebody comes looking for you, but I'm about as difficult to pick out of a lineup around this part of the world as a whale in a dress. I'll feel better if I can lie low for a while, just in case."

"If you're all going the same way, that makes things simpler, then." Ray looked up from the desk as he stuffed his collection of Augus' paperwork into a bag. "I'll wait a few hours after you leave, then head west, towards Windia. With luck, if anybody _does_ try to come after us, they'll follow me instead of you, then."

"Thanks, man." Ryu glanced over. "Anything interesting?"

"Quite a bit." Ray nodded. "I'll peruse it at my leisure later, but for now, we should probably at least leave the coliseum."

"Man's got a point," Katt agreed, standing up. "Let me just get my stuff out of my room, and I'll be ready to go." She started to walk past Ray, then paused, turned and offered her hand. "Thanks. For helping us out and all. You weren't really involved in this like we were."

"It was my duty as a servant of St. Eva." Ray shook it. "And, more importantly, I was glad to help my friends."

"Maybe we're more alike than I thought," Rand said as he followed Katt out, pausing for a handshake as well. "Good luck out there."  
"The same to you." The paladin nodded briefly.

"We could all probably use some of that." Ryu was the last one out, and he clapped Ray on the shoulder. "Be careful out there, buddy. Just in case." He held out the paladin's sword, having retrieved it from Augus' remains.

"Keep it." Ray held up one hand. "It's not charity; I think you three need to be more careful than I do, to be honest. I wish I could say I thought this was going to end here, but as Mr. Marks said, we're not that lucky. If anybody does come after me, they'll be reluctant to do much to somebody in my position. I'll feel better if you have some decent steel in your hand."

"Yeah, okay." Ryu was too tired to argue about it. "Think you can keep us posted on anything else you find about this?"

"If there's anything in Augus' papers that you should know about, or anything else related to this at all that I find, I'll forward it to the Ranger's Guild in Hometown," Ray promised.

"Thanks." Ryu smiled wearily. "Hell of a night."

"Indeed." Ray turned back to his search. "Until we meet again, then, my friend."

After Katt and Rand had grabbed their few possessions from their rooms, they stopped by the inn to grab Ryu's before drifting out of town through the south gate. As they'd hoped, the coliseum had been deserted, and nobody bothered them on the streets either. All the same, they wasted no time on the road south, only making camp near the beach once the sun was completely down. Before Ryu could offer to go fishing for dinner, Katt had run off by herself, coming back with a wild boar in only a matter of minutes.

"So what, did you just find that thing and kill it with your staff?" Ryu asked, amused, once they'd eaten. They were all relaxing around the campfire, and he was examining his new sword; the few nicks it had were probably from Augus, since Ray hadn't struck him as the type to be lazy about caring for his blade.

"Pretty much." Katt shrugged, not looking up from her own work. She'd taken off her leotard, leaving her in what she'd worn to the bar, and was mending the tear Ryu had slashed in it during the fight. "Wish you'd told me you knew how to fish first, though. Not that I mind hunting down dinner, but I _love_ fish."

"It's kind of a shitty rod," he warned her. "I can't really pull up much with it. A better one's one of the million things I need to get once we've saved up enough money."

"Know what that's like," Rand agreed, gazing into the fire. "At least you've got Augus' bribe money."

"Augus bribed you?" Katt shoved Ryu lightly. "And you still wanted to rub him out? Ingrate! _I_ never got a bribe."

"You got the reward for winning that fight, though, didn't you?" Rand reminded her. "Our boy here never picked up _his_ actual pay."

"Oh, what, you stopped by to collect your paycheck before hauling me off to Ray?" Ryu teased her back. "Nice to know where _your_ priorities are. Speaking of which, I think that right there's the most feminine thing I've ever seen you do."

"I _am_ a girl, you know," she reminded him archly. "You _did_ notice, right?"

"Do I _look_ blind to you?" he replied dryly. "Don't answer that."

"I'll admit, it took a while for me to learn," she admitted. "Delicate stuff isn't usually my thing. Cheaper than hiring somebody else to do it, though, and up until Augus hired me, I wasn't really rolling in zenny. Still ain't, when you get right down to it." She examined her leotard judiciously, then set it aside. "Now, then. I, for one, think it's about time you told us what this is all about in a little more detail, if we're going to be in it for the long haul."

"That's my vote, too," Rand agreed.

"Oh, brother." Ryu rolled his eyes. "All right, fine. But I'm just warning you, I ain't a professional storyteller or anything." He thought for a moment, eyes on the fire. "I guess it all started with the crazy old lady..."

And then, under the night sky, sitting with his friends around the campfire, he told them his story.

_AND OI TO THE WORLD AND EVERYBODY WINS _


	6. Chapter 5: The Magic School

_**Chapter 5: The Magic School**_

"You're not _serious!_" Rand exclaimed as the three of them came within sight of the ruins near Mt. Fubi.

"It's a fixer-upper," Ryu admitted. "Still, you can't beat the price."

"What, nothing?" Katt remarked sardonically. "If nobody else wanted it, there's usually a reason, you know."

"Feel free to keep sleeping out in the trees if you don't like it," he offered before shouting. "Hey, guys! I'm back!"

"So we heard," Bow yelled back, opening the front door; the fact that it was on, at least, showed that they'd made some progress despite the heckling. "Who're the wiseguys, and do they think they could do any better?"

"Maybe we could," Katt told him, walking up, and the two of them gave each other a once-over. "Want to make me try?"

"Aw, geez," Rand groaned, starting to walk forward. "That didn't take long."

"Nah, nah, it's cool." Ryu put up a hand. "Wait for it."

"You kidding?" Bow asked after a moment more, grinning slightly. "You'd probably just break everything. Thanks for keeping an eye on my buddy, though. He kind of needs it."

"Keep talking like that, and I'll break something, all right." Katt smiled as well. "And yeah, I noticed. Wait until you hear about what he got himself into. Katt Chaun."

"Bow Dogi." He shook her hand, then added, "Please don't laugh."

"Rand Marks." Rand exchanged a handshake with him. "And there's nothing to laugh about."

"Glad to see we're all on the same page." Bow winced, rubbing his hand. "Come on in, you're just in time for dinner."

"Music to _my_ ears." Katt walked past him into the room, and the others followed. Bow and Niro had been hard at work; they'd cleared all of the debris out, and brought in a newly-carved table and chairs to replace the broken ones that had been in there before. The room was divided into areas for sleeping and eating, and a firepit had been erected, which Niro was currently attending to, cooking a freshly-caught deer.

"New folks, huh?" The old man turned his head towards them. "Nice to meetcha! Niro Mani's the name, bein' the mayor's my game!"

"Mayor, huh?" Katt chuckled. "All right, I'm cool with that. Nice to meet you too, mister mayor!" She shook his hand, then glanced over at Rand, whose eyes had gone as wide as dinner plates. "What's your problem?"

"Niro _Mani_?" Rand sputtered. "Wait, wait, wait. The _architect_?"

"Huh?" Bow blinked, exchanging puzzled glances with Ryu and Katt, who shrugged. "What's this about?"

"Heard of me, huh?" Niro cackled, not at all self-conscious. "Don't worry, kids, it's all in the past now. Legacy of a misspent youth, and all that. I haven't been law-abiding in decades!"

"If you say so, man." Bow gave them all a different sort of look, and they all nodded, Rand a little more slowly than the other two. "Ain't like this is the sort of place where we insist on asking questions, anyways."

"That's for sure." Ryu took a seat. "Looks like you two have been busy."

"You should have seen it _before_ we got here," Bow directed that at Katt and Rand, and the latter raised his hands.

"All right, all right," he said placatingly. "Now that I'm in here, I can tell you've been working on it. I'm just saying, it's gonna need a lot more." He rubbed his chin. "Of course, I can see we'll be _able_ to do a lot more, too. How far were you guys planning on taking this?"

"As far as we can." Niro glanced at him. "You done any construction before, son?"

"Had a nice little job in it lined up, before these two went and spoiled it all for me." Rand thumbed at Ryu and Katt, who rolled their eyes in unison. "Kind of a long story, there."

"And how long were you planning on just hinting around the edges of it before you tell us what's been going on?" Bow asked dryly.

"Five more hours," Ryu replied. "Or as soon as dinner's ready. Your call."

"Start talkin', then," Niro told them. "And grab some meat, 'cause this is about done."

"All right, all right." Ryu gave in. "You two, join in if I get anything wrong. I headed over to Coursair, like we planned..."

The story took several hours to tell, especially when Rand and Katt did start chiming in, leading to several impromptu arguments about the way things went. Niro and Bow seemed to find the entire thing highly amusing, insisting on details at several of the most interesting moments. The amusement faded when they got to Augus, though, and everybody was in a somewhat more somber mood when the story was done.

"Sheesh..." Bow shook his head. "What a mess. And you're sure he wasn't just a monster or something? Maybe some new Clan?"

"Not a chance," Rand told him gravely. "I'm not a follower of St. Eva's teachings, but Mr. Braddoc was right on the money about that. You could _feel_ it, being in the same room with him. Something about him was wrong on every level."

"Glad I wasn't there." Niro whistled. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Well, that lead obviously wasn't what we were looking for," Ryu deadpanned. "So it looks like my next order of business is to head back to Hometown and see about that Magic Guild."

"Talk to Deis," Bow suggested. "She'll help you out."

"That's the idea." Ryu turned to Rand and Katt. "What about you two? Same plan as before?"  
"I sure am," Katt said quickly. "I'm coming. I work better on the road than sticking around one place for too long."

"I'm going to stay here for a while, like I said," Rand said cheerfully. "The possibilities of people looking for us aside, I'm not exactly inconspicuous, so I don't think I'd be able to infiltrate a private academy if my life depended on it." He chuckled. "Besides, I kind of want to get this place whipped into shape now. I won't even charge you for the work I do."

"And _we_ won't charge you for room and board," Bow replied drily. "Sounds like a plan. Listen, talk to Silvia when you're there, too, huh? Tell her I'm still doing okay. When we left the city... well, it could have gone better."

"You think?" Ryu asked sardonically.

"Ooooh, does somebody have a girlfriend?" Katt teased.

"That's it, I'm going for a walk," Bow muttered, heading for the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" She followed him. "Come on, what's she like, huh?"

"Spirited, ain't she?" Niro commented.

"You have no idea." Ryu chuckled. "Ever seen somebody try to chase down a wild duck? For an hour straight?"

"Yeah, that was really something," Rand agreed. "Keep an eye on here, huh? You two watch yourselves out there, now that I won't be around to babysit you."

"Stop." Ryu covered his face. "Just stop. Now. Please."

"Whatever you say, boss." Rand chuckled. "All right, Niro. What are you guys working on at the moment?"

"Figurin' out if we just want to put up a roof, or try for another story or two." Niro glanced upward. "Why don't you come over here and take a look?"

"I'll head out, too, then." Ryu waved. "I'd be about as useful as a rubber plank in this conversation." Walking out, he closed the door behind him, then sat down next to the statue of Ladon. Looking around carefully for Katt, he coughed. "So. Hear all that?"

"I did," Ladon confirmed. "You've had quite the adventure."  
"No kidding." Ryu leaned on his hands, looking up at the stars. "I'd ask you about demons, but... I'm not sure I'd like the answers I'd get."

"Perhaps not," Ladon agreed. "It's somewhat complicated. Perhaps it's best if you discover more by yourself."

"You don't think it's going to end here either, then?" Ryu asked quietly.

"Do you?"

"No," he admitted. "We'll just have to be ready for whatever happens when it does, then."

"A good plan." Ladon seemed to be smiling, despite the statue's frozen visage. "You're a wise young man, Ryu."

"Oh, please." Ryu rolled his eyes. "I'm a realist. That's all." He stood up, then paused. "You, uh... going to be all right out here?"

"I'm not _actually_ a statue, you know," Ladon said dryly. "I'll be fine, Ryu."

"Good." Ryu scratched his head. "Couldn't find a statue in Coursair. I would have stopped by for a chat if I had."

"It's all right," Ladon assured him. "This is more conversation than I've had in the last hundred years. I'm not going to complain."

"Really." Ryu glanced back at him. "I don't suppose the reason we can hear you might have anything to do with what Augus was saying?"

"I don't think you really want me to answer that question, either," Ladon said after a long moment. "Do you?"

"Good point." Ryu shook his head. "And you couldn't tell me even if I wanted you to, right?"

"Your intuition _is_ good," Ladon murmured. "You're correct. There's much going on here that I can't talk about, Ryu. For the moment, though... demons won't find you, unless you find them first. Augus only exposed himself because he was cornered. Granted, he started it, but he was unstable. Most of them are more cautious."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ryu promised. "So, does this mean Rand and Katt could hear your voice, too?"

"I believe they would," Ladon hedged. "Did you want to test it?"

"Nah." Ryu shook his head. "Let them find out for themselves. More fun that way. I'm heading back inside, then. See you around, old man."

"Good luck on your journey," Ladon replied, seeming to stare up at the night sky himself.

Katt and Bow came back soon after, and by mutual agreement, they all turned in then. In the morning, Katt and Ryu set out at dawn, commenting wryly on how the other three seemed content to sleep in. Mt. Fubi was, as it had been on their way in, still relatively peaceful; Ryu and Katt even competed to see who could nail more goblins, the loser having to procure dinner. It put them both in a good mood when they descended the other side, enough that Ryu didn't even complain about losing. The south coast wasn't far away, and Katt was highly appreciative of any fish, even minnows.

"Hey, Ryu," she said once they were done eating.

"Yeah?" He looked over, cautious; all of the cheer had suddenly vanished from her voice, and she was looking at the fire rather than at him, tail twitching idly.

"Do you really have no idea who 'Lord Barubary' would be?" She asked quietly. "It might not be any of my business, but... Augus sounded like he thought you would know."

"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask about that," Ryu admitted. "Rand'll probably ask Bow before long. I never was much good at lying."

"You're better than I am," she told him, making a face. "I'd never have been able to get away with that prank back in Coursair if Rand hadn't done most of the talking. I can follow along if somebody else takes the lead, if it's just a joke or a cover story, but actually doing it myself... I kind of suck at it. If it comes to that, you should probably handle it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ryu said, before closing his eyes. "Anyways, it's like this. When the two of us were kids, when we first met each other... we ran into a demon. Augus wasn't the first one I've ever seen. This guy... he crushed us like you'd swat a fly. It's been ten years since then, and I still haven't figured out why he didn't kill us."

"Was he like Augus?" Katt murmured. "Doing something in a town to get people killed?"

"No, it was in a cave." Ryu shook his head. "And..." He hesitated, remembering the way the demon's third eye had seemed to turn his mind inside out. "Maybe it's just because I was a kid, but I don't think this guy could have ever successfully passed for a human. No matter what shape he was in, something about him would show. Augus wasn't even close. If we ran into him, even now, he'd smear us just as easily."

"So what happened?" Katt asked eventually. "After he swatted you, I mean?"

"Gee, thanks," Ryu snarked, and they both laughed a little, but it sounded forced to both of them. "We woke up in the caves, and he was gone. We never found out anything about him, but... if I had to make a guess, that would be who I'd assume Augus was talking about."

"Does it bother you?" Katt asked after a moment. "Not knowing anything about that, about him... except that he's still out there."

_ More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power... _

"Not really," Ryu lied, as he had to Bow. "It's in the past, you know? More importantly, there's nothing I can do about it right now. Why waste time worrying?"

"Guess so," she agreed, but her face made it clear that she wasn't buying it. "We've all got shit in our past like that, you know? Folks like us. You let it get to you, you wind up dead in a ditch. Just keep moving, right?"

"Right." Ryu gave her a weary smile. "It's starting to get a little scary, how much we've got in common."

"And _that's_ what scares you?" Katt joked. "A friggin' _demon_ that might come back for another party any time doesn't, but common ground with a cute girl does? Think you've got your priorities mixed up there, chief."

"Oh, like you've never scared any of the other boys off before?" Ryu teased her back. "Not everybody takes it in stride when you say you'll break their face if they try going too fast, you know."

"Do I look like the kind of girl who'd go for a wimp?" She pointed out.

"Fair enough." He raised an eyebrow. "So, what does that make me, then?"

"You?" She thought about it for a moment, smile widening. "Interesting, that's what."

"Well, now." Ryu smiled as well. "I kind of like the sound of 'interesting.' Matter of fact, you're pretty interesting yourself."

"Am I, now?" She murmured, sounding like she was actually purring for a moment. "Maybe you should tell me more about that."

"Maybe I should," Ryu agreed, leaning closer, both their eyes fixed on each other. For a moment, there was something else in the air, something between the two of them and only them, completely separate from the rest of the world. And then a hunchback beetle the size of a chair, head and legs protruding from the mass of eggs covering the rest of its body, lunged out of the trees and crashed between the two of them.

"Shit!" Both of them yelled at once, scrambling for their weapons. The fight was short and messy; neither of them was injured, but both were knocked around. It wasn't much fun when the hunchback lurched into the fire, especially since the eggs ignited while leaving the actual monster seemingly unharmed yet enraged. By mutual agreement, they didn't stop at killing it, carving and smashing the corpse up afterward and throwing the pieces away into the bushes.

"Our own fault, really, letting our guard down like that," Ryu muttered when they were done. "Should have known better, out here."

"Yeah," Katt agreed, stomping on a patch of burning gore. "Guess we're lucky it wasn't worse."

"Guess so," Ryu admitted, not bothering to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Well, we know better now."

"Right." She started to say something else, then turned away. "Well, anyways. You want first watch tonight?"

"Sure." Ryu shrugged. "Turning in?"

"Might as well." She stretched and yawned. "Wake me when it's my turn." Lying down, she fell asleep within the minute. Ryu watched her for a few moments more after that, then shook his head and went back to keeping an eye out for any more monsters.

Their collective mood improved, slowly but surely, as they journeyed closer to Hometown, and by the time they came in sight of the city, they were almost as cheerful as they had been starting out. It helped that it was a bright, sunny day when they walked through the gates. Ryu held his breath a little when he passed by the guards, but they waved him through as if nothing was wrong, which meant it probably wasn't.

"Worried?" Katt elbowed him with a small grin.

"Evacuation night was a bit tense," Ryu explained with a shrug. "Looks like it's cooled down since then. So, we basically have two options here. We either head straight to the Ranger's Guild, or I give you the ten-cent tour."

"The day's young," she replied, glancing around. "Dazzle me."

"Sorry, we sold all the dazzle about eight hundred years ago," he said lightly. "We've still got plenty of razzle, though."

"So I see." She glanced over as somebody in an apartment building similar to Ryu's own emptied a trashcan out a third floor window. "Not that I'm complaining, but I heard this place was supposed to be rich and famous, or something."

"You're thinking of the north side," Ryu told her. "Down here's where mugs like us belong." He thought for a moment. "We should probably skip Count Trout's manor on the tour. The town guard might be over that mess by now, but his own hired muscle probably won't be."

"Makes sense," Katt agreed. "We're starting on the rich side of town, then?"

"All of the good taverns are on this side," he explained. "They won't be open for a while yet, you see."

"I like the way you think," she said cheerfully. "All right, then, which way?"

"Over here." He led her through the streets, pausing to yell at a pair of lovebirds. "Get a room, already!"

"Was that one of the attractions?" Katt asked drily.

"Might as well have been." He shook his head. "Those two are practically newsworthy now. Anyways, I'm sure you've noticed the roads here aren't exactly normal."  
"No kidding." She glanced over at a canal. "So what happens when there's a lot of rain?"

"Everybody stays out of those." Ryu shrugged. "You don't _have_ to use those to get around, it's just a pain in the ass to go the long way. There's people in town who get paid to do nothing but predict when the rivers are going to change their course."

"Seriously?" She made a face. "Are they at least right?"

"About half the time." He glanced over to the left. "Anyways, over there's the local Church of St. Eva."

"It's even nicer than the one in Coursair." She noticed. "And that one had Augus paying for it. What's up with that?"

"Count Trout," Ryu explained. "Just one of his and Duke Kilgore's games. Those two have been trying to show each other up since before either of us were born."

"Ah, the amusements of the rich," she said in a ridiculously bad imitation of an upper-class accent, and Ryu laughed.

"Pretty much. I don't feel any pressing need to go in there, do you?"

"Not really." She shrugged. "Hasn't been _that_ long since I visited one."

"My sentiments exactly." He led the way to the east instead. "All righty, then, the next stop on our tour is the world-famous Aurian Magic School. I think it really is world-famous, actually. I don't know much about this stuff, but I've got a friend in there who tells me this place is pretty much the number one for learning magic."

"In other words, ridiculously expensive," Katt added.

"Exactly." Ryu nodded. "There's rumors going around that some royal families actually send their kids here to get educated. Nobody knows who they are, of course."

"Obviously," Katt agreed dryly. "So how're _you_ friends with somebody like-whoa!" Both their heads snapped over to stare as a massive explosion erupted from the front of the school.

"Check it out?" Ryu prompted.

"Hell yes."

"Thought so." They peeked around the corner and immediately noticed the cause of the disturbance. A group of thugs were hastily backing away from the front gate, with good reason; it had been blown off its hinges and now lay on the street, a smoking mass of twisted metal. They all wore green vests and leggings, and had pink scarves wrapped around their heads.

"Somehow, I don't think they're students," Katt whispered. "What's with the weird uniforms?"

"It's familiar, but I can't place it," Ryu murmured. "They're not local talent, though, I know that much."

"Hey!" One of them yelled. "What's the big idea?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," a female voice said from out of their line of sight, her voice light and dripping with sarcasm. "Are you hurt?"

"You little..." One particularly stupid-looking goon growled. "You nearly kill us, then you ask if we're _hurt?_"

"Shaddup, Kodamo," the first one snapped, eyes straight ahead, probably on the unseen woman. "You think you're real funny, don't you?"

"No, I didn't mean it," she replied, sarcasm still as broad as a barn. "But when you gentlemen got so insistent, I just lost my temper. Can you ever forgive me?"

"That's it!" Kodamo bellowed. "I'm gonna-"

"I _said_ shut up, Kodamo!" The apparent leader yelled, then paused, taking a moment to compose himself. When he spoke again, his tone was persuasive. "Look, Nina. These tricks are cute and all. But our boss isn't the kind of guy who gives up easily. We can't just go back to him and tell him you ran us off, or else this is gonna get a lot uglier, for all of us." He signaled his men, and they walked forward, towards the school and the woman. "So why not make it easy on yourself, and come along like a good girl-_yow!_"

It was the same lightning spell that Rand and Ray had cast on Augus, but the difference in talent was clear. The bolts were much more precise, dancing between the thugs almost playfully, coming within inches of their faces before darting to the side. Swearing sulfurously, they backed up, and the lightning followed them, pushing them back out into the street.

"This isn't funny any more," Nina said, steel in her voice now. "I don't take kindly to threats, boys. Come back here again, and I'm not going to be in the mood to let you off with just a warning. And that goes double for your boss!"

"This is bad..." Another goon whined. "What should we do, Bill?"

"Grr..." The leader waited a moment, then turned away dramatically. "Fine! But we warned you! We'll be back!"

"Just make sure you bring a doctor with you!" Nina called mockingly behind them, and a door slammed shut.

"Well, well, well," Ryu murmured. "Wasn't _that_ interesting."

"No kidding," Katt agreed as they pulled their heads back around the corner. "Does that sort of thing happen around here a lot?"

"Not even close." He shook his head. "Especially not in the Magic Guild. You _really_ don't want to mess with some of the professors that teach there. Whoever those guys were, they were stupid... but that's not all there was to it."

"You picked up on that too, huh?" Katt agreed. "That last line of theirs didn't sound like a bluff. They might actually have some leverage on that girl, whoever she is."

"This might complicate things." Ryu glanced back at the missing gate. "I'm sure you can imagine what security around this place is like. I don't know how my buddy keeps managing to sneak out. We wouldn't have been able to get in easily even without this happening. Sorry, but I think we'd better head right over to the Guild Office after all. We need to get some kind of a plan going, and pronto."

"Got a point, there," Katt agreed, and they turned away, walking down another street. "Man, did you see that spell, though? Whoever that was, she's got talent!"  
"No kidding," Ryu agreed. "Made Rand's and Ray's look like amateur work by comparison. I guess a paladin would be more trained in white magic than black, but still, showing one of them up ain't exactly easy."

"I know, right?" She shook her head. "Makes me wish I wasn't such a meathead. Otherwise, I'd try and pick up a few tricks while we were in there. I've got about as much magical talent as a block of wood."

"Oak or birch?" Ryu joked.

"Palm," she said, playing along.

"That _is_ bad." He chuckled. "I'm not much better, though. I can do a shitty bottom-level healing spell, and some time magic that's supposedly inherent in the blood or something like that. That's about it."

"That's about it, he says," she repeated mockingly. "I know jack and shit about magic and that's jackshit, but even I know how hard time magic is supposed to be."

"_Useful_ time magic," Ryu clarified. "I can teleport myself about twelve hours into the future. That's it."

"Oh." She frowned. "Well... maybe if you had to kill some time?"

"I'd rather use it at a bar." He inclined his head towards the Office. "Over here. It's around the back. The people we need to talk with should be in by now. Hey, Silvia!"

"Ryu!" Silvia exclaimed from behind her desk as they walked in. "You're back! How did it... go..." She trailed off as she examined Katt, seeming to pay particular attention to the fighting girl's clothing, or lack thereof. "Who's this?"

"Katt Chaun," Ryu introduced her. "Friend of mine up in Coursair. Came down with me to help out with the hunt. Katt, this is Silvia Stein."

"So you're Silvia, huh?" Katt held out her hand cheerfully. "Bow said to tell you he's doing fine!"

"He did, did he?" Silvia murmured in a dangerous tone, not taking the handshake.

"Hey, hey," Katt replied coolly, hand still in the air. "We going to have a problem here, sweetheart?"

"Katt, play nice." Ryu put a hand on her shoulder. "You could have phrased that better, you know."

"Huh?" Katt blinked. A moment later, her eyes widened. "Oh! No, no, I didn't mean it like that!" She held her hands up. "Sorry, sorry! We just stopped by the hideout on our way back from Coursair, and he made me promise I'd tell you he was okay, that's all! Three times, even!" She grinned, rapping on Ryu's head lightly with a knuckle. "He said if he asked this bozo, he'd forget about it before he was a day out."

"Hey," Ryu growled.

"I see," Silvia murmured, a smile coming to her lips as she looked from one of them to the other. "That _is_ true. He'd forget his own name, if nobody was there to remind him. It's nice to meet you too, Katt." She held her hand out, and Katt shook it briskly.

"Is _that_ why he was using the wrong one the first time he met me?" Katt laughed. "This explains a lot. I'll have to remember not to let him out without somebody holding the leash from now on."

"It might be a good idea," Silvia agreed.

"Are you two done?" Ryu asked crankily. "We've got a meeting we should really be having in Elder Allen's office. Is he in?"

"Yes, I ah, am," Elder Allen called out as the door opened. "Come inside, ah, all of you." He waited until they were all inside, then sat behind his desk. "Now, then. I take it that the lead in Coursair wasn't, ah, accurate?"

"Speaking on fairly good authority, I'm pretty sure I didn't do it, sir," Katt joked.

"You were the fighter he went to check out?" Silvia asked, surprised. "Is that why you're dressed so..." She left it hanging.

"Nah, that's a Clan thing." Katt shrugged it off. "All this fur might look good, but if I wear too much over it, I overheat in no time. Especially since it's summer." She waved a hand in front of her. "This place seems a bit hotter than Coursair was, too. You should see Woren males. Most of them wear even less."

"If we might get back on topic?" Elder Allen suggested mildly as Silvia blushed. "What exactly happened up there, then? Details, my boy, details."

"All right, but you might not like them," Ryu said grimly. As Silvia and Elder Allen listened, their faces growing more and more shocked, he recounted the story one more time, Katt adding occasional details. When he was done, Silvia was staring at a wall, and Elder Allen had his head in his hands.

"You're very lucky, Ryu, make no mistake about that," the old man said, his voice shaking. "If I didn't know you for an honest man, I never would have believed such a story. Demons!"

"Ray said he was going to investigate the matter further," Katt told him gravely. "He said that if he found anything we should know, he'd forward it here."

"I'll keep my eyes open in case anything comes my way, then," Elder Allen promised. With a great deal of effort, he controlled himself and raised his head. "Now then. For better or for worse, that case is closed, so let's move on to the next one. There's still the matter of the magic school to look into, and we've found another lead on top of that."

"You have?" Ryu smiled. "Great! What is it?"

"There's been a rash of burglaries in small villages in Tantar recently," Silvia explained, forcing herself to look back at them. "The pattern seemed to be heading for the Wing Clan border, but it petered off somewhere around there. That's only natural; it's best to be cautious when crossing from one country to another. We're currently looking into if the string continues on the other side. It's not much, but it's all we've got so far."

"It's something to look into if this one doesn't work out either," Ryu acknowledged. "Still, let's work on the magic school first. It's a lot closer at hand, for one thing."

"We've been in touch with Deis," Elder Allen explained. "She's not, ah, a Ranger, but she's, ah, always been friendly to the Guild, and she's ah, agreed to help us out. If we can find a way to get you inside the Guild, she'll provide you with disguises and help you locate the girl."

"Think she'd be willing to fork over the disguises _before_ we got inside?" Ryu asked, thinking quickly.

"Probably," Silvia agreed, looking confused. "What would be the point, though? You'd still have to get in."

"There was a little scuffle out front," Katt explained. "Right before we came here. The front gates are completely wrecked. It'll take 'em a few days to fix 'em up. If we just walked in looking like this, we wouldn't make it ten feet, but..."

"With the uniforms, and Deis' company, you should be, ah, able to slip in undetected." Elder Allen nodded. "Excellent idea." He paused. "What kind of scuffle?"

"Some thugs were trying to talk a student into going for a walk with them," Ryu said shortly. "She persuaded them to drop the idea. Didn't look like they were keen on keeping it dropped for long, though. We didn't see who it was, but her name was Nina. Ring any bells?"

"I don't recall Deis ever giving us, ah, any information on a, ah, student by that name," Elder Allen shook his head, and Silvia did the same. "We'll look into it, however. Local muscle?"

"Didn't look like it." Katt made a face. "They were all wearing the same shit. Green, with pink scarves around their heads."

"The Joker Gang?" Silvia's eyes widened. "They're moving in down here?"

"That's who it was!" Ryu pounded a fist on his palm. "I knew I recognized those outfits, but I couldn't think of where from. The Jokers... that's not good. They're supposed to be based around western Tantar."

"I hadn't heard that they were expanding," Elder Allen murmured. "Perhaps the rumors of Count Trout's involvement in organized crime, ah, are more than simple speculation."

"Not just him," Katt growled. "Word on the street in Coursair was that Augus was paying them off, too. With both of them shelling out cash, they could have enough to start expanding their operations, all right."

"I'll put our best men on this right, ah, away," Elder Allen decided, eyes dark. "If those clowns think they'll be, ah, able to simply march in, ah, and start fooling ah, around in _my_ town, they'll be learning, ah, an entirely different lesson than the ones they teach, ah, at the Magic School. Thank you for bringing this to me."

"We're with you there." Ryu stood up. "You'll get a message to Deis? She might be in the bars tonight, but I don't want to bet the farm on that."

"I'll start composing it right away," Silvia promised. "I'm sure she'll agree to this plan."

"A, ah, simple visual identification should be enough for now," Elder Allen told them. "Find out if this girl is the one, but take no further, ah, action. If it's her, we'll be, ah, able to ah, arrange for her capture."

"And if it's not, we're off to Windia." Katt nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"We'll get out of your hair, then." Ryu opened the door. "Thanks again, both of you."

"Stay in touch," Silvia told him. "And good luck."

"Nice girl," Katt said once they were back on the streets. "Her and Bow, huh?"

"She's playing hard to get, but she's got it just as bad for him as he does for her," Ryu agreed. "It's for the best. Knowing Bow, if she'd made it too easy, he might have lost interest. Now, though, he's hooked. Won't be too long after we clear his name that she lands him."

"Gee, aren't we cynical today?" Katt teased.

"You disagreeing?" He asked archly.

"Nah, sounds about right." She shrugged. "He'll probably enjoy it, too. Anyways!" She rubbed her hands together. "I believe we've got a tour to get back to, yeah? Including some of the local bars?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely..." He inclined his head and did his best "snooty noble" voice. "Shall we, milady?"

"Oh, by all means, good sir," she said in the same tone, then laughed.

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly, as Ryu gave her the ten-zenny tour of the mansions of the rich and famous, followed by the recommended tavern crawl, which they both found vastly more interesting. By the time they made their way back to Ryu's apartment, they'd both had several drinks, and were helping each other stay upright.

"Hey, hey," Katt said as they slipped in through the back door. "You do have more than one bed, right? I ain't that kind of girl."

"What do you take me for?" Ryu told her. "You can use Bow's. He ain't, right now. Sheets are clean and everything."

"Classy, aren't ya?" She started to knuckle his hair, then froze as a door opened and Martha glanced out. "Crap."

"Evening, Martha," Ryu said slowly. "This, uh, this isn't what it looks like."

"I know." She nodded calmly. "Silvia's already told me. I'd offer you a separate room for the night, young lady, but we're full up."

"That's all right, this guy's okay." Katt thumbed at Ryu. "Been sleeping on the road for a couple weeks now and he hasn't tried anything."

"Well, aren't you a gentleman, Ryu." Martha glanced at him. "All right, I'll allow it. But only for a couple nights, mind? I know better, but I don't want anybody who sees to get the wrong idea about this place."

"We won't be staying long," Ryu promised. "How much rent do I owe you?"

"Don't you worry about that." Martha shook her head. "Duke Kilgore came by, and said he'd cover it for as long as you were working for him. I don't know all the details there, and I don't _want_ to know." She hesitated. "Silvia told me the news about how Bow's doing, too. Give that boy my best, you hear? Tell him there's a lot of folk here who know he ain't guilty. We're all waiting for him to clear his name."

"That's what we're working on," Katt told her. "We'll find the real crook, ma'am. Count on it."

"I intend to." She smiled. "Have a nice night, hear?" With that, she closed her door again.

"Phew." Ryu exhaled. "That could have gone a lot worse."

"No kidding," Katt agreed. "Let's get some sleep, huh?"

"Yeah, okay." He led the way up to their room, not bothering to light the candle. "It ain't much, but it's home, for now." He paused thoughtfully. "You know, if we're moving into those ruins permanently, maybe I should haul all our stuff down there."

"Later," Katt advised. "We're busy right now. Besides, if Kilgore's paying the rent, you've got pretty much free lodging here. Don't go throwing that away too quick." She glanced drunkenly down at Bow's bed. "This one mine?"

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "Good thinking."

"I ain't just a pretty face, you know." Yawning, she moved like lightning and gave Ryu a quick hug. Her skin was softer than he'd expected, but he could still feel the strength in her arms as well; her seemingly slim muscles were like steel cables. It was a surprisingly delicate embrace, one he knew that was not out of choice but of necessity, and it told him more about the violent girl with the deliberately cheerful smile than any words ever could. "Night, Ryu." Before his brain could work out a response to that, she'd leaped into Bow's bed and was out like a light. Shaking his head, he climbed into his own bed and was soon asleep as well.

His usual nightmares of the single golden eye and the deep, subtle voice inside his mind were rudely interrupted the next morning by a loud banging on the door. Growling, he attempted to ignore it, but that just made it grow even louder.

"All right, Ryu, we can do this two ways," Deis shouted from the other side eventually. "The easy way is, you open this door. I don't think I have to tell you what the hard way is. Sixty seconds to decide!"

"Who the _hell_?" Katt asked groggily, raising her head from the pillow, then clutching it. "Oww..."

"Our way in, unfortunately," Ryu muttered, flopping out of bed. "I'd better get it."

"What's the hard way?" She asked, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and sitting up. "Knocking it down?"

"I wish." Ryu shook his head. "Fireball."

"Oh." She thought about that for a moment. "Might wanna hurry up."

"Yeah, yeah." Unlocking the door, he opened it and glared at Deis. "All right, what time of the morning do you call this?"

"Prime time to sneak in," she replied, throwing a bundle of clothing at him. "Security's lowest from six to eight, especially in the halls. If you want minimum risk, now's the time for it."

"Oh. Great." Ryu examined his present. "Uniforms?"

"Yup." She peered over his shoulder. "Good thing for you Silvia told me you were bringing a sidekick along. Hope it fits."

"Okay, you're forgiven." Ryu threw Katt's uniform at her, and she caught it with one hand, still holding her head with the other.

"Says you," she growled. "My _head_."

"I've got something that'll help you with that, once you're dressed," Deis offered. "Tastes like you're drinking out of a cesspool, but it works."

"Changed my mind." She smiled weakly. "You're okay in my book. Well?" This was directed at Ryu, along with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, what?" He replied, then paused. "Oh. Right. You can go first." Stepping out, he closed the door behind him.

"Real smooth," Deis said.

"Shut up," he told her flatly.

"I was _going_ to ask just what your relationship with her was, but that answers that." She smirked. "For now, anyways."

"You're in a good mood," he said sourly. "What happened?"

"Duh." She made a rude noise. "The gate's down. Makes it even easier than normal to sneak out of there. You had good timing; it'd be a pain in the ass to get you two over the wall."

"I've done worse," Katt said, opening the door in time to hear the last part of that sentence. Compared to her usual outfit, the fancy, dark orange uniform was an odd look on her, especially since the skirt completely concealed her tail. "All right, I feel like an idiot, but we do what we gotta."

"Not bad," Ryu joked, then ducked under her punch and went in the room, chuckling. The male uniform had leggings instead of a skirt, but otherwise it was more or less identical. Once he'd changed, he came back out to find Katt leaning against a wall, face pale, while Deis slipped a tiny silver bottle back up her sleeve.

"That's _awful_," Katt moaned.

"Give it a few minutes," Ryu told her. "If you're that bad off, it really does work."

"You remember," Deis noted. "Care for a hit yourself?"

"No thanks." He shuddered. "Last time I had some of that, I could still taste it a week later. I didn't have as much to drink as she did."

"Lies," Katt said, eyeing him. "Wow. You look even more ridiculous in that than I do."

"That's pretty impressive, then," he retorted. "Just don't punch out any of the actual students, okay?"

"We can talk about it more on the way there." Deis shook her head. "Come on, the sooner we get in there, the fewer people will be up to notice just how out of place you two are." She led the way down the stairs, and the other two followed her. "So, what's the story, here? How'd you two meet up?"

"Oh, you know how it goes." Ryu shrugged, giving Katt a look as they left the building. Deis was a friend, but friends didn't get friends involved in bad business if they didn't have to. "Got in a fight, got in another on the same side, had to get out of town in a hurry, decided to stick together for a while. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"That so?" Deis looked skeptical. "And I don't suppose you could possibly be that infamous fighter a friend of mine who just came back from Coursair told me about?"

"Not any more, I ain't," Katt answered easily. "Especially not if the authorities come asking about the manager who tried to get me killed. Just between you and me, though, it's not a bad gig as long as nothing like that happens."

"Don't think it would be my thing, but you never know," Deis said lightly. "I'll keep it in mind, just in case."

"How about you?" Katt glanced between them, a smirk playing about her lips. "Seems like you two've known each other for a while. Just friends, or...?"

"You didn't tell her about our romantic evening at the circus the night Bow was framed?" Deis feigned shock. "Ryu!"

"You're hilarious," Ryu lied with a straight face. "It was a setup. Bow and Silvia. I'm pretty sure I'm not her type, and I'm definitely not crazy enough to try and find out."

"Don't be too sure," she said, voice low and sultry.

"Stall her," Ryu told Katt. "I'm gonna run for it. I _saw_ what she did to the last guy she talked like that to."

"What'd _he_ do?" Katt asked, laughing.

"Grabbed something he really shouldn't have." Deis shrugged, reverting to normal. "He regretted it."

"Oh." Katt thought about that for a moment. "Good."

"All right, we're here." Deis lowered her voice as they rounded the corner. "Keep quiet until we're inside, and act casual. Try to look like you belong here. Pretend you just won a scholarship." They proceeded through where the gate had been, past a couple of town guardsmen who didn't even look up. The staff member reading a book by the door gave them was more alert, giving them a quick glance, but he returned to his reading without any reaction.

"We clear?" Katt whispered once they were past. The hall was tall and wide, with tiled floor and paneled walls, paintings and statues all over the place. There were no windows, but dozens of doors on both sides, most of them closed. At the end of the hall, a double staircase spiraled upward. Students walked back and forth, chatting idly with each other, one or two teachers watching them for any signs of trouble.

"For the moment," Deis replied. "Let's try not to do anything stupid to ruin that. What's this thief look like, anyways?"

"Silvia didn't tell you?" Ryu asked quietly. "A girl with black wings."

"Wait, what?" Deis stopped dead in her tracks. "Like a Windian?"

"I didn't get that good a look at her," Ryu explained. "But do you know of any other Clan with wings?"

"No, I don't," Deis agreed, looking troubled. "None that are still around these days, at any rate. Shit! This isn't good."

"Why not?" Katt asked, baffled. "Black wings aren't exactly common, are they?"

"No, they're not." She shook her head. "That's the problem. There's several Wing Clanswomen here, but only one of them has black wings. My roommate, Nina."

"Wait, Nina?" Ryu blurted out, then winced as several heads turned to look at them, and lowered his voice. "The same one who busted the gate?"

"Yeah." Deis' frown deepened. "You heard about that, huh?"

"Saw it happen, but didn't see her," Katt explained, eyes narrowed. "This isn't looking good, people. The Jokers were trying to talk her into coming with them. If all they wanted was a good black mage, there are far easier ways to recruit one. They wanted her specifically. If she was a talented burglar on top of that..."

"I just can't see it," Deis argued. "She's the last person in the world I'd expect to be a thief. Not because she's all that law-abiding or anything, but it just doesn't seem like something that'd interest her. She'd be bored within a week."

"Sometimes those are the ones you have to watch out for," Ryu told her. "Anyways, there's an easy way to settle this. I'll be able to tell if it's her or not if I can get a good look at her. Where would she be right now?"

"She's up in the headmaster's office," Deis answered. "Probably about that gate... crap, Professor Diaz! I'm supposed to be in his class right now!" Another teacher was descending the stairs, looking around sternly. "He hasn't seen me. Quick, into a classroom!" She hurried through the door on her right, and the other two followed.

"We won't get caught?" Katt whispered. The classroom was packed; even in the back, they were jostled by the crowd of students, a few of which turned to glare at them but had no other reaction aside from that. The old man at the head of the classroom was droning on endlessly about "evolutionary magical traits," whatever the hell _that_ meant, and showed no signs of noticing the intruders.

"Nah, this is Professor Ent," Deis muttered back. "He wouldn't notice if a brawl broke out in here. We'll hide for a few minutes, hope he doesn't call on either of you for anything, then head back out. Yoji's office is on the second floor."

"Sounds like a plan," Ryu replied.

"You!" The Professor called out suddenly. "Yes, you, the young lady in the back with the red hair! Define 'Breath' in the magical sense!"

"Shit," Deis growled.

"Uh..." Katt looked absolutely blank for a moment, then rallied. "Breath... is a power that comes with whatever Clan you are. Each Clan has a different kind; humans don't have any, but they're the only ones Clans can, uh, breed with without sacrificing their Breath. Some are more obvious than others, like... the ones that let you transform into something else. Like the Breath of Water, for the Maniro Clan. They can turn into giant fish. Then there's the Breath of Air, for the Wing Clan, but they don't have that any more. And if we're talking about ones that aren't around any more, there's the Dragon Clan, and the Breath Of Fire."

"Not exactly ideal terminology, but accurate nonetheless, so far," the Professor commented as everybody watched her. "Continue."

"Others aren't so obvious," Katt went on, starting to sweat. "The Forest Clan's a pretty good example of that. The Breath Of Wood. Lets them pass through trees and plants like they were in... in... not there. And they can bring other people with them. The Builder Clan's even worse; the Breath of Metal. They can work with, shape it, and, well, build things with it twice as good as anybody else. Then there's the Woren Clan. Breath of Spirit. Increased strength, speed and agility."

"Correct, although you might want to work on your linguistics," the professor suggested. "The word you were looking for was 'intangible,' by the way." His eyes glittered. "Now then, unless I'm mistaken, you happen to be of the Woren Clan yourself, are you not? Would you please give the class a demonstration of the Breath Of Spirit?"

"Uh, sure." Katt looked around for a moment, then saw that one of the actual students was holding a metal ruler. "Can I borrow this for a second? Thanks." Taking it from him, she effortlessly bent it into something resembling a pretzel, and the class murmured in appreciation. Reverting it to its former state, she tossed it into the air and caught it behind her head, then spun it on one finger. "It's not exactly fancy, but if you're creative with it, you can do a lot more than just smash things like most people would think. Thanks." She handed it back to the student.

"Very good," the professor complimented her. "Now then, class. It was a thousand years ago that the first exception to the global laws preventing Clans from interbreeding, in order to protect their Breath, was passed. The first, and the last..."

"Come on," Deis hissed. "Nobody's paying any attention to us any more." It was true; the professor's mind was lost in his lecture again, and all the students were watching him. They slipped back out the door easily, and proceeded to the stairs, as she gave Katt a look. "Was _that_ your idea of keeping inconspicuous? _Ladon._"

"What was I supposed to do?" Katt snapped. "Just go, 'duh, buh, guh?' I did the best I could, okay?"

"Not the time, girls." Ryu pointed out. "Let's just keep going, huh? Which way to the office?" This was directed at Deis as they climbed the stairs.

"Take a left." She shook her head. "I'm just saying, now we're on a time limit. Soon as that class ends, everybody in there's gonna start looking for you."

"We weren't planning on taking long anyways, right?" Katt shrugged it off. "Which door is it?"

"Last one." Deis led them down the hall. "Keep your voices down. We don't want old man Yoji to hear us." The door was slightly ajar; they lined up, heads in a vertical line, to peek in.

"-enough beating around the bush." The old man behind the desk was saying. He was bent and stooped with age, the few wispy traces of his hair as white as his long beard, but his eyes were still keen. "We're both aware of the real reason I called you in here today. Do you have an explanation for your actions?"

"I'm sorry, Headmaster," the girl standing before the desk murmured. "I shouldn't have lost my temper and used magic." She was pale and petite, though not as short as Katt, and her hair was golden, short in front and long in the back. Her wings were large, their feathers a deep purple-black, and they draped her dramatically, unmoving. She was turned partially away from the desk, allowing them to see her face; it was pale and delicate, her green eyes full of a strange, obscure sort of pain.

She was the most beautiful girl Ryu had ever seen.

"Well?" Katt whispered. "Is she the thief?"

"No," Ryu managed to murmur back, eyes still locked on the girl. "No, that's not her. That's not what she looked like at all."

"Shit," Deis muttered again.

"Your family has already been notified," Yoji told her. "I'm sure they'll agree to pay for the damage to the school property. What concerns me is not that, but the events that caused it. These... Joker fellows. They've been bothering you more than once recently, haven't you?"

"They're nothing to worry about," Nina said, voice turning cold. "Just a group of gutter leavings and barroom flotsam. The kind of garbage that infests alleyways everywhere. If they persist in causing trouble, I'll ask you for a few days off to deal with the problem permanently, and that should settle it."

"Girl has opinions, doesn't she?" Katt muttered.

"She's not as bad as it looks," Deis whispered back. "She's just in a bad mood right now."  
"Nina, it's not that simple." The Headmaster closed his eyes. "But before we get into that..." His eyelids shot open again suddenly. "Perhaps we should ask those people outside the door what they want."

"Run for it," Katt advised Deis quietly. "This isn't your problem. No sense in getting in trouble for it."

"Don't have to tell me twice." She was already backing away quickly. "Good luck, guys."

"Thanks." Ryu opened the door once she was out of eyesight from the room. "Sorry to intrude, sir. We're here on Ranger business, but we saw that you were busy with something, and didn't want to interrupt." He pulled out his badge and showed it to them.

"That seems to be in order, yes." Yoji murmured. "Nina? Is something amiss?" She'd had much the same reaction Ryu had upon seeing her, and was now staring at him, eyes wide.

"No." She recovered quickly, her placid expression returning. "Well then, mister and miss Ranger. How can we help you?"

"We were coming to ask about that thing with the Jokers the other day," Ryu lied smoothly, despite his dislike for the practice; he knew that Katt had been honest about being even worse than he was. "They're a pretty big gang in Tantar, and we've got some info that they're trying to expand into this country as well. We'd like to cut that off right here and now, if we can. A toad sticks its head too far out of the hole, chopping it off's the only thing to do, you know?"

"Indeed." A faint smile played around Nina's lips. "I like the way the two of you think."

"Thanks!" Katt grinned. "We kind of like it ourselves."

"So, yeah," Ryu continued, trying to sound convincing. "Elder Allen sent us over to see if there was any information you could share with us, considering."

"The more of that we get, the sooner we can track 'em down and bust some heads," Katt added, cracking her knuckles.

"Unfortunately, I..." The Headmaster started to say, then paused, eyes narrowing. "Well, well. _Quite_ a day for unexpected visitors."

"We're having a real party in here, aren't we?" The thug leaning in a corner of the room replied sardonically. It was the leader of the Jokers who'd been bothering Nina the other day, the one named Bill, and he was flipping a knife in the air and catching it as he talked. "Nice day, ain't it, ladies and gents?"

"Pretty slick," Nina said tightly as they all glared at him. "You've been there for some time without us noticing, haven't you? Perhaps I've been underestimating you gentlemen." She smiled coldly, raising a hand. "I'd better stop doing that, then."

"I wouldn't do _that_, if I were you." Bill said, unconcerned. "See, I went and got word to my boss that the pretty girl he wanted to meet so much wasn't interested, and he got _real_ disappointed. So much, that when he saw _another_ pretty girl passing by, he invited _her_ in for a visit instead. Strange thing is, she's a lot like you, Nina. Could be your little sister, by the looks of her. Even her name sounds the same. Funny old world, ain't it?"

"Hey," Katt growled, seeing Nina's face turn white. "What's this asshole talking about? I don't get it."

"Mina..." Nina whispered. "You wouldn't. You _couldn't._"

"Sure about that?" The thug produced a handful of long, dark blue hair. "Your call. This look familiar?"

"Wait a second here..." Ryu muttered, eyes widening, as he looked from the clump of hair to Nina and back again. "You're not..."

"Let her _go!_" Nina snarled suddenly, eyes blazing. "Or you'll scream for _weeks_ before you die, I promise you!"

"Hey, hey, don't go burning the messager." The goon raised his hands, still smirking. "I ain't the one who's got her. She's back at Mt. Rocko, with the rest of the boys. They're treatin' her nice and everything. Just like a princess, heh heh. At least, for now. Who knows what'll happen if the boss gets any more upset?"

"Why, I'm gonna-" Katt started to yell.

"Easy." Ryu caught her arm. "He's right. We do anything to him, Mina pays for it. He's got everybody here over a barrel right now."

"It seems that way, yes." Nina had collected herself, and her face was blank, though her eyes still glittered with cold fury. "Very well, sir. It seems I'll be accepting your invitation after all. Shall we go?"

"That's what I like to hear!" The thug laughed. "Come on, let's go, huh? Sooner we get back to Mt. Rocko, sooner you get to see your sister head back home again!" The two of them walked out, as Ryu and Katt watched, seething and helpless.

"This is a very bad situation," Yoji murmured.

"No kidding." Ryu turned back to him. "Sir, I'm going to ask for your honesty. In return, we'll both swear not to speak of this outside of this room, even to Elder Allen, without permission." He gave the old man a direct look. "Miss Nina back there... should we have been calling her 'your highness' all this time?"

"_Huh?_" Katt stared at him. "What the hell is going on here?"

"You..." Yoji was boggling as well. "How did you know _that_?"

"I've done work for Princess Mina of Windia before." Ryu explained. "It might be a common name, but that hair is a different story. If Nina's her sister, that makes her _Princess_ Nina, now doesn't it? And _that's_ why the Jokers are so determined to recruit her. If they've got her, they can threaten her family and expand into Windia as well."

"I'm afraid not." Yoji shook his head sadly. "I can't share the details, but... Nina has lived here at the Magic Guild for nearly a decade now, and 'Princess Nina' is believed to have died when she left the country. If the Jokers try and contact her family, they'll disavow knowledge of her existence, and when they do..."

"_That_ does it!" Katt yelled. "I'm going to go run those assholes down and feed them their own skulls!"

"Like the Headmaster said, it's not that easy." Ryu shot her a glance. "This is a private matter, and we're not the guard. We have no reason to get involved. Unless..."

"Ah." Yoji smiled briefly. "You've worked for Princess Mina before, you say. I take it that means you're both more experienced than your years would suggest?"

"You might have heard about an incident in Coursair recently," Ryu told him bluntly. "We were the ones who handled that, on behalf of an employer who requested anonymity."

"Really?" The old man blinked. "I hadn't heard the Guild was involved in that at all." He hesitated. "Elder Allen will confirm that statement?"

"I've worked for him for a long time now." Ryu nodded. "He'll back me up."

"Very well then." Yoji steepled his hands. "The Magic School of Auria would like to hire you two for a job under the table. Specifically, we'd like you to find a missing student of ours. Should any criminals attempt to interfere with that mission, of course, it's only expected that you would... deal with them accordingly."

"We can do that," Katt said, slowly smiling. "We're _real_ good at 'accordingly.'"

"Agreed, sir." Ryu nodded. "And since this is a bit of an unusual situation, we'll even leave the discussion of the payment until after we come back."

"Would two thousand zenny suffice?" The Headmaster offered coolly.

"Uh." Ryu blanked out for a moment, and Katt did the same. "Yeah. Yeah, that should be just fine." He turned around quickly. "Well then! No time to waste, huh? Bit of a trip to Mt. Rocko. Let's get going!"

"Yeah!" Katt agreed, following him out. "Uh, have a nice day, sir!" She closed the door behind her, and the two of them hurried down the hall. "Come on, let's get back and change out of these monkey suits so we can get going."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Ryu shook his head as they quickly walked down the stairs. "We'd better get out of here before somebody starts asking questions, now that we don't have our guide any more."

"It's for the best," Katt pointed out. "I don't think that offer would have gone so well if she'd wanted to tag along. And she probably would have, after seeing that happen to her roommate."

"Probably," Ryu agreed. "Can you _believe_ the price we got on that?"

"It _is_ nice, isn't it?" Katt agreed as they left the school. "Especially since we were kind of offering to just do it." She gave him a look. "For a moment there, I thought you were gonna try and negotiate for the price _before_ we took the job."

"Like you do charity work often?" Ryu retorted, then shook his head. "Normally I would have, yeah. But this is pissing me off too." That wasn't all there was to it; for some reason, he couldn't get Nina's face out of his head. This didn't seem like it would be the best thing to mention to Katt, though, for a number of reasons.

"Guess that makes enough sense," she admitted. "It's this way back to your place, yeah?"

"Right," he agreed, following her. "You've got a quick memory for streets."

"You kind of have to, in our line of work," she pointed out.

"True," he said, dodging a runaway cart. "Think we should get in touch with Bow and Niro about this?"

"Do we have any way to do that that won't involve actually going there?" She asked as they reached Ryu's apartment building. "In here, right? We don't really have time to make a detour to see them in person. I don't think we want to leave Nina with those shitheads for long."

"Yeah, and yeah," he conceded, following her upstairs. "All right, we'll just have to fill them in once this is all done with."

"That's the way it goes sometimes." She turned to give him a smirk as they reached his room. "My turn first again. I like you, but not _that_ much. Yet."

"Yet, huh?" He bantered, leaning against the wall as she closed the door.

"Don't get too excited," she told him a few minutes later, coming back out. "We've got business to work on right now. Your turn."

"Yeah, yeah," Ryu said as he went in. Changing quickly, he came back out and they took the stairs back down. "Man, it seems like I never come back here any more without shipping out the next day."

"Life on the road," Katt reminded him cheerfully. As they walked outside, however, her smile turned to a scowl as she saw the south gate. A cart collision had apparently taken place, and the entire passageway was blockaded. The screaming Maniros all over the place weren't helping. "Dammit, we ain't getting out through _there_."

"It's fine," Ryu told her. "We'll just take the east gate." He led her to the alley, then paused, remembering the statue of Ladon there. After a moment, he kept going, hoping the old man would keep quiet. "See? Right this way."

"Cool." Katt turned her head to glance at the statue. "Hey, Ladon. Sorry, can't really talk right now. Got some assholes to run down."

"That will happen on occasion," the statue replied. "Give them one for me, hm?"

"Can do." Katt grinned at Ryu, who was staring at them both. "Well?"

"Okay, you got me," he eventually admitted. "Very funny, har har har."

"Thought you'd like it." She reached over and ruffled his hair. "Now come on! Keep up with me all day, and maybe I'll even tell you how I found out!" Before he could respond, she dashed away down the alley.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ryu yelled cheerfully. "Get back here, missy!"

"Make me!" She laughed, and they both ran out of the city and into the woods as the noon sun continued to rise.

_CALL HER YOUR PRISSTINA _


	7. Chapter 6: The Den Of Thieves

_**Chapter 6: The Den Of Thieves**_

"All right, their hideout is in the south side of Mt. Rocko, over there," Ryu told Katt as they made camp for the night. They'd made their way back into Tantar without much fuss; the border between the two countries wasn't defended, which had probably helped. The further they went into eastern Tantar, the less well-kept the roads had grown, until they finally petered out entirely. "It's just a couple of hours away, so we should get there some time next morning."

"Doesn't that mean that asshole and Nina are already there?" Katt asked, narrowing her eyes. "They're ahead of us, right?"

"I doubt it." Ryu shook his head. "They got a head start, but we're better at this than they are. Once we left the road, we probably started gaining ground on them. My guess is they're somewhere out here close to us, actually. They'll probably head in tomorrow, same as we will."

"Huh." Katt scowled. "Shame about Mina. Otherwise we could just go find them and bust that jerk's head right now."

"If it wasn't for Mina, she wouldn't have come in the first place," Ryu pointed out. "And we wouldn't be in this situation at all."

"Yeah, yeah." She glanced around. "Whose turn is it for dinner tonight?"

"Yours," Ryu said promptly. "I got dinner last night."

"But there's a stream right over there." She pointed at it. "See?"

"Still your turn." Ryu shook his head.

"Come on," she wheedled. "Please?"

"If I do, you have to tell me how you found out about Ladon," Ryu countered. She'd been teasing him about that for the entire trip without ever actually telling him how.

"Deal," she said quickly. "I was going to do that soon, anyways."

"Sure, and I'm a Maniro." Ryu rolled his eyes. "All right, start the fire. I'll see what I can get. Remember, don't get your hopes up. It's still a shitty rod."

"Tiny fish are still fish." Katt shrugged.

"Right." Shaking his head, Ryu walked over to the stream and started trying his luck. As he'd expected, after several hours all he got were minnows, but there were at least enough of them feed them both, and Katt was appreciative. Once they were done eating, he gave her a direct look. "Well?"

"Well, what?" She asked, chewing idly on a bone.

"How did you find out about Ladon?" He replied with deliberate patience.

"Oh, _that_." She shrugged. "Rand heard you two talking through the door and asked Niro, then told me about it late that night after the rest of you were asleep. Then the two of us went out and said hi just to make sure we really could both hear him."

"That's it?" Ryu growled. "That's all there is to it?"

"Pretty much, yeah." She nodded, then chuckled wickedly. "I think Rand took it harder than me, to be honest. I just kind of rolled with it, but he was asking the big guy all sorts of questions and only getting vague answers. He's Namandian, you know."

"I kind of figured on that, but it didn't seem polite to ask him too much about it," Ryu said, shrugging. He didn't know much about the Namandian faith, save that it was based in the western part of the world and that it was the national religion of the Farm Clan. "You caught what passed between him and Ray, right?"

"I'd have to have been blind to miss it," she scoffed. "He's not really a hardliner, though. It won't be a problem."

"Didn't take him for one." Ryu shrugged. "As for us and Bow, I'm pretty sure we're all on the same page."

"St. Eva is King and God, but telling us what to do every day of our lives won't get him far?" Katt guessed. "Whoops. Is that sacr... sacri..."

"Sacrilege?" Ryu replied. "I really have no idea. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though, as long as you don't talk like that around Ray next time we run into him."

"Thanks." She frowned thoughtfully. "What about Niro?"

"Somehow, I get the idea that Niro's religious preferences would best be described as 'variable,'" Ryu said dryly.

"Can't argue that one." Katt chuckled. "We shouldn't have any issues about that on the team, then. Good to know." She snapped her fingers. "That reminds me. You were saying something about an offer I might be interested in, back in Coursair?"

"I was wondering when the best time to bring that up would be." Ryu leaned back, eyes on the stars. "It's like this. Me and Bow are Rangers right now, but we never planned on doing that for the rest of our lives. What we've always really wanted to do is start up our own independent group, once we had the money, gear and people for it. I wouldn't go so far as to say we're ready to start advertising or anything, but this situation _is_ bringing in more of the former than we've seen in a long time, and that leads to the second."

"Which leaves the third," Katt concluded. "You're asking if I'd like to sign on for that kind of thing long-term."

"Exactly." Ryu nodded. "As far as I can tell, we work well together."

"All right, hell with it." She smiled. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go anyways, and that line of work sounds like it might be fun. Count me in. Does that offer extend to Rand, too?"

"Definitely," Ryu said firmly. "We could use you both."

"Might have to talk him into it," Katt told him. "Guys like us are one thing, but Rand probably never even thought about going into that kind of business. It's not the sort of thing he'd see himself doing, you know? He's never really had much luck with weapons, from what he's told me. He just sticks to punching things."

"You have to admit, though, he _is_ pretty good at the whole punching things bit," he pointed out. "Besides, that's not the biggest reason he'd be good to have in on this. Did he ever tell you how much time he's actually spent studying magic? Call it stereotyping, but I can't really see Rand as being a heavy reader."

"Couple of months, I think he said it was." She shrugged. "You're right, he's not much of a book guy. So?"

"So, Bow took _years_ to learn the basics," he explained. "It looks to me that Rand has some kind of natural talent for white magic. _That's_ how he'll earn his pay. Only one guy on the healing isn't going to cut it once we have a full group going."

"Guess that makes enough sense." Katt nodded. "Plus, you know, rebuilding that hideout. You were gonna use that for our base, weren't you?"

"Exactly," Ryu said, turning his gaze back to her. "Think you could help me talk him into it if it comes to that, then?"

"Sure." She grinned. "Shouldn't be too hard, really. He likes all of us already. The only real hurdle will be getting him used to the idea of himself in the business. Get him past that, and he'll be sold."

"Awesome." Ryu grinned back. "Well then, welcome to the team."

"Thanks!" She said cheekily. "Glad to be here!"  
They looked at each other for a moment more, the flame flickering between them, and they both knew there was more to say, but that neither of them was going to say it just yet. In the end, they murmured their good nights and turned away, Ryu going to catch some sleep while Katt prepared to take the first watch. Closing his eyes, he tried his best to fall into slumber, to banish the confusing mix of attraction within his mind. The faces of both the girl he'd always dreamed of but never seen and the one who seemed to understand him more than anybody else filled his mind when he closed his eyes, and nothing he could do could clear his thoughts of either of them.

_More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

The next morning's dawn and a quick meal later, the two of them crossed the last stretch of land to Mt. Rocko in fairly short order. Once they reached the mountainside itself, they concentrated on being more stealthy, creeping along through tall shrubbery and behind trees. Katt was clearly superior at it, but Ryu managed to keep from making a complete idiot of himself and keep up with her as they looked for the cave entrance.

"How'd you know where to look for them in the first place, anyways?" she asked quietly, slinking low to the ground behind some bushes. "You never told me that. There weren't exactly signposts pointing the way."

"Saw it in some files the Rangers had a while back," Ryu explained. "I'd forgotten about it until that guy mentioned Mt. Rocko, back at the Magic School. Jogged my memory some."

"That'd do it. Hey, bingo." She pointed at a pair of thugs standing guard that were coming into view to their right. The Joker uniforms were clearly visible, even at that distance. "There we go. Shall we, then?"

"Oh, by all means." They approached quickly, then stopped once they were close enough, surveying the dull-eyed look of the guards and the probable intelligence implied. Putting a hand to her mouth, Katt started yelling.

"Dammit, where the hell _am I_, even? This isn't even close to where Coursair is supposed to be! When I get my hands on that mapmaker..."

"Ten points," Ryu told her, watching the guards exchange a glance, smirk unpleasantly, and rush towards them. When they came crashing through the bushes, Ryu was waiting for them, leaning against a tree and whistling. Seeing their surprised looks, he pointed between and behind them, and they started to turn just as Katt slammed their heads together, making a distinctly hollow noise before they both fell.

"Now that I think about it, I'm kind of ashamed that that really worked," she added, looking down at them.

"Under the circumstances, I'm kind of glad it did, myself," Ryu pointed out. "Now comes the unpleasant part of our entry gambit."

"Don't remind me." She made a face, but joined him in stripping the guards. "They'll wake up, you know."

"We should have brought rope or something, I guess." Ryu shrugged. "This is why we need guys like Bow and Rand along. To think of things like that." He sighed. "Well, we can't just go killing them now. I'm no angel, but that's a little far. Let's just hope they stay out for a long time."

"Can't argue with that." She stood up with her bundle of clothes. "That going to be our policy in there, then? Don't waste any sympathy if any of them get killed, but don't go out of our way to make it happen unless we need to?"

"It seems the best idea, under the circumstances." Ryu gathered his own disguise as well. "Sound good?"

"Works for me." She walked off into the trees again, and Ryu went in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, they returned, both wearing the only slightly rancid-smelling Joker uniforms. Wearing the baggy pants covered up nearly all traces of Katt's clan, and the scarf hid her ears as well. All that left were her teeth and facial markings, and the latter could be easily explained as tattoos. "All right, let's go. The sooner we get this over with the better."

"Just don't rush things and slip up," Ryu cautioned her. "We're not exactly standard Joker material here, you know. Wouldn't take much to make somebody suspicious."

"And were you gonna tell me how to stab somebody next, daddy?" She asked sarcastically.

"Har har har." Ryu rolled his eyes. "All right, here we go." They walked casually into the cave entrance, doing their best to mimic the swagger that seemed customary to the Jokers. The tunnel soon branched out into several paths; picking one, they continued down it.

"Oof!" A scrawny Joker rounded a corner, running into Ryu and kind of bouncing off. The two of them just stopped and regarded him coldly as he picked himself up and glared at them. "Hey, watch where you're going! My dad's the boss's younger brother, you know!" Muttering to himself, he continued off down the tunnel.

"Looks like our disguises are working," Ryu muttered.

"Looks like," Katt agreed. "I was kinda worried this gang wouldn't have any girls in it, but that guy didn't seem to care."

"He didn't seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I don't think he'd have missed _that,_" Ryu agreed, continuing on. Rounding the corner, they came out into what looked like a common room; there was a wood table in the center of the room, and crates stacked against the wall, one of them open. Several Jokers lounged around, drinking from bottles.

"Hey, what happened to Paine out there?" One of them called over. "He throwing a fit again?"

"Oh, you know what that guy's like," Ryu replied easily. "He'd try and bitch out a _wall_ if he ran into it."

"That's for damned sure." Another Joker agreed as they all laughed. "Kid makes me embarrassed to be part of the boss's family, you know? Just 'cause he's the little nephew he thinks he's prince of the thieves or whatever."

"One in every family, man," Katt chimed in. "You know how it goes."

"Got a point there," Another woman agreed, leaning against the crates. "Guess we should be glad he's the only one, since half this damn gang's part of our family." She raised an eyebrow. "You two new recruits? Haven't seen you around much."

"Yeah, we hired on a few weeks back." Ryu shrugged. "Seemed like the smart thing to do, you know? Way things are going in this country, we want to be on the winning side."

"Well, you hired on with the right people, then." She pulled out a couple of bottles and threw them to them. "Drink up, new guys. It's all uphill from here, for the Jokers."

"Hey, thanks." Katt opened her bottle on the table edge. "So what, has this gang been in the family for a long time now?"

"Kind of, yeah." The first Joker nodded. "See, it was the boss's dad, old Tobias Heart, who started up the gang about fifty years back. He stayed in charge until he had a little accident involving some iron fencing."

"Must have been some accident." Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"It also involved falling off of a roof," The Joker explained, wincing. "It was the _sharp_ kind of fencing, see."

"Ouch." Katt made a face. "Bet the town guard _loved_ that one when they came around in the morning."

"Yeah, they were _real_ thrilled." The second Joker snorted. "Anyways, when that happened everybody in here started sharpening their knives. See, Joker Heart wasn't technically the boss's oldest son. He'd been a little indiscreet when he was younger, and old Guevara ended up being born before his actual heir. Everybody was expecting a _real_ nasty argument to break out because of that. You guys've met Guevara, right? Seven feet tall, and almost as much of a sense of humor as that mountainside out there."

"Oh, yeah." Ryu nodded, bluffing quickly. "Even kind of _looks_ like that mountainside a little. I wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of _that_ guy no matter _how_ much money was in it, let me tell you."

"Neither would anybody else with a brain in their head," The second Joker agreed. "The boss, now... _he's_ got more brains than he knows what to do with, but he ain't exactly all that much to look at. Everybody was kind of weighing their chances, when all of a sudden, Guevara cuts that all off right then and there by saying Joker's in charge, and anybody who's got a problem with it can come to _him_ about it."

"Damn." Katt whistled. "Anybody ever figure out how Joker pulled _that_ one off?"

"Well, nobody's ever said anything, but we've all kind of noticed a few things by now," The woman told her, smirking cynically. "Joker, now, he kind of inherited something from his old man, and that's that he _really_ likes girls who don't mind how fat or ugly a man is as long as he's got zenny. Lots and _lots_ of those kind of girls. But what he don't like is kids, and he sure as hell doesn't have any use for a wife. Guevara, on the other hand, has this son named Raite who's shaping up to be as tough as his dad and as smart as his uncle."

"So he's next in line to run things." Ryu nodded slowly. "I get it. Pretty sharp."

"Joker's all sorts of sharp!" She bragged. "Like we all said, he's got brains coming out his ears!" They all laughed then, but it sounded awkward and forced.

"You know, that actually happened once," Katt cracked. "Guy with a mace. _Killed_ the rug, let me tell you." She paused for a moment, clearly considering the mood of the room. "So, uh... we gonna get in trouble if we think the boss seemed a little... weird when we met him?"

"Nah." The first Joker shook his head, the last traces of mirth leaving them all. "Everybody's starting to see it. Maybe he's just... sick, or something."

"Let's hope so," the second one agreed. "This latest scheme of his ain't exactly up to his old standard, you know? I mean, kidnapping some girl who's supposed to be an undercover _Princess_? Even if he's right, the royal family ain't gonna let this fly, guys."

"We gotta trust Joker, boys," The woman told them firmly. "He's led us straight this far, right? He knows what he's doing."

"I'm just glad I wasn't assigned to go get her," Ryu said noncommittally. "They're back, then?"

"Yeah, got in about half an hour ago." The first Joker nodded. "She's probably meeting with the boss right now."

"We should know how this is going to go pretty soon, then." Katt finished her bottle and stood up. "Well, I'm gonna go sack out. Coming, Baba?"

"Yeah, might as well." Ryu stood as well. "Catch you guys around." They left the room casually, making their way back to the intersection of tunnels. "Baba, huh?"

"It works, doesn't it?" She pointed out.

"So what does that make you, then?" He asked dryly.

"I'll figure that out when I need to." She shrugged. "Come on, let's try going this way this time."

"Yeah, okay." They continued down the tunnel, which started sloping downward, until they reached an iron gate that blocked it off. Leaning against it from the other side was a familiar-looking Joker. It was Bill, the one who'd led the group that had abducted Nina.

"Boss is busy right now," he said, not looking up from the ball he was kicking in the air idly with one foot. "Whatever it is, it can wait."

"Not this, it won't," Ryu replied, thinking quickly. "We've got word from the Windian royal family."

"Already?" Bill looked up. "Shit, that was fast." He paused, eyes narrowing. "Never seen you two around here before. You new recruits or something?"

"Hired on a week ago," Katt said again. "He's Baba, and I'm Silvia."

"That so?" Bill looked them over. "Well then, you should've been in the gang long enough to tell me who's next in line to run things, and who definitely _ain't_."

"Smart money says Raite's gonna be the one taking over after Joker gets unlucky," Ryu replied coolly. "And it sure as hell ain't gonna be Paine, no matter what _he_ thinks."

"All right, good enough." The goon relaxed. "Go on and open it up. Switch is in that hole over there." He pointed at a large crater in the side of the wall near them.

"Doesn't it make much sense to have it on this side, you know," Katt complained, but her hand was moving in the hole anyways before Ryu could stop her. A moment later, she jerked back, cursing like a sailor, and a huge, brightly colored spider crawled out of the hole, hissing angrily.

"You fell for it!" Bill crowed, pushing a hidden button on his side of the wall. "Everybody in this gang knows we keep Lil' Kumo in there! I don't know who you two are, but you'd better just come along nice and quiet now!" The gate lowered, and he advanced, drawing what looked like a silver dagger from his belt.

"Get the bug," Ryu said quickly. "I've got this joker. No pun intended."

"Right," Katt growled, shaking her hand in the air as she drew her staff.

"That's a Scandean death spider, you dumbass!" Bill told her, snickering. "Those things eat _people_. We train him to-whoa!" He jerked back as Ryu's sword missed his stomach by inches. "Damn, you guys don't listen, do you?"

"You talk too much," Ryu told him flatly, advancing further.

"Come on, you morons!" Backing away, Bill continued to chatter as Ryu stalked him, dodging every slash. "You're probably trying to get to the boss, right? Our security isn't that lax! Right up ahead is the labyrinth! You'd never make it through there to the meeting hall anyways!" He suddenly reversed his actions, darting in to the side of Ryu's swing. His dagger flickered out, and Ryu blocked with his arm, taking the blade in the meaty part of his tricep.

Hissing in pain, Ryu lashed out himself immediately, before Bill could retreat, and lopped off the offending hand. Howling, the Joker pulled another dagger and lunged again, but Ryu was able to sidestep the attack. As Bill whirled around, Ryu finished him off, unceremoniously running his sword between his ribs. Pulling it back out, he turned away from the corpse and glanced at Katt. "You okay?"

"Fantastic," Katt replied sardonically, clubbing the broken remnants of the spider over and over again with her staff. "Ugh. Getting this crap off my staff isn't gonna be pretty."

"He said that thing was poison." Ryu remembered, snapping his fingers. "We need to get you out of here, now."

"No worries." She grinned at him, entirely unconcerned. "I still had that antidote from Augus, remember? He was using Scandean Death Spider venom. Rand told me. As soon as that jerk said that, I took the antidote. I didn't get nearly as much of a dose as you probably did, either. I'm feeling fine." She gave the wound on his arm a direct look. "Unlike some people here I could name."

"Yeah, yeah." Glaring at the wound, Ryu pulled some herbs and bandages out of his pockets and wrapped it up. "This is why we should keep a white mage with us at all times."

"Take it up with Bow and Rand," she told him. "_You_ gonna be okay?"

"It's my off-hand." He shrugged. "Hurts, but I've had worse." Once his arm was wrapped up, he took the dagger and examined it. "This actually isn't bad. I didn't think silver would be that useful for making weapons."

"It's probably enchanted," Katt suggested.

"Yeah, that'd do it." Taking the dagger's sheath from Bill's corpse and attaching it to his own belt, he stowed the blade and sheathed his own as well. "Come on, let's go." Shoving Bill's corpse into the spider hole, they walked past the lowered gate, and on into a maze of tunnels. Looking around, Ryu shook his head. "This is going to suck."

"You think so?" Katt muttered, glancing down one of them as a pair of rotting corpses dragged themselves out, moaning. "Ghouls. I _hate_ Ghouls."

"Who _doesn't_ hate Ghouls?" Ryu asked wryly as they each dispatched one in short order. "What, do they just keep monsters in this part of the cave to back up their security? Whoa!" He grabbed Katt and pulled her down one tunnel.

"All right, I'll bite," she whispered as they watched a pair of blue flames float past in the air where they'd been. "What are those, and why aren't we fighting them?"

"Will o' wisps," he muttered. "It's _possible_ to kill them physically, but we'd be at it all day. Magic's the only real way to do it anywhere near efficiently." They waited until the spirits had passed, then walked back out and began exploring. Before they'd gone too far, another Joker came out of one of the passages, adjusting his belt.

"New here?" He asked cheerfully. "You're on the right track. Just keep making right turns, see?" He chuckled at himself.

"Thanks, man." Ryu nodded. "Got news for the boss."

"Figured as much." The Joker nodded, walking back the way they'd come. "Just don't say anything stupid, you hear? Boss has been getting kind of weird, lately. You know what I'm saying, right?"

"Boy, do we ever," Katt called, prompting another laugh from him. "Well, that was informative."

"Yup." Ryu nodded, then sighed as a group of giant green leeches, even larger than those that lived on Mt. Fubi, slithered out of another tunnel towards them. "Knew something like that was about to happen."

"It never stops," Katt agreed. "Let's get 'em."

Once they'd disposed of the infestation, the two of them continued through the labyrinth, following the Joker's instructions. Before long, they reached the end, emerging into a vast, multi-leveled cavern. Several staircases led down levels of rock to the bottom, where Nina was being shepherded by five goons to the back of the hall. She looked dirty and unkempt, but otherwise unharmed. Just like before, seeing her almost took his breath away, but he managed to keep it under control. For a multitude of reasons, this was obviously _not_ the time.

"Hey!" A Joker to their left as they entered snarled quietly. "The boss is busy right now, dumbasses! Whatever it is, it can wait!"

"Sure it can." Turning on him, Katt rammed her staff into his throat, pinning him to the wall. "Thanks for standing guard. Shift's over." Pulling it away, she stepped over the corpse, and Ryu followed her to peek over the edge of the ledge.

"There you are!" The fattest man Ryu had ever seen boomed as Nina approached. He was middle-aged and more bloated than even Count Trout had been, his vast gut so large that a tunic that could have fit three of Ryu had burst open. Both it and his pants were a rusty red, and they looked well-tailored, a waste judging by the foodstains all over them. His hair and beard were both short and black, and his eyes were very large and white, pupils tiny pinpricks of darkness. "You're even cuter than I'd heard, little Nina!"

"Oh, a compliment," she said sardonically. "Oh, joy."

"Hehehe..." He leaned forward as they approached, not bothering to rise from the wooden stool he sat on behind a dining table. "You're _really_ cute when you're mad. How about showing me that pretty face up close, huh?"

"That's about enough of this." She stopped in her tracks. "I came here for one reason, and one reason alone. My sister. For your own health, I'd suggest that you turn her over to me, as quickly as possible."

"Hey, baby!" One of the goons growled. "That ain't the way you talk to the boss!" He shoved her roughly forward.

"Keep your damned hands off me!" Nina snarled, whirling on him and blasting him with a compact fireball. The spell blew him back on his ass, charred and smoking, but still alive, judging by his whimpering. "The next fool who touches me gets that one at full power." She turned back to Joker. "Now, bring me my sister!"

"Ha!" Joker laughed, his voice deep and nasty. "Girl's got a temper! I like that! All righty, missy. Let's see if I can see the family resemblance, huh?" He snapped his fingers, and from behind a boulder to their left, another thug shoved Mina forward, hands tied behind her back. The young girl was wearing the same kind of dress she had back in Hometown, but she looked like she hadn't slept well or bathed in a week.  
"Sister?" She asked quietly. "Nina? You came here for me?"

"I did," Nina replied, eyes locked on hers. "I'm going to save you, Mina."

"That's her, then?" Katt asked quietly.

"Yeah." Ryu slowly nodded. "Now how are we going to solve this one?"

"Ho ho ho!" Joker laughed again. "Well, isn't this cute. Sisterly love is such a beautiful thing. But not just yet!"  
"I told you to let her go!" Nina spun on him. "Keep pushing me, and I'll kill every last one of you!"

"Now, now." Joker wagged a finger and glanced at the goon behind Mina, who smiled wickedly and held a knife to her neck. "That's not polite, young lady. And here I heard you were a civilized kind of girl. I was kinda looking forward to that, after day after day of nothing but roughnecks around here. Now let's try that again, shall we? I'll even tell you the words to use." His smile widened. "Say 'I will join your organization, use my magic in your service, and follow your every command, in exchange for my sister's life and freedom. I swear it on my name, and the name of my ancestor, the Queen of the Sky.'"

"How did you know about that?" Nina whispered, color draining from her face. "That oath... _nobody_ should know what it means!"

"I have my sources." Joker's eyes were dark, and there was no jocularity in his voice now. "I'm not taking no for an answer, girlie. Say it, or else Kodamo over there is gonna start slicing pieces off your sister. I'll tell you what, I'll even have my men help you with it. Boys! Bring her up right here, and get her on her knees!"

"_That_ does it!" Katt spat, standing back up. "Let's go! We're taking back that hostage, here and now!"

"Right." Ryu pointed. "We'll sneak around the other side of that boulder." They crept down, unobserved by anybody below, as Nina was forced forward. Rounding the boulder, they came up on Kodamo from behind; he was watching the spectacle, and his knife hand was straying from Mina's neck.

"Why are you doing this?" Nina was asking, and her voice was very small and quiet now. "If you know that much about us, you know my parents will never acknowledge my existence. Try to use me to get to them, and they'll completely ignore you. You're wasting your time."

"I'm getting a pretty girl working for me, ain't I?" Joker's grin was vile. "But that ain't all! You're right, I know all that. And I know _why_ you ain't living in Windia no more. If your parents don't want their dirty little secret to become public knowledge, they should be willing to make all _sorts_ of concessions under the table."

"You wouldn't dare," Nina whispered desperately.

"Try me." Joker's grin vanished, and he stared at her coldly once more. "Now then, no more stalling. I'll have your oath, here and now, or your sister starts by losing an ear, and it only gets worse from there."

"I..." Nina's head was bowed. "I..."

"Leave this part to me," Katt muttered to Ryu, continuing forward. Moving like a snake, her hand shot out and grabbed Kodamo's knife hand, breaking it as she pulled it-and him-away from Mina. His cry of pain was cut short as she grabbed his neck with her other hand, breaking it with a quick jerk, then threw the corpse aside disdainfully.

"Who-?" Mina stared at her, eyes widening at the violence of Kodamo's death, then turned back to her sister. "Nina, no! Don't do it!"

"Mina?" Nina's eyes turned to her, along with all the men gathered around her. "What's happening?"

"Hey, that's my line!" Joker bellowed. "What in St. Eva's name is going _on_ here? What do you mugs think you're doing?"

"Sorry." Ryu threw his pink scarf on the floor, and Katt followed suit. "We quit. Your dress code is just too ugly for us to stand."

"They ain't ours, boss!" One of the goons below yelled.

"I know that, you nitwit!" Joker shouted back. "Who the hell are you two, then?"

"Rangers, on contract." Ryu said with a grim smile. "We're here to investigate a missing person. Miss Nina, your Headmaster from the Magic School has hired us to bring you back home, by any means necessary. We apologize for the inconvenience." He turned to Mina. "Didn't think we'd be meeting again so soon, your highness. You might want to stand back. This is probably going to get a little ugly pretty soon."

"Of course." Mina backed away from them, but remained within eyesight.

"It's you two." Nina stared up at them.

"Rangers, huh?" Joker stared as well, then snapped his fingers. "Boys, show 'em what we think of _Rangers_ around these parts, why don'tcha?"

"Right, boss." One of the goons said, snickering, as the five of them advanced on Ryu and Katt, drawing their knives.

"Two each?" Ryu asked, unconcerned, drawing his sword and dagger.

"Whoever finishes first gets the last one," Katt agreed, spinning her staff.

"Cocky, ain'tcha?" The leader snarled. "We'll see how-" Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Ryu threw the silver dagger, right through his left eye into his brain. Stiffening, he collapsed on the floor.

"That's one," Ryu said, moving forward to engage another thug.

"Show-off," Katt commented, charging one of her own. Holding her staff vertically, she brought up the bottom end,deflecting his thrust and ringing his jaw. Before he could recover, she spun it horizontally, cracking his head and knocking him to the floor. Another goon was at her side by then, and his knife was coming towards her chest; fortunately, a flick of her staff diverted most of the attack, and he only drew a small amount of blood. Rounding on him, she kicked his feet out from under him, then dodged as he threw his knife with much less accuracy than Ryu had, still managing to nick the side of her head. Snarling, she rammed her staff into the center of his chest before he could rise.

Ryu was busy with his own opponent. The remaining two goons were more cautious than the first, circling him warily while splitting up. Ryu quickly put his back to the boulder and made a beckoning motion, and with a glance at each other, they advanced from either side. Shrugging, Ryu charged the one on the right, blocking his knife thrust with his sword. Grabbing his arm, he then pulled him to the right, into his friend's path. Before either of them could recover, Ryu the thug before him with a slash to the neck and advanced on the other one.

The last goon standing backed up, then suddenly lunged at Ryu. Before he could connect, though, he stopped suddenly, making an odd, whining noise as he dropped his dagger. A moment later, the fireball that had hit him in the back burned the rest of the way through him, leaving a charred crater in his chest. His eyes stared down at it, and then he collapsed, twitching for a few moments before going still.

"Two each, wasn't it?" Nina asked coolly, all traces of her previous weakness gone now. She was floating about three feet off the ground, dark wings beating as they held her up. "And I only see one more left for me in here, now that you've cleaned up." She regarded the now-cringing Joker with cold wrath.

"I like the way you think," Katt told her, stepping on the neck of the first goon she'd dropped as she walked past. Ryu joined her, and they took up positions flanking Nina, all three staring Joker down. Mina walked forward as well, though she remained carefully behind them. "Go right ahead."

"He's all yours," Ryu agreed.

"Wait, wait!" Joker held up his hands frantically. "You don't want to do this, trust me! Look, I'm sorry, okay? I screwed up, I get it! Let's all just be nice and civilized about this, huh? This is a no-win for any of us, if this keeps up! Calm down, and let's talk, like reasonable people! I don't want to do this!"

"Funny." Nina cast another fireball spell, aimed not at Joker, but above him. "I do." The blast hit the cavern wall, blowing off enough rocks and rubble to bury the fat crook completely. He screamed, once, as it all came down on him, and then he was gone, only a pile of debris remaining. "Like you said, I'm afraid I'm not feeling particularly civilized today."

"So much for _that_." Katt dusted her hands off. "All taken care of, then, except for the getaway."

"Probably shouldn't even bother with our disguises," Ryu suggested. "Nobody'd buy it if we were bringing you two along. We'll just have to hope we don't run into many, if any, of them. And that nobody heard anything down in here."

"You talk about it so casually," Mina murmured, sinking to the floor and holding her knees. "Do you do this sort of thing a lot?"

"We've seen worse," Ryu told her, smiling. "We're just glad you're okay."

"I don't know who you are, but thank you, both of you." Nina turned to them, descending to the floor again. "Without you, this would have been..." She trailed off, eyes dark and sad once more.

"Doesn't bear thinking about." Katt shook her head. "No thanks needed, your highness. Glad to help out. These assholes were just asking for it, you know?"

"Nina, please," she said quietly. "Nobody's called me 'your highness,' in ten years, and I'd rather it didn't start again now. That title... it isn't mine to claim, any more."

"Nina it is, then," Ryu agreed, idly examining the Dragon's Tear as he started to relax as well; it was a habit of his to scan the room on a whim by now. Despite her words of gratitude, Nina was still only reading as a dull yellow; it seemed she was slow to trust, or to grow fond of people. Mina was more favorably inclined; the yellow-green mix she'd shown when they'd last met was more the latter than the former now. He moved past Katt quickly; she'd brightened to a light blue, and this wasn't the time to think about that.

And then, as the Dragon Tear moved past the pile of rocks that had fallen onto Joker, it went a venomous black, and his blood ran cold.

"This isn't over!" He yelled, drawing his sword again. "Katt! He's going to get back up!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha..." Joker laughed then, as the rocks began to shift. His voice had changed, the deep bass now sounding disgustingly wet and slimy. "You know something? That hurt, Princess Nina Windia. That hurt a _lot._ I asked you nicely not to do that, you know. You really should have listened to me."

"Mina, get back!" Nina said sharply, quickly hovering above the floor once again. "What's going on here?"

"Something very unpleasant," Katt told her, hands tightening on her staff. "No way. Not _again_, damn it all."

"I told you I didn't want to do this," Joker continued to ramble, pulling himself free of the debris. "I told you _you_ didn't want to do this, didn't I? But oh, no, you didn't listen. You just _had_ to go and piss me off, now didn't you. _Now_ look what you've done." With a grunt, he threw one of the largest rocks aside, revealing his transformed state.

He was completely inhuman now, a purple reptile with a yellow, plated belly. Almost spherical, his roundness made him seem short, but he still loomed over them all, though not quite as much as Augus. His arms and legs were almost vestigial, pitifully stunted, but they scattered debris with inhuman strength regardless. Twin horns adorned his bald head, above tiny, squinty eyes. It was his mouth that was truly grotesque, a vertical slit without neck or chin filled with needle fangs and a disgustingly long, slavering red tongue that flopped almost absently out to one side.

"What _is_ this?" Nina demanded, semi-hysterically, as Mina screamed.

"Seems Joker here went and crossed the line from 'criminal scumbag' to 'requesting demonic possession,' or possibly 'transformation' a while back," Ryu said flatly. "Not sure if the difference actually means anything to us. Either way, why am I not surprised by this. Explains a lot, really. Those goons _were_ saying he'd been acting weird lately."

"Oh, that's _just_ what my day needed!" Joker continued to complain, kicking the last of the rubble away. "You schmucks know about us! Perfect! But hey, maybe it's for the best. Now I've got even more reason to kill your sorry asses. Could be the guys down below might even give me some points for taking care of a leak. Just hope I don't get bitched out for wiping you in the process, Nina. You've gone and made me lose my temper now, and that means you're dead meat. No helping it. Damn shame, too. I was looking forward to seeing their faces when I handed you over to them on a silver platter."

"You... what?" Nina's jaw dropped, then clenched as her eyes flashed. "_That_ was why?"

"So all that shit was just a story you told your men," Ryu said coldly. "You were going to sell her to Infinity, were you? You really are a fat bastard."

"Thanks!" Joker chuckled, only the outer edges of his vast maw turning up slightly while the center still hung slack. "But compliments aren't getting you nowhere. Like I said, her destiny don't matter no more. I'm killing her, and you two too while I'm at it! Now take a deep breath, kiddies!" His gross tongue retracted as his mouth closed suddenly, and then he inflated, swelling up like a balloon, sides and cheeks bulging grotesquely. When his mouth burst open, it actually blew him off his feet, tiny limbs wiggling in the air, as clouds of pink gas exploded out and spread through the air.

"Oh, shit!" Ryu snarled. "Cover your faces, everybody! Now!" He snatched a scarf from a fallen Joker and wrapped it around his face, and saw Katt doing the same out of the corner of his eye. Before he could glance at the other two girls, the gas was upon him, covering every inch of his body as it washed past. Even with the cloth covering his face, it was incredibly painful; the gas burned into his skin like the air itself was attacking him, and what got through the filter into his lungs was even worse, igniting his chest from the inside out. He collapsed, wheezing, but somehow still managed to keep the cloth over his face as the clouds moved past him.

"Son of a-" Katt started to yell, then stopped, coughing horribly. She was crouched on the ground as well, but she had her own scarf on, as did Nina, who was sitting limply on the ground, head down. He couldn't see Mina, and before he could look more, Joker was stomping towards them, tiny feet ridiculously loud as he clumped along the cavern floor.

"Quick thinking, but not quick enough," the demon told them as he approached Katt. "Thought it was just some crap you'd find out in the field dealing with monsters? I don't _think_ so! This here's _real_ poison gas, and you're all gonna die nice and slow, now! Unless you all ask me real nice, then maybe I'll off you quick and painle-"

"_St. Eva,_ do you _ever_ shut up?" Katt roared, rising to her feet and bringing her staff up in an underhand swing, smashing him right in the gut with enough power to actually launch him into the air towards Ryu. Despite the force, the demon didn't seem particularly harmed, and simply glared as he came down towards Ryu.

"Aw, no! Don't even think about it, wiseass!"

"What the lady said," Ryu replied shortly, swinging his sword almost like a bat. The edge clashed off of the demon's plated belly, while his scaly flesh simply flexed under the impact like rubber, but it still drew blood while knocking him into the air once again, this time towards the fallen princess. "Hey, Nina! Your turn!"

"Thank you," she said, head turning up as the scarf fell from her face. "I've been looking forward to this." She held out her hands, and from them, large round chunks of ice shot out at high velocity, slamming into Joker in midair. Folding up around them, he flew away from them into the back of the room, where he bounced off the wall and fell to the ground. Wincing, the princess flapped her dark wings and lifted up a foot off the ground. "I don't suppose there's any hope that we actually killed him this time?"

"Not a chance," Katt growled as she and Ryu approached him. "They call them demons for a reason. If this asshole's anything like the last one we had to fight, it's going to take a lot more than that to put him down."

"I was afraid of that." Sighing, Nina floated after them. "No helping it, I suppose. Let's get down to it, then."

"Oh, like that's going to happen!" Joker bellowed, getting back up. He was bruised and battered, and his purple scales were now a pale lavender, but he still glared at them. "Tough cookies, are you? We'll see how you like another dose, then!"

"Shit!" Katt glanced at Ryu, both of them thinking the same thing; they might be able to cling to life through another attack, but there was no way Nina could. As Joker puffed up again, body grossly distorted, they both dashed towards him, both knowing they weren't going to make it there in time to stop him. His mouth burst open, and the gas poured out, but before it could wash over them, something in the air itself responded. The clouds divided like they'd been cut with a giant, invisible blade, and flowed to the sides of the three of them, but not over them.

"What the hell?" Joker yelled.

"Go!" Nina told them. "I'll keep the gas off of you!" Katt and Ryu didn't bother wasting words; they simply charged, sword and staff at the ready, as Joker scowled in anger.

"You think it's gonna be that easy?" The demon snapped. His tongue retracted again, but then it lashed out, flickering against Ryu and Katt like a whip. By the feel of it, it was edged, and each strike left a trail of blood and pain across their bodies. Cursing, Katt buckled and stumbled, remaining on her feet through sheer effort alone. Ryu turned his head to look at her, and another lash ripped open his right calf, causing him to swear and stop as well.

Once again, Nina saved them both, recasting the Cold spell. Shots of ice flew out once more, ramming into Joker again; this time, they all saw them explode into freezing dust upon impact. Joker fell back, needle fangs chattering as his scales paled even further, but then rose once more, tongue extending a ridiculous length to hit the black mage. She cried out in pain, falling to the floor again, but kept her head up as Ryu and Katt used the distraction to continue charging Joker.

Seeing them coming, the demon struck at them again, but now Katt had his measure. Dodging and weaving, rolling and jumping, the acrobatic Woren managed to dodge almost all of the strikes aimed at her, and those that did find her were only glancing blows. Ryu wasn't so lucky, but he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, charging until they reached him. Sword and staff lashed out, crushing the demon from both sides like a vice, and his bulbous body flexed upwards, head expanding and mouth gaping.

In that instant, Nina struck. Her third cast of ice magic hit Joker again, but this time, the shots flew right into his distorted maw with a series of ugly-sounding thumps. He sagged back, coughing and choking, as the magic flowed through his body from the inside out. His scales hardening and turning white, his body stiffening up like a plank, he stared up at them from empty, pale gray eyes as they stood around him, watching him die.

"It's you..." He whispered. "You're the one. Dammit, I should have known... I take one damn step out of line, and you're on me like _that_. You too... and her... all three of you comin' for me? No wonder I didn't stand a chance..." He took a deep breath, and they could _hear_ the ice inside his very lungs cracking as he did so. "Just my luck, huh? I don't believe this shit."

"First Augus, now you," Ryu said quietly. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ha..." Joker managed to smile again, eyes glittering. "Kiss my ass, all three of you, and maybe I'll tell you."

"We can persuade you to feel more talkative, if it comes to that," Nina told him flatly.

"I was joking, dumbass," Joker wheezed, still smiling. "Like I'd get away with spilling the beans, even if I wanted to? Not gonna happen. Get a load of _this!_" In the blink of an eye, he erupted in black fire, just like Augus had. The three of them stepped back, Nina staring in horror, as he continued to rant. "Don't get too cocky just because you won today! The whole world's on the clock, and it's ticking down to the end of the line for all of us! God's time is at hand!" And then he was gone, a slight breeze in the cavern blowing away the ashes.

"Is it a bad sign that I pretty much saw that coming?" Katt asked wryly after a few moments of silence.

"Might be a warning that you're getting used to this happening," Ryu replied. "In which case, yes, it's a bad sign. We _don't_ want to be tempted to put 'ask us about our special rates on demonic extermination' on our cards."

"You talk about it so casually," Nina echoed her sister wryly. "Do you do this sort of thing a lot?" Before either of them could reply, her wings gave out and she crumpled to the floor, coughing uncontrollably. A moment later, the two of them both followed suit, new waves of pain flowing through their bodies.

"The poison!" Ryu gasped between coughs. "Dammit, it's finally kicking in... we'll never make it to..." He stopped talking, but still kept coughing, as he watched purifying light gather around Nina, leaving her looking and acting much more healthy once it was done.

"I'm afraid I'm not very good at white magic," Mina told them as she walked closer, emerging from behind the massive boulder. Turning to Katt, she cast the spell on her next. "I haven't learned much yet. I just hope a general purification will work. Do you think the poison's a particularly strong one?"

"Nah," Katt told her, smiling as the poison left her system. "This doesn't feel nearly as bad as that last stuff I got hit with up there. Me and Ryu here've both taken doses of that and lived through it. This should be fine. Thanks."

"You _do_ realize that was Scandean death spider venom," Ryu pointed out as he was healed. "If you hadn't had the actual antidote, you'd have been dead. And don't even get me _started_ on when _I_ got hit with that." He shook his head. "You're right, though, this feels a lot better. Thanks, Mina. I kind of doubt we'd have made it to a doctor in time."

"My pleasure." She smiled wanly, then dropped it, eyes widening. "Oh, no, where did _they_ come from?"

"What?" Nina said sharply, all three of them turning around. There, at the back of the cavern, a line of unfriendly-looking Jokers were leaning against the wall.

"It never stops." Katt sighed, starting towards them. "All right, let's-"

"Wait." Ryu held up a hand, and she paused. Walking past her, he stopped in front of the largest of the Jokers by far, a grim-faced man almost as tall as Joker had been wide, and met his eyes. "Do we have a problem here?"

"We're not happy about all of these bodies," the man told him flatly. "But none of them are family, aside from my little brother himself. And we saw all of that. What he'd become. What he was going to do." He closed his eyes. "Get out of here, now, and don't come back. That goes for all of you. Acceptable?"

"More than." Ryu nodded. "Let's do what he says, people."

"By all means," Nina agreed, her wings lifting her into the air again, and Katt nodded silently. The two of them closed ranks around Mina, and they all followed Ryu out of the hall. Once they were out, she glanced at Katt. "Are we trusting their word?"

"You know, normally I wouldn't be too keen on counting on that 'honor among thieves,' stuff," she conceded. "But the look in their eyes back there said it all. Even guys like them draw the line at _demons._ Who knows what Joker would have gotten them into next, if we hadn't killed him? Nah, I think they were telling the truth." She grimaced. "Of course, just because nothing human's going to bother us doesn't mean we won't run into a couple more monsters in this stupid underground maze here."

"I would think that would cheer you up," Ryu told her. "You feeling all right?"

"Just exhausted." She shook her head. "I need a drink, a bath, and about ten hours of sleep, which... I'm pretty much not going to get except for the bath part. Suppose I should be glad there's a stream outside."

"A bath right now would almost convert me to any religion of your choice," Nina murmured, and Mina made a noise of agreement. Seeing a will o' wisp, she bisected it with another air cutter. "Not quite. But almost. More importantly, is this labyrinth very long? I'm starting to run low on magic power."

"I was going to ask if you _ever_ ran out," Ryu joked. "It's not all that long, and we know the way. Once we're out of it, we should be able to get out of the cave without any further difficulties, as long as any Jokers up ahead are clear on the deal. Then it's just a matter of making it back to where our last camping spot was, by that stream."

"The sooner we make it there, the better," Katt said firmly. None of them could disagree with that, and they spent the rest of the trip back mostly in silence, focusing on hurrying along. As they'd hoped, once they were clear of the labyrinth they were able to leave the cavern in peace, without seeing a single Joker. Once outside, they continued back to where Katt and Ryu had made camp the night before. The only monsters that got in their way outside were an unlucky pair of man-eating plants, which Ryu, Katt and Nina disposed of quickly between them.

Once back at the campsite, visiting the stream was definitely the first priority, especially for Mina and Nina. While they took turns on that, the other three prepared for the evening, Ryu building the campfire with first Nina's help, then Mina's. Meanwhile, Katt hunted down dinner, coming back with a wild boar just in time for her turn at the stream. Once she was done, Ryu went himself; something about the Joker gas had left him feeling contaminated, and he understood the desire to try and wash that off.

When he came back from the stream, the stars were slowly appearing as the sun set overhead, and the campfire was blazing cheerily. Katt was attending to the cooking, while Nina and Mina were sitting under a tree, having a quiet, private-looking conversation. He quickly decided not to intrude on that, going over to talk with Katt instead. Crossing over to her, he gave her a tired smile, which she returned.

"Long day."

"Those keep happening, don't they?" She replied dryly. "Any thoughts yet on what we did to deserve all this?"

"Whatever it was, I'm _sorry_ already," he joked, then glanced over at Nina and Mina. "So, what are we going to do about this?"

"That's kind of what they're talking about now," Katt explained. "Nina asked me for details about the job old man Yoji hired us for. I told her we'd escort her back to Hometown so we could get paid, and that seemed mostly okay with her, but I think there was something else on her mind. Before she could bring it up, though, Mina got upset and started talking about how Nina should come back to Windia with her instead because of this incident. They got all private before she said much about that, though."

"It's probably for the best." Ryu glanced at them, then lowered his voice. "I've been thinking, actually. It's a bit roundabout, and it'll take a while, but we could always offer to bring Nina to Hometown, and _then_ escort Mina back to Windia after that. I doubt her original escort is still anywhere near here, if they're alive at all. We were planning on heading that way next anyways, since it's the only lead we have left."

"And we stand a good chance of getting paid again for helping Mina get back home, right?" Katt added with a wink.

"That _would_ be a nice bonus," Ryu admitted. "I'm not going to insist on it, though. Let's just take that casually and see what happens." He winced as Mina stood up and stalked away in a huff, sitting back down with her back to them all. "Ouch. Looks like that didn't go so well. Somehow, I don't think we should ask why."

"Ah, _nooooo_," Katt agreed as Nina stood up as well and walked closer to the campfire, face carefully blank.

"Mister Bateson," she said calmly. "I understand your desire to fulfill the terms of your current contract with the Aurian Magic School and return me to them as quickly as possible, but before that, I'd like to retain your services on a similar matter." She glanced at Mina. "My sister will need an escort back to her own home, and you seem reliable. I had intended on requesting your services _after_ we'd returned to Hometown, but Mina is insisting that I return to Windia with her. She's young, and she's having trouble seeing certain realities of our situation, no matter how I try to explain them to her." She shook her head, a look of obscure pain filling her eyes.

"If you'd prefer not to share the details, that's fine," Ryu told her. "We understand."

"Thank you." Nina smiled, but her eyes weren't in it. "Mina told me that you were reliable, not that I doubted that after what happened back there. I'm glad to see you can be discreet as well, especially under the circumstances."

"Don't worry, your highness," Katt told her. "We know how to keep our mouths shut about who you are."

"Thank you." She inclined her head. "And please, like I said, just Nina, miss..."

"Katt Chaun, but if that's the case, stick with 'Katt,' okay?" She asked with a wink. "Fair's fair, and all that."

"Same here," Ryu agreed. "I'd prefer 'Ryu' myself, if it's all the same to you. As for your request, I think that's manageable. I was actually going to offer to bring her home after you myself, since we were planning on making a trip to Windia once this business was settled anyways. We have something else to look into there. Going there first will make things a little more complicated, but we'll figure something out. And hey, it's closer if we just go straight there."

"Then we're agreed," Nina said, and they all nodded. "I'm afraid I don't have much money on me at the moment, but if we agree on a reasonable payment now, I'm sure the Windian Royal Family will abide by it."

"Let's not worry about that, huh?" Ryu replied. "If the Royal Family wants to compensate us, I won't say no, but I'm not going to insist on it. We're taking Mina back home because we're friends and we're headed that way anyways. No need to make anything too formal about it."

"You're sure?" Nina blinked, looking actually startled for the first time. "I really think we should come to some sort of arrangement."

"You're wasting your time, Nina," Katt advised her, chuckling. "If there's one thing I've learned about this guy, it's that his head's even harder than mine, and that's saying something."

"I won't press the point, then." Nina smiled again, and this time it seemed more heartfelt. Ryu didn't check the Dragon's Tear yet, but he had the feeling that if he did, there would be at least a little green in it now. "Thank you, both of you."

"Our pleasure." Katt glanced at the meat. "Looks like this is about done. Why don't we dig in? I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't plan on leaving much of this for the morning. Shame we couldn't grab any ale from the Jokers on the way out."

"I doubt it would have been a good idea, but I'm in agreement with you on the food." Nina glanced at the meat, and Mina turned her head as well. "Have you two been working together long, then? Mina said the last time she met you, you had a different partner, Ryu."

"Yes, I was wondering about that," Mina admitted, standing up somewhat reluctantly to get her share of dinner. "Nothing's happened to Bow, has it?"

"It's a long story, but I guess we've got time," Ryu said as he started to carve the meat for them all. "No harm in telling it again, I guess."

"And would it include when and why you two previously encountered a demon?" Nina asked keenly. "I'm rather interested in that, for a number of reasons."

"Somehow, I thought you would be," Katt replied, the dryness of her tone belying the serious look on her face. "Can't say I blame you, either. Just be warned, you might not like what you hear, on that score. The more _I_ find out about demons, the less I like what I'm learning."

"Under the circumstances, I can live with that," Nina decided. "Sometimes we all have to do things we don't like."

"Can't argue with that," Ryu agreed, passing out meat. Once everybody had some, they all sat down around the fire. "All right, we might as well start at the beginning. I'm sure Mina remembers the job me and my partner, Bow, took for her back in Hometown..."

And as the night crept on, he told the story, the three girls all listening, occasionally asking for or adding detail.

Despite the shitty day, there were worse ways to spend an evening.

_A SMOOTH CRIMINAL _


	8. Chapter 7: The City Of Wind

_**Chapter 7: The City Of Wind**_

"You can climb down now, Mina," Katt called in the direction of the nearest tree as Ryu stepped back from the slaughtered biruburu. "They're dead."

"I noticed," Mina replied with only a little hesitation as she descended from the branches. It seemed that her previous escorts through the countryside had tended to deal with monsters out of her sight, but Ryu, Katt and Nina didn't really have that option available to them. She'd adjusted surprisingly quickly, however, as had Nina, who had learned how to back up the two more physical fighters with her magic. Landing on her feet before the bodies, she glanced down at them curiously. "Why are these ones orange instead of purple?"

"They're the males," Katt explained. "Male and female biruburu don't get along, so they actually have completely separate ranges. The females stay in the Tantar area, and the males are found around Windia. They all migrate towards the border when it's mating season, and stay out of each others' way the rest of the year."

"So if we're seeing them, that means we're near home," Mina deduced. "I didn't know monsters were that... complicated, I suppose is the best word."

"They're like any other animal." Katt shrugged. "They've got patterns to their behavior. Learning them helps you know what to expect." She paused, cocking an ear. "Sounds like there's some beaks nearby, and not the Gonghead variety, either. Sniphead. That could be bad. Come on, let's go see if we can spot 'em from the top of that tall ridge over there. We'll want to see those coming, if they come after us."

"All right," Mina agreed, following her as she scampered forward ahead of Ryu and Nina, who watched them go with slight amusement.

"She never stops, does she?" The elder sister asked wryly, wings beating; she seemed to prefer flying rather than walking whenever possible, generally hovering about a foot off the ground. She'd found an alternative to the bulky Magic School uniform in a town one day, a blue dress with white and gold trim; about the only problem with it was that the skirt didn't go all the way around, leaving her right leg almost completely bare, to her own slight embarrassment. It was still better than the heavy orange robes in the summer heat, though, and she'd added black boots and gauntlets over her forearms, both trimmed with gold as well. The effect was striking, and Ryu had had a hard time not staring.

"Who, Katt?" Ryu shook his head. "Not as far as I can tell. I'm starting to think the reason she can't use magic is because it's going directly into her bloodstream."

"It would explain a lot," Nina admitted, smiling slightly as she watched Mina use her wings to levitate above the ground as she ascended the hill. "She's Mina's new hero, you know. She's in absolute awe of her. I don't think she's ever known anybody quite like her before. And I don't just mean the fact that she can pull a biruburu's skull out with her bare hands."

"I don't think Katt minds." Ryu shrugged. "She makes friends pretty easily for somebody who's had the kind of life she has."

"I suppose." Nina's smile vanished. "Sometimes I wish I had that skill."

"There are worse things to have," Ryu replied neutrally.

"Hey, guys!" Katt called down, interrupting the conversation. "We can see the Great Bridge from here! We're almost there!"

"About time!" Ryu yelled back, then turned to Nina. "We should probably get up there and join them."

"Probably," she agreed. Climbing up the hill, they found Katt and Mina waiting for them, gazing off to the east. Just within view, they saw the edge of the land breaking off into an abyss stretching both north and south, the only way across a thin stone pathway stretching out into the void, or so it seemed from this far away. They'd been on the road for weeks now, with this destination in mind, and now, it seemed, they were almost there.

The Wing Clan was one of the oldest known to history, and for as long as history remembered, they had occupied the same territory, the northern country of Windia. The royal family, despite numerous trials and tribulations, still maintained control of the throne down the eons, through the bloodline of female heroes of both Dragon Wars. Before their disappearance from the world, the Light Dragons had always counted on the Wing Clan as one of their closest allies whenever strife had threatened the world.

The Windian Chasm was an unfortunate geographical flaw in the country that had apparently always been a part of it. Stretching down out of the north, the divide nearly cut through the entire continent, and according to some history books, actually had in the past. At present, the only way around it was several days' travel back to the south, which they'd passed up. The exact shape of the gap changed every few centuries, whenever a geological disturbance in the area altered it. Windians throughout the ages had bemoaned the choice of their ancestors in placing their capital city on the west side of the chasm for exactly that reason, but there was no helping it.

The only alternative to the southern route was also the Wing Clan's most impressive national landmark. As long as the Chasm had existed, so too had the Windian Great Bridge, the longest in the world. A massive span of stonework in its current incarnation, it had also been constructed of wood in previous forms, its nature changing with each rebuilding. Historians claimed at one time, it had even been made of _metal_, as ridiculous as that sounded. Whatever its form, the Great Bridge was one of the world's permanent fixtures.

"Good thing we've got you along, your highness," Katt said as they all looked out at it. "The Great Bridge doesn't let just anybody in on the other side. We'd have had to go the long way around if it wasn't for you."

"That's because it leads into the catacombs underneath the palace," Mina explained. "Only people who would be allowed into the palace for other reasons anyway are allowed to take that route, of course." She smiled. "It would be pretty silly if the two of us _weren't_ on that list, though, right?"

"We'll see," Nina replied noncommittally, the same way she had to all of her sister's predictions that she'd be greeted warmly. Ryu tended to agree with the elder sibling; he didn't know the story, but he could make a few guesses, and those led him to believe that the situation wasn't one that would change just because she was coming home unexpectedly. "I doubt we'll be making it there tonight."

"Not gonna happen," Ryu said firmly, glancing up at the sky. "Sun's already starting to come down. I don't think we want to try crossing that sucker at night."

"Yeah, no." Katt glanced around, eyes settling on a likely-looking glade. "Set up camp down there tonight?"

"Sounds good," Ryu agreed, and they all headed down. "You're getting dinner, by the way, since there doesn't seem to be any water around here, running or otherwise."

"Fine, use logic." She pretended to snap angrily. "Be that way."

"If you insist."

"Come on, you two," Nina told them mildly. "If you're going to fight, do it _after_ we've all had something to eat."

"We were just kidding," Ryu replied. "Mostly."

"I know you two." Nina raised an eyebrow. "And 'mostly' could turn into an impromptu arm-wrestling match at any moment."

"Guilty as charged," Katt admitted. "All right, I'll go find something edible. I'll try not to make it bird this time."

"You know, it's not _really_ like cannibalism," Nina pointed out. "We were joking about that."

"Yeah, but I don't like the same thing two nights in a row anyways." Katt shrugged. "Even if it was good." Sniffing the air off to the east, she grinned. "And speaking of good, I do believe I smell an _actual_ wild boar instead of the kind that's colored like carrots. Pretty rare in male biruburu turf. We should take advantage of that."

"Have fun," Ryu called as she dashed off. "All right, girls, let's get our campfire set up before she gets back, shall we?"

"Of course," Nina said, and Mina nodded as well.

After their time on the road together, they'd settled into a routine in the evenings; either Ryu or Katt would procure dinner while the other helped Mina and Nina make the campfire. For several reasons, they'd avoided even small villages while in Coursair; Nina was about the only one of them who would have been wise to go into one. Once in Windia, they'd stopped by one to pick up a few supplies, but hadn't bothered staying at the inn. In a strange way, Mina actually seemed to be enjoying roughing it, and they'd all silently agreed not to interfere with that.

Neither of the Windian girls was any better of a cook than Ryu or Katt, but between the four of them, they were able to keep from actually ruining any of the meals. Once dinner was done, they spent an hour or two up talking around the campfire before turning in. On their first night, Nina had insisted on taking her turn on watch, something Ryu and Katt had only objected to lightly; it meant they would have more time to sleep, after all, and they both knew she was more than capable of it.

Tonight, however, Ryu eventually noticed that she wasn't sleeping during his turn. Mina and Katt both were, the latter snoring audibly, but Nina's eyes were open, staring up at the stars. He pretended not to notice, keeping an eye out for monsters instead; it wasn't really any of his business if she could sleep or not. When she joined him silently, however, he turned his head to give her a brief, understanding smile.

"Having trouble dropping off?"

"It happens on occasion," Nina said quietly. "There's no helping it when it does. I'll try again in a little while."

"That works sometimes," Ryu agreed. They both remained silent for some time, then, staring up at the stars, before he spoke again. "So, what _are_ you going to do when we get to Windia? Don't tell me you don't know, okay? We both know you do."

"Well, when you put it _that_ way..." she said, slightly sharply, then relaxed a little. "Explain the situation to our parents, then leave. The less time I spend in the city in general, the better for all of us involved, but getting out of the palace as quickly as possible will be the most important thing. If I'm recognized there... well, let's just say I can't let that happen."

"I think I know what you're saying." Ryu nodded. "So you'll get a room in an inn for the night?"

"Correct." Nina gave him a look. "I was considering asking you to escort me back to Hometown, but if you'll be staying here, looking for that thief of yours..."

"We didn't find any trace of her in that village," Ryu pointed out. "Could be this was a false lead too. We'll ask around once we get up there, but if we don't find anything within a couple days, we might just be heading back to Hometown after all."

"I suppose I can wait that long," Nina decided. "I might as well help you two look while we're there, too. It's the least I can do to repay you for all of this."

"Well, we won't say no." Ryu smiled again, as did she, but both were strained this time. "Hell of a couple of weeks, huh?"

"I haven't had it nearly as bad as the rest of you," Nina reminded him. "I only had to deal with _one_ demon. And your friend Bow is even worse off."

"Kinda twisted that the guy who's stayed _out_ of all this demon business so far is in more trouble than the rest of us, isn't it?" Ryu commented. "I'm glad Mina's settled down about that. I mean, it's not that I don't _appreciate_ her offering to give him the royal family's protection in Windia, but..."

"Yes." Nina smiled slightly. "It's better that she understands the situation now. I'll have to thank Katt for befriending her; she needed somebody new to talk to, after this ordeal." She glanced over at the sleeping Woren. "I know she intends on accompanying you until you catch the thief, but has she told you what she plans on doing after that? Not to insult her, but... she doesn't seem the type to put much thought into long-range planning."

"That's not really her thing, is it?" Ryu had to admit. "I already asked her if she wanted to stick around with us after that, actually, and she said sure. I'll probably ask Rand the same thing next time I see him. We were always going to go independent eventually anyways, and that means we'd need a lot more people. As far as I'm concerned, we can't really do better than those two."

"If Mr. Marks is as good of a person as Katt is, I'd have to agree." Nina nodded, then paused for a moment before continuing. "Are you and her in a relationship, then?"

"Not right now, no," Ryu replied after a few silent moments himself. "We might eventually, but not yet."

"Really?" Nina asked, then blushed. "I'm sorry, that was rude. It's just that the way you two act... it seems like it would be only natural."

"Oh, I think it's safe to say we're both feeling it," Ryu admitted. "I've never really met a girl who seems to see so much of life the same way as I do before, and I think she feels the same. We've got far too much in common for both of our own good, we're already close friends in a short period of time, and barring dying young, it looks like we're going to be working together for a long time."

"So why not?" Nina asked, sounding more curious than anything else. "That all makes sense to me. What's stopping you, or her, from taking it to the next level?"

"When I said that we had a lot in common, I didn't just mean the good things." Ryu glanced at Katt. "She's all smiles and sunshine on the surface, but she's had a pretty hard life up until fairly recently. I had Bow to back me up, but there were some bad times involved there as well. When stuff like that happens, it gets to you, deep down inside. It makes it harder to completely trust somebody, anybody, even if you _want_ to. That's the part of us that keeps things from moving as quickly as they would for a normal couple of guys our age, I guess." He chuckled self-consciously. "I don't know if that makes much sense, but..."

"No, it does," Nina said, eyes thoughtful. "That actually makes a great deal of sense. It might not to normal people, like you said, but I'm not exactly normal either."  
"Normalcy is overrated." Ryu shrugged. "Especially in this line of work." He chuckled. "Not that you're too likely to get into it."

"Am I?" Nina replied, something in her voice he didn't recognize. "It seems completely ridiculous to you?"

"Well..." Ryu thought it over. "Not really, on face value. Black mages _are_ a highly valuable commodity in this line of work, and you _are_ good. That much is obvious. Every group like the kind we're trying to start up needs a couple of good black mages. I guess what I meant was, if I'm reading you correctly, this doesn't seem like the kind of work you'd be _interested_ in getting into. You'd probably do just fine in it if you wanted to, but that'd require you wanting the job in the first place, which doesn't seem quite so likely to me."

"I suppose I can't argue that." Nina kept her eyes on him, barely any of her true feelings showing in them as usual. "Highly valuable, hm? From what you've told me, that's one role _your_ group hasn't quite managed to fill yet. So what would you say if, just hypothetically speaking, I was to ask if you were still hiring?"

"Hypothetically speaking?" Ryu looked back, mentally ordering himself not to blush or fidget or do anything else humiliating. "I'd say welcome aboard, and good to have you. Shame this is only a hypothetical, really."

"Perhaps it is," Nina replied mysteriously. "Well, I'm going to go try and get some sleep again. Hopefully I'll be able to before Katt wakes me up for my turn on the watch." Wings lifting her off the ground, she drifted away, back towards the campfire. "Have a nice night, Ryu."

"You too, Nina," Ryu said quietly, checking the Dragon's Tear once he was sure she wouldn't see him doing so. It was a solid, dark green now; about what he would have expected after their time on the road, and nothing more. Looking up from it, he glanced at Nina again, then back over to Katt, before turning away from the fire and back to wariness.

He did a lot of thinking that night, without accomplishing much by doing so, before waking Katt up for her turn and going to sleep.

_More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

The next day, they woke up early and immediately set off towards the west, reaching the Windian Great Bridge within a few hours. Even then, it still took the better part of another before they started to approach the looming city of Winlan on the far side of the gap. Nina and Mina took the trip across the bridge in stride, but Ryu felt a little edgy about the mile-long fall into the ocean so close on either side of him, and he was pretty sure Katt was thinking the same thing.

"Remember, we agreed to tell people about the kidnapping and the gang, but not about the demon part," Ryu reminded them all as they approached their destination. "They probably wouldn't even believe us, and it would make them suspicious of what we _are_ going to tell them. Let's just keep it simple and believable." There was also the fact that Mina, at least, didn't seem to be caught up in whatever the demons were doing, and the rest of them had all agreed to keep her out of it, but actually telling her that probably wouldn't go over well.

"We know," Nina said. "Don't worry, we all know how to keep our mouths shut. Here we go." They were near enough to the gated cave in the side of the opposite cliff that the Great Bridge led to that they could clearly see the guards on duty, and the two men were standing at attention, spears held at the ready. They were both wearing light chain mail along with the open-faced, dome-shaped helmets that had been the standard of the Windian Guard for ages, and were glaring at the approaching travelers with suspicion, if not outright hostility.

"This way is closed to commercial travel," one of the guards told them as they drew near. "You'll have to take the long way around, to the south. No exceptions."

"Fortunately, soldier, I'm not exactly what one would call commercial travel, and neither are my companions," Mina replied coolly, stepping to the front.

"Your highness!" The soldier gasped, and they both fell to their knees. "Forgive me. We'd heard you were kidnapped! Are these..."

"Rangers from Hometown, in Auria," Mina explained. "They had business of their own with my captors, and rescued me in the process, then offered to escort me home. It's been a long trip, and I'd like to finish it, if you don't mind."

"But your highness..." The other guard protested, staring at Nina as if she were a biruburu in a dress. "This is..."

"Is there a problem with one of my friends?" Mina asked coldly.

"Of course not, your highness!" The first guard sputtered, carefully looking anywhere _but_ at Nina. "It's just that..."

"It's fine, your highness," Nina told her quietly. "Gentlemen, let me assure you that I have no intention of remaining within Winlan. As soon as we've finished escorting her highness home, I'll go back to Auria where I belong."

"That's quite enough of that," Mina replied sharply. "We will discuss _that_ later, in private. For now, I would appreciate being allowed to enter my own home."

"Of course, your highness!" The guard jumped back to his feet and banged on the gate. "Open it up! Princess Mina has returned home!" As the startled guards on the other side began to open the gate, he turned back to them. "We'll be happy to provide you with an escort through the labyrinth, your highness. If they'd prefer, your escorts can-"

"They've brought me all the way here from Tantar in safety," Mina reminded him. "They should be more than capable of conveying me through the labyrinth to the palace as well. I _do_ remember the way, soldier."

"I wasn't implying..." The soldier struggled with it, then gave in. "Of course, your highness. As you command."

"I'm glad to hear it," Mina said dryly as the gate opened, the other guards all giving Nina the same look as the first two had. "Shall we proceed, ladies and gentleman?"

"Whatever you say, your highness," Ryu replied, somehow managing to keep a straight face, as they walked past the guards and into the caverns. The natural rock quickly gave way to a brick tunnel as they passed out of sight of the guards and began turning corners. Once they were out of earshot as well, he gave Mina a glance. "This is a new side to you, I have to say."

"They just make me so _angry_," Mina whispered, sounding more depressed than irritated now that they were away from the guards. "That stupid, stupid superstition..." Shaking her head, she floated forward, leading the way.

"We've been over this before, Mina," Nina reminded her. "That belief is firmly rooted in the people's minds, and there's nothing you, or me, or anybody can do to change their minds about that. That's why father and mother..." She paused, looking at Ryu and Katt.

"Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine with us," Katt assured her. "It's personal, right? Private. We get that. We've all got stuff in our pasts we don't want to talk about."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. "We know how it goes."

"Thank you, but... it's all right," Nina said slowly. "You both deserve to know, after how much you've helped us." She took a deep breath before continuing. "The royal family of Windia is directly descended from the lineage of both the heroes of the Light Dragons and the Wing Clan. My namesake, and yours, Ryu. In the aftermath of the Second Dragon War, the two heroes chose to defy long-standing custom and law in order to marry, something that never would have been allowed had they not literally saved the world from destruction only months prior."

"It's public record, in the history books." Ryu nodded. "The only time Clans have ever been allowed to interbreed."

"My ancestors were no hypocrites," Nina continued. "Rather than consider themselves an exception to the rules, they formed a treaty between the Dragon Clan and Wing Clan allowing intermarriage. As nice as that sounded from an idealistic standpoint, it turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. The laws preventing interbreeding to protect the Breath were all fully justified. Within only a few generations, the Breath Of Fire had been weakened to a shadow of its former self, and the Breath Of Wind was completely gone."

"I've always thought that was a little weird," Katt said, frowning. "I'm no scientist or anything, but it's not like _every_ Wing Clansman rushed right out to marry a Dragon Clansman, is it? There should have been plenty of them who kept on marrying their own kind and humans. And why was it completely wiped out if the Breath Of Fire was only weakened?"

"We can't really prove that part, since the Dragon Clan's extinct or whatever," Ryu reminded her. "Kind of have to take history at its word for that. You've got a point about the first thing, though."

"Perhaps I could have phrased that better," Nina said thoughtfully. "It might have been more accurate to say the _benefits_ of the Breath Of Wind vanished. Our national blessing became a curse instead. It became highly volatile in those who continued to hold its power. Chaotic. Unpredictable. Somebody who still held the Breath Of Wind could wake up one day and find that the ability had vanished completely, only to be restored years later at complete random. Or, far worse, they could transform into the form of the Great Bird only to find themselves unable to turn back, and be trapped in that shape for the rest of their life."

"Holy _shit._" Katt shook her head. "Yeah, if that was me, I'd just say to hell with it and stop trying. Not worth the risk."

"When you think about it, it does sort of make more sense that way," Ryu added. "The Breath isn't completely magical, after all. It's genetic, too. I'm no scientist either, but I'm pretty sure stuff doesn't just vanish like that after one generation. Things probably just started going wrong like you said, and the magical part of the equation made them go wrong for _everybody_ in the Wing Clan, not just the ones who bred with Dragon Clansmen."

"That's more or less what we believe happened as well," Nina agreed, glancing at Mina, who continued to stay several feet ahead of them, clearly wanting no part in the conversation. Sighing, she turned back to them. "At any rate, the Dragon Clan's disappearance hit Windia particularly hard. We weren't interbreeding any more-not very often, anyways-but they were still our closest allies. We were one of the first countries to abandon the worship of the Dragon God, but we didn't turn to St. Eva like the rest of the world. Most Wing Clansmen today are atheistic."

"Really?" Ryu blinked, then shrugged. "Well, hey. Not like either of us is a religious nut, or anything."

"Not sure how Ray would feel about it, though," Katt added. "Maybe we shouldn't tell him if we run into him again."

"That paladin you told me about?" Nina shook her head. "I'm afraid it's common knowledge among the clergy of St. Eva. They've been trying to persuade my father into allowing them into the country ever since he ascended the throne. That's not what this is about, though. Despite our religious beliefs, or lack of them, Wing Clansmen are actually highly superstitious. We're far more likely to believe shady folklore than word of God, thanks to the strange things that have happened to our people in the recent past."

"And one of those superstitions is why you live in Hometown instead of here?" Katt guessed as they rounded another corner of the labyrinth.

"Yes." Nina's voice turned bitter. "A quaint belief that our Clan was cursed for breaking the natural order of things and interbreeding with the Dragon Clan, as was theirs. Ever since they disappeared, certain less than rational Windians have been waiting for the day we would suffer the same fate, and be destroyed completely. Nobody knows who came up with the idea in the first place, but apparently, the sign that disaster will befall the Wing Clan is that a girl with black wings will be born from the line of the heroes."

"Wait, wait, wait." Ryu stared at her. "They think you're a friggin' sign of the _end of the world _because you have black wings?"

"Either of the world, or just of the Wing Clan." Nina sighed. "The sort of people who believe those kinds of things don't really care much about the difference between the two. It's all the same to them."

"That has _got_ to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard of." Katt made a face. "And I've heard some pretty damn stupid things. So does that mean those guards back there knew who you were? They sure were giving you the stink eye."

"I tend to doubt it." Nina shook her head. "I certainly don't remember any of them. No, they're probably not actual believers, but the superstition's spread to a lesser degree even through people who generally know better, and black wings are associated with bad luck in general. Any Windian unlucky enough to have feathers of that color is 'encouraged' to live elsewhere in the world. Fortunately, it's also the rarest color."

"Still stupid." Katt grumbled as they rounded one last corner of the labyrinth and found another gate, barricading a set of stairs leading upward. The soldiers there were clearly waiting for them, standing at attention.

"The men at the entrance sent word ahead, your highness," one of them told Mina, opening the gate. "Your mother awaits you above, in the palace."

"Thank you, soldier," Mina told him, glancing back at the other three. "Come on, everybody. We're finally back home!" Smiling again, she flew up the stairs, and Nina followed with a resigned look in her eyes, Ryu and Katt behind her.

"Er, wait," the soldier protested, looking at Nina with the same hostility as the rest of the men. "Your highness-"

"She doesn't want to hear it, bub," Ryu advised him shortly without stopping to glance back. "Take my word for it."

The stairs were long, but straight, with one more gate at the top, this one already open. Walking out through it brought the four of them into what looked like a pleasant indoor garden, with well-cultivated shrubbery and even an artificial stream. The surroundings were, unfortunately, spoiled by several _dozen_ guardsmen waiting for them around the open gate, looking remarkably unfriendly but saying nothing.

"Shit," Ryu growled. "Should have known 'sending word ahead' would go like this from those guys. Pity we didn't explain things a little better."

"You mean our kind of explanation?" Katt muttered back.

"Is there any other kind?"

"Not really." She frowned. "Think it's going to come to that here? Can't say I much like the odds at the moment."

"That will _not_ be necessary," Mina said firmly. "Mother? Are you here?"

"Mina!" An older woman in an expensive-looking white dress called back as the soldiers opened a path for her. Her wings were a deep pink, and her hair was the same blond as Nina's, decorated by a heavy-looking golden crown. She had a quiet, dignified air about her, but the same odd, solitary pain in her eyes as her older daughter. "You're safe! What happened to you? Who are these people?"

"Mother!" Mina ran through the soldiers into her arms. "This is Ryu, one of those Rangers I told you about! He and Katt came to help Nina rescue me!"

"Nina?" The Queen regarded her elder daughter without a hint of recognition. "And who is Nina, dear?"

"Mother?" Mina asked after a long moment, confused. "You know who Nina is. She's my sister!"

"Huh?" One of the guards grunted, and the others all started to mutter. "Your highness, what is this all about?"

"Mina, please," the queen said, a strained look beginning to show on her face. "I understand that you've been through quite an ordeal, but you're far too old for this silliness. You know as well as I do that you have no sister."

"Your majesty, if I may..." Nina spoke up somberly. "It seemed the leader of the criminals was under the misapprehension that we were related. We're still not quite sure why. He was incorrect, of course, but... well, as you've said, it's been quite an eventful period, and her highness hasn't fully recovered."

"That seems to be the case." The queen looked back at her, her face completely blank. "Thank you, young lady. And you, Mister... Bateson, wasn't it?"

"Just doing my job, your majesty," Ryu explained carefully. "We'd been contracted on some unrelated business with the Jokers anyways, so we took the liberty of freeing her highness while we were there, and she asked us to escort her home. Our next job was in the city, so we were more than happy to oblige."

"The royal family of Windia is grateful to you, then." The queen turned away quickly, arms still around Mina, who was watching the proceedings in silent, growing despair. "We won't keep you, then. Captain, give them a few hundred zenny for their services and accompany them to the door." She paused at one of the doors out of the garden, still looking away. "And give the poor girl something to cover her wings. If something were to happen to her in the city because of that ridiculous superstition, it would reflect poorly on the royal family, and we would have to take decisive action. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, your majesty." The apparent leader of the guards saluted, then turned to one of the others as she ushered Mina out of the garden. "You, get a cloak, immediately. And you, go see the treasurer about that zenny." As the guards scrambled off, he turned to Ryu. "Right this way, Mister Bateson. We'll wait for them at the entrance."

"Of course," Ryu agreed, just as neutrally, and the three of them followed the Captain through the castle, not really bothering to look at their surroundings much; all three of them were focused on keeping themselves controlled. The two guards were waiting for them at the door, one with the cloak, the other with a pouch of zenny.

"Be careful out there," the captain told them, looking away. "We're all very grateful for the service you've done to the royal family today. We'd appreciate it if there wasn't any further trouble in the near future."

"We don't plan on causing any," Ryu told him firmly as Nina draped the cloak over her back. There was no further exchange of words; the doors to the castle opened, allowing them out, and then closed firmly shut behind them. None of the three of them spoke as they crossed the bridge over the moat, nor did they look back, even once. Only when they were a fair distance away did Katt deliberately walk into a shady alley. A few moments later, the telltale sounds of gratuitous violence filled the air.

"I'm sorry," Ryu said quietly as he and Nina waited for her to finish with the unlucky would-be muggers.

"Don't be," Nina replied. "It's a bad situation, and one that none of us can help. I've known for a long time that this was the way the world worked."

"It's bullshit, is what it is," Katt snapped, coming back out of the alley with blood on her fists. "You've got the prettiest damn wings I've ever seen, and I don't see any reason you should have to hide them. Anybody tries to tell me otherwise in this city, I'm not responsible for my actions. Just want to get that down here and now."

"I really should be raising some sort of objection to this." Ryu shook his head. "Somehow, though, I can't quite find the motivation to do so." He looked around. "Come on, let's go get something to drink."

"Isn't it a bit early for that?" Nina asked, clearly seizing the opportunity to talk about something less personal.

"I didn't mean alcohol." Ryu shook his head. "We've got work to do first."

"Awwwww," Katt grumbled.

"Plenty of time to recover from a couple weeks of forced sobriety on the road _after_ the bars open," Ryu assured her. "Right now, let's just get some juice or something while we think about our next move." A streetside cafe provided both fresh grape juice and a place to sit and drink it. Getting a table outside, the three of them watched the street traffic as they sipped at their cups, all of them clearly still thinking about the events at the castle and just as clearly agreeing that they had no intention of talking about it.

"Hey, folks! Come and see the traveling magic show, over here!" A Highlander Clansman was calling out to passersby in a park across the street from them. Simian in form, the Highlander Clan were short and lanky, with thick brown fur and apelike faces. This one was a young adult by the looks of him, with cunning orange eyes; he wore somewhat threadbare blue shorts and an open vest, a bandana around his neck. Dancing around as he juggled balls, he continued to try and attract attention. "Come one, come all, a new sensation guarantees no obligation!"

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" Katt asked wryly.

"It means gratuities are appreciated, but not required, young lady!" The showman shouted at her across the street. "Come see for yourself!"

"Well?" Katt asked the other two.

"We could all use a little something to distract us, I suppose." Ryu shrugged, finishing up his juice. "Nina?"

"We might as well," she agreed, watching the showman do a handstand, continuing to juggle with his feet. "He seems to have some talent." Standing up, they crossed the street to join the few other bystanders watching.

The Highlander was a skilled entertainer, that much was obvious. Combining legerdemain with acrobatics and keeping up a running line of humorous commentary the entire time, he soon had a few zenny thrown into the cap at his feet. Encouraged by this response, he stepped up his game, pulling several bizarre props out of a sack and using them in inventive tricks that garnered him even more handouts.

"And now, for my next trick, I'll require a volunteer from the audience!" He called out as he pulled some flat boards up from where he'd been standing, quickly assembling them into a seven-foot square blue box with bright yellow question marks on the sides. "Using my fantastical magical abilities, I shall make some brave soul vanish into thin air, right before your eyes! You, sir! You there! You look like a brave young man!"

"Huh?" Ryu blinked as the showman approached him. "Wait, what?"

"Don't tell me you're afraid?" The Highlander asked loudly. "Why, whatever would the young ladies accompanying you think?"

"Yeah, what _would_ we think?" Katt teased.

"You stay out of this," Ryu growled, ignoring Nina's giggling. "All right, mister performer, I'll bite. What do I have to do?"

"Just come right this way!" The showman led him over to the box, opened one side of it, and bowed deferentially. "Step inside, and take a ride!" As Ryu did as he'd instructed, he closed it behind him and continued to talk, his voice echoing inside the wooden box. "Now then, let the magic commence! Agrabah! Akbar! Arronio! _Shazam!_" He struck the box's side, and beneath Ryu's feet, the bottom collapsed, dumping him down into the darkness below.

"Hey, what the-!" Ryu started to protest, then cut off with a pained grunt as he hit solid dirt several feet below. Up above, somewhat distantly, he could hear the sounds of the show concluding with a great deal of applause. Looking around in the darkness, he quickly realized what had happened; the box had concealed a hole dug deep in the earth, which the collapsing floor had dumped him into. It was a good six feet deep; reaching up, he felt the bottom of the box above his head, as solid-seeming as it had before.

An obvious solution presented itself, but before he could apply it, he noticed something else. Most of the voices were moving away, but two of them were growing louder. He couldn't quite make out what Katt and Nina were saying to the showman, but whatever it was, they sounded angry. After thinking about that for a moment, he smirked and relaxed, leaning against the side of the pit and listening to the argument above him.

After several minutes, he judged that the conversation was probably reaching its climax by the tones of their voices, and acted accordingly. Drawing his sword, he stabbed it up through the wooden floor and wiggled it around. After only a moment, he was rewarded with surprised yells from the girls, and pulled the sword back down, sheathing it again and waiting. It wasn't long before the box was pulled out of the way, exposing the hole to sunlight again.

"There you are!" Katt yelled, leaning down over him. "I should have known it was something like that!" Reaching down, she grabbed his hand and easily pulled him out of the pit. "This clown was going on about another dimension or something, and then he tried to get us to go on dates with him!" She whirled on the cringing showman, who was slowly backing away, unaware of Nina floating behind his back.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked coolly.

"I, uh, um..." The Highlander stammered, hands raised. "That is to say, I can totally explain this..."

"Sure you can, buddy." Katt advanced, cracking her knuckles. "Go ahead. Start explaining _everything_ to me."

"Are you all right?" Nina asked, floating around the ensuing discussion towards Ryu. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, it was just a nasty little fall." He shook his head. "I've taken worse. Looks like he was just trying to pull a stunt, not actually hurt anybody."

"Some stunt," Nina said wryly as the sounds from behind her grew more and more violent. "We should probably stop her before the guard arrive. This isn't Coursair, you know."

"Somehow, I gathered that," Ryu agreed, actually looking around the city more carefully for the first time now that his anger had cooled.

Winlan was by far the nicest-looking city he'd ever visited. One of the oldest in the world, it had been built on top of a series of ridges leading up to its mountaintop, seaside location on the edge of the Windian Chasm. The castle occupied the peak, and each successive level below it held other buildings, the more expensive-looking the closer they were to the top. Even the lower ones were tall and well-built, though; there didn't seem to be an actual slum anywhere to be seen. The buildings were all standing independently of each other, and windmills decorated the upper portions were common.

"Must be an interesting place to live," Ryu said quietly, looking around. "Where do they stuff people like me and Katt?"

"It's not _that_ bad." Nina shook her head. "Drifters just... aren't approved of, that's all. There's inns and taverns down on the lower levels. I think they count on people who don't like this kind of place to get uncomfortable and move on all by themselves. That usually happens."

"I'll bet," Ryu agreed. "So what about asking questions? Are _we_ going to get asked to stop bothering the nice people if we go around talking about a thief girl we're looking for? Those guards up there weren't exactly subtle."

"My parents never would have allowed that when I lived here," Nina said quietly. "But it's been ten years since then. I don't know how much has changed."

"Great." Ryu sighed, then glanced past her. "Oh, here we go. Looks like she's done." Katt was bringing the showman over to them, marching him before her at arm's length. Surprisingly, he actually didn't look _too_ busted up, only a few bruises and lumps visible.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry, ma'am," he said, bowing formally. "It won't happen again."

"Good boy." Katt let him go. "All right, take off."

"Wait, hold on." The Highlander glanced up again, eyes keen. "I heard you guys talking. You're looking for somebody, right? A female thief?"

"Listen, you-" Katt started to growl.

"Just a second, Katt," Ryu told her, looking the Highlander over. "He's right. We're looking for one who robbed a nobleman back in Hometown. Our lead says she was heading in this direction. I doubt she'd pass a place like this up, even if it was out of her way. Why do you ask?"

"I'm pretty good at hunting down information," the showman explained, rubbing his hands together. "And I've been in town long enough to know where to do it. Why don't you guys let me make this whole mess up to you by seeing what I can find?"

"An interesting offer," Nina murmured skeptically. "And what would you ask in return for this service?"

"Nothing much, I assure you," the Highlander promised. "It's just that I'm starting to wear out my welcome around here, and I never really cared much for traveling on the road alone. A little dangerous without anybody to share the watch, you know? So I figured that if you folks are going to be heading out yourselves fairly soon..."

"You want to tag along, huh?" Katt glanced at Ryu. "I don't know. What do you think about this, Ryu?"

"Well, maybe." Ryu casually examined the Dragon's Tear, trying to look like he was just toying with it while thinking the showman's offer over. To his surprise, rather than the deceptive orange he was expecting, it showed yellow. Looking over it, he weighed up his thoughts on the Highlander a second time. "I guess it can't hurt to hear you out. Let's see what you can bring us, and then we'll talk. Deal?"

"Deal, boss!" The showman seized his hand, arm extending a surprising length, and shook it warmly. "You're not making a mistake, trust me." Releasing it, he glanced down the ridges. "There's a nice little tavern near the southeast gate called the _Ampora_. Why don't I meet you there in two hours, and we can talk?"

"All right, we'll do that," Ryu agreed. "See you there, mister..."

"Sten!" The Highlander grinned. "Sten Legacy. See you in a few!" Pedestrians were passing by around them again now that the violence had stopped; stepping back, Sten vanished into the crowd so easily it was almost like invisibility.

"Well?" Ryu glanced at Katt and Nina. "What do you think?"

"I'm not so sure about this," Nina said skeptically. "He seems a little shady."

"_We're_ a little shady," Katt pointed out. "I don't know, I'm kind of on the fence on this one. Wait and see, you know?"

"This, after you blackened his eye for him just five minutes ago?" Nina commented, but her tone was jovial.

"I do that to a lot of guys." Katt shrugged. "We told you all about how I met Ryu here, didn't we?"

"When you get right down to it, it's not our call," Nina pointed out. "He's the fearless leader, isn't he? We're just backup."

"I guess he kind of is, when you put it that way." Katt rubbed her chin, then turned back to Ryu. "Well, fearless leader?"

"Oh, brother." Ryu rolled his eyes. "Look, there's more to this guy than meets the eye, okay? He was acting different than when he was selling us bullshit. I figure we might as well hear him out. Besides..." He remembered the way the man's arm had shot out three feet in an instant to shake his hand more firmly than he'd expected. "He was talking about not wanting to be on the road alone, but I have a feeling he might be better in a fight than you'd think."

"He _does_ have a point there," Katt agreed. "I could tell while I was whacking him around that he wasn't fighting back on purpose. If I'd actually tried to hurt him badly, I don't think it'd have been anywhere near as easy."

"Just as long as it's not because he likes that kind of thing," Nina murmured. "I sincerely hope that's not the case."

"Oh, ew." Katt made a face. "No, if _that's_ what it is, he's gonna wind up in a trash can before we leave town." She gave Ryu a glare, irritated by his amused look. "_What?_"

"That's interesting to hear coming from you, after the things you were saying back before our fight in Coursair," he replied calmly.

"Dammit, I didn't mean any of that like _that!_" She sputtered. "What kind of girl do you _take_ me for, huh?"

"I'm beginning to regret introducing this topic of conversation," Nina said to nobody in particular. "Can we please talk about something else?"

"We might as well look for a good inn," Ryu suggested. "We'll be staying at least one night, no matter what Sten finds for us." He examined his wallet, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe hit some shops as well. Say what you will about these last few weeks, the zenny's really been coming in. We might be able to actually buy some good gear now."

"Why don't we look around a bit, first?" Nina suggested. "We don't really have to rush _that_ much." She was looking around the town now, her eyes melancholy.

"She's got a point," Katt agreed quickly. "It's a nice little place. Not really the kind I'd usually rush to visit, but hey, a little novelty now and then is cool. Why don't we just take it easy tonight? I'd say we've earned it."

"All right, I know when I'm outvoted." Ryu chuckled. "I'm fine with drifting around for a few hours before we head to that tavern. Let's do some sightseeing."

Despite their lack of formal education, Ryu and Katt weren't idiots; they didn't need Nina to tell them that their tour would be best kept to the lower levels of the city, and definitely away from the palace. Because of that, they didn't encounter any more trouble for the next few hours, locating a comfortable-looking inn fairly quickly and then spending some time simply enjoying the sights before drifting over to the local armory. After examining the local prices and talking them over, they picked up a chain mail vest for Ryu and some enchanted robes for Nina and Katt both.

The sun was just starting to set when they made their way to the _Ampora_, where Sten had told them to meet him. Somewhat to all of their surprise, it wasn't one of the more shabby examples of the trade; the owner had taken the roof off and replaced it with a latticework of beams interwoven with leaves and vines. The look was novel, and very Windian; even Ryu and Katt had to agree that it wasn't a bad touch.

"I'd hate to be in here when it rained, but it's kind of cool right now," Ryu admitted, staring up at the sky as it caught fire while he nursed his mug of ale.

"There are anti-weather spells over the top of the building," Nina murmured, sipping the wine she'd decided on, slightly surprising both of the other two; they hadn't really expected her to be a drinker at all. "Strong ones. Either somebody paid a lot for them, or one of the staff is in semi-retirement after an entirely different career when they were younger. It's more common than you'd think."

"An ex-mage bartender, huh?" Katt shrugged, looking over her new "armor" somewhat skeptically; they'd had to do some fast talking to get her to agree to the purchase, and she still wasn't completely convinced. "Hey, I've heard weirder."

"The protective magic that's been woven into it will still work if you cut them down," Nina assured her, guessing the reason for her discontent. "It won't provide quite as much defense as Ryu's chain mail, but it should still be a step up from that leotard."

"I'll need to do that so it doesn't get in my way when I'm fighting." Katt nodded. "That's why I don't wear the heavy stuff like him. It'd weigh me down too much, and defensive isn't the way I fight anyways." Taking a gulp from her own mug, she glanced around. "So, how long are we going to wait here for this guy? I'm all for a few drinks, especially after today, but we shouldn't stick around _all_ night."

"Well, here's the good news," a familiar voice said from the far side of their table. "That won't be necessary." Smiling, Sten rose from under the table and took the fourth seat, signaling the barmaid without even looking.

"How the hell did you do that?" Katt demanded, looking under the table and then back at him several times.

"Told you I was a magician, didn't I?" Sten winked. "Sorry again about that mess earlier, by the way. When I see a cute girl, I just can't help myself."

"It's in the past," Nina told him firmly.

"What she said," Ryu agreed. "Did you find what we need to know?"

"The usual, Sten?" The barmaid asked as she passed by.

"You got it, Rosa," Sten called back, then turned to Ryu again. "Listen for yourself, boss. There's been burglaries in town, all right. Two houses of the lesser nobility, three wealthy merchants, and one retired _professor_ all got hit over the course of the previous week. The last house was exactly a week ago in three hours and fifteen minutes, so the thief has probably fled the city by now." His grin grew even wider. "A female thief, aged thirteen to sixteen by the looks of her, with hair the same color as yours, boss."

"That's her!" Ryu yelled, slamming his mug on the table, then winced as several nearby people turned their heads to look curiously at them. "Sorry, sorry." Despite his embarrassment, though, he wasn't quite able to hold back his own grin quite so easily. "And you're sure this girl is the one who robbed all these places?"

"Maybe not _all_ of them, but the last house had an eyewitness account from the man himself," Sten explained. "He described her _very _accurately. I told her I was looking into bringing her to justice, and he was all too eager to be helpful. Probably more out of wanting revenge than out of altruism, but hey, information's still good."

"Indeed it is," Nina agreed, eyes thoughtful. "Tell me, Mr. Legacy, how did you know the one we were looking for was a blue-haired adolescent?"

"I didn't," he admitted. "But the description that last guy gave me _is_ fairly distinctive, so I figured I'd just drop it and see if you guys reacted. Looks like I was right. And that's not all I have. The morning after that last theft, the gate guards reported a 'strange' young girl leaving the city and heading further west, towards Capitan."

"That _is_ where the main road leads from here," Katt replied thoughtfully. "It's the most likely place she'd head next, if she was on a major looting spree."

"Sounds like it," Ryu agreed, then handed the barmaid some zenny as she brought Sten his mug. "On me, miss. Our friend here's earned it."

"Why thank you, boss." Sten took the mug and drank deeply from it. "I take it from that, that we have ourselves a deal?"

"All right, you've convinced me." Ryu shrugged. "We won't be heading to Capitan right away, though. We've got a trip to make back to Hometown, first."

"That might not be the best idea in the world, chief," Sten advised him, voice turning serious. "This girl has a one-week lead on you. I'm guessing you've been looking for her for a while now, right? Let that lead get any longer, and she'll probably lose you again, whether she knows you're after her or not. Now that you've finally got something, you'll want to narrow that lead as quickly as you can. It's the only way you'll ever catch her."

"We know, we know," Katt snapped. "But..."

"Actually, I'm in agreement with Mr. Legacy," Nina said suddenly. "This is too valuable to pass up. We need to pursue her, as soon as possible. Catching the thief and clearing your friend's name take clear precedence over bringing me home."

"You don't expect us to just leave you here, do you?" Katt protested.

"She's right," Ryu agreed. "It's completely out of the question."

"Actually, I was going to ask if you minded if I came along as well," Nina explained.

A few moments of silence followed that statement.

"Wait, wait, wait," Sten piped up. "Let me see if I get this clear, boss. You've got not one, but _two_ cute girls helping you track down _another_ girl, and you were going to send one of them back home?"

"Shut up," Katt said absently without any real heat. "Are you sure, Nina? I mean hell, _we're_ cool with that, but the magic school..."

"I think Yoji will understand, and what he says, goes," Nina replied. "He's well aware that my stay there was always an unusual one. Of course, he might not agree to pay you for recovering me from the Jokers, but I'll try and talk to him about that."

"Don't worry about it," Ryu said firmly. "If this is what you want to do, that's more important any day. Like Katt said, we'd be more than glad to have you along for the ride. Both as magical backup, _and_ as a friend."

"Well then." She raised her glass, smiling even with her eyes. "To catching a thief, ladies and gentlemen." The other three all raised their mugs.

"So, what's the story behind all this?" Sten asked after they'd finished their drinks and called for refills. "Sounds like you've been after this girl for a while now. I'm kind of curious about the whole thing, now. You said a buddy of yours had been framed?"

"Essentially," Ryu admitted, leaning back. "All right, might as well. The night's young. Let's see, where to start..."

It was a good night, one that went far better than the day had. Sten had an easygoing, talkative manner that was hard not to like; though Katt and Nina remained slightly suspicious of him at first, they relaxed more as they began adding details about their parts in the story, and as they went through more and more rounds of drinks. They left the demonic parts out of it, but told the rest honestly, and Sten was duly impressed. By the time they left the tavern a few hours after sundown, it was like he'd been with them all along.

As it turned out, Sten was even staying at the same inn they'd eyed, and they all headed back together, Ryu having to help a somewhat dizzy Katt walk straight. Nina fared slightly better, due to floating rather than walking, but still had one close call with a torch. Laughing at their own drunkenness, the four of them bade each other goodnight and went to their rooms, Ryu falling asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, they set out on the great western road after breakfast, leaving the city through the southernmost gate. Ryu, Katt and Nina all nursed slight hangovers, but Sten was as cheerful as ever, though he quickly sensed their mood and kept his witticisms under control. Before too much time passed, they started to recover, and by noon they were more or less back to their normal selves.

The attack came swiftly and without warning. They were passing by a clump of trees when Sten yelled a warning, dropping to the ground. The other three followed suit, as wooden arrows flew threw the air above their heads. Without a word, Nina sprayed the trees with lightning, and the culprits emerged, hissing angrily; two green, reptilian humanoids in white breastplates, with long snouts and lashing tails. Each held a longbow in their hands and a quiver of arrows on their backs; even as they scrambled from the lightning, they reached for another arrow each.

"Oh, no you don't, assholes!" Katt roared, racing towards them much faster than Ryu could keep up with. She didn't run alone, though; Sten was with her, long limbs eating up the ground despite his small stature. They were on the enemy even as they drew back their bowstrings, attacking before they could release. Katt's staff crushed the head of the one on the left, while Sten struck out with his hands at the rightmost one. Only when he pulled them back, leaving deep, bloody wounds in the archer's chest, did they see the long daggers he held. Both enemies collapsed, clearly dead, as Ryu and Nina caught up.

"Nice work," Katt said casually.

"Fairly routine." Sten shrugged. "Wish I had some better blades, but you know how that goes, right?"

"We all do," Ryu agreed. "You've got good eyes. That might not have gone so well if you hadn't seen those guys."

"Kimoto Clansmen." Nina shook her head in disgust. "Savages, the lot of them. The lesser tribe infests Windia and Nanai; this probably won't be the last time some of them try picking us off before we arrive."

"We'll just have to watch out for them, then." Ryu looked over the bodies a moment more, then pulled the silver dagger he'd taken from the Jokers out of his belt and handed it to Sten. "Here, try this. Looks like it'd be better than the ones you've got."

"Not exactly military standard, but not bad at all," Sten replied, flipping it casually to test its weight. "You sure, boss?"

"It's not like I'm getting much use out of it," Ryu pointed out. "I prefer longer blades. If we're all going to be watching each others' backs from here on out, I'll feel better if you've got at least one you can rely on."

"I appreciate it." Sten nodded, oddly serious and businesslike as he returned his daggers to concealed places in his clothes. A moment later, though, he was smirking again, looking more like his normal self. "Come on, let's see if they've got any zenny on them. I might even forgive 'em for trying to kill us if they do."

"I'm pretty sure there's a logical fallacy in there somewhere, but I'm not sure where," Ryu said dryly, watching him and Katt loot the bodies. In only a few minutes of violence, something had changed between them and Sten; it wasn't much, but something was there now that hadn't been before. When they were done, he inclined his head west. "Let's keep going, shall we?"

"Whatever you say, boss," the Highlander replied easily as the four of them went back to the road and returned their journey west, under the noon sun.

_AND I THOUGHT THAT I'D FOUND MYSELF TODAY _


	9. Chapter 8: The Plague Of Monsters

_**Chapter 8: The Plague Of Monsters**_

The road from Winlan to Capitan was one of the most well-traveled highways in the world, and certainly the most in the north. Any traveler from the area knew at least part of it by heart, stretching from the two capital cities in the northern central territories in as straight a line as the builders had been able to manage. The border between the two countries was carefully patrolled, and soldiers made regular sweeps of the road to ensure that it was _mostly_ kept bandit-free.

"Of course, they don't tell you what a frozen hellhole it is in the winter," Katt commented to the other three as they left the border behind them. Ryu had shown them his badge and explained that they were on Ranger business, telling a mostly factual story about chasing down the thief. The other three had been explained as "hired help," which was partially truthful as well, and they'd gotten past without a hitch. "Nothing personal, Nina, but trying to make it through here around this time of year on foot? Bad idea."

"I'm aware that the snowfall is a bit severe," Nina admitted. "Let's just be glad it's summer right now, then."

"Which makes it the perfect place to be this time of year," Sten chimed in. Over the past couple weeks they'd been on the road, all three of them had slowly warmed up to the cheerful Highlander more and more; there was something about his personality that made it impossible to stay angry with him for very long. "Ever been to the Isle of Tunlan in the summertime? _Worse_ idea, take my word for it. Especially with all this fur."

"You've been to _Tunlan_?" Ryu asked incredulously. The isolated island in the middle of the ocean where the natives communicated through music rather than words was the stuff of legends among wanderers. "Seriously? No, come on, tell us another one."

"No lie, boss." Sten chuckled. "For some reason, my act didn't do too well there, though. Maybe it's because I'm about as musical as a herring."

"A musical herring would be a pretty impressive act, actually," Katt pointed out. "Hey, I see the place. About time we got here."

"Is this lodge still operating?" Nina asked curiously as they turned right, altering their course towards the cabin that was now visible to the north. "It's been a long time since I visited it, for obvious reasons."

"I don't think that lodge is _ever_ going to shut down," Katt replied. "Every traveler in this half of the friggin' world knows about it. With this much ground to cover between Winlan and Capitan, it's a godsend."

"I've been looking forward to it for days now," Sten said, rubbing his hands together. "It'll be good to relax indoors, even it is for one night."

"I was about to say, let's not get _too_ comfortable here," Ryu said. "It's all well and good to enjoy ourselves tonight, but we are on a mission."

"Yeah, yeah, back on the road first thing tomorrow, we know, _boss_," Katt teased him as they approached the lodge. It was set up in the center of a narrow mountain pass, a wide wooden cabin with two floors. There was a heavy fence around the front of the lodge, but the gate was open, welcoming travelers. Leading the way in, she knocked on the door before opening it and peeking inside. "Hey! Anybody in here?"

"More travelers?" A stout, cheerful-looking bald man asked, looking up from the book he was reading behind a desk. "Oh? Miss Chaun, isn't it?"

"That's me, all right." Katt grinned. "Business still doing well?"

"No complaints here," he replied, glancing at them as they walked in. "Ah, Mr. Legacy as well. I was wondering if we'd see you again. And, let me see here..." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Ryu. "I don't suppose your name would happen to be Mr. Bateson, would it?"

"You've got one hell of a memory." Ryu chuckled. "It's been a long time."

"Indeed it has." The man looked at Nina as well, face blank, then turned back to Katt, smiling again. "Well then, four of you? That will be ten zenny apiece for one night, so forty total. Unless Mr. Marks is outside as well?"

"Afraid not." Ryu shook his head as they all counted out the coins. "He's staying with Bow, down south, at the moment."

"Ah yes, Mr. Dogi." The man took their money, nodding. "I'm glad to hear he's doing well. Will the rooms at the back of the upper hall be satisfactory?"

"Sounds good to me." Ryu glanced at the others, and they nodded. "Anybody else staying here right now?"

"Well, yes." The man's smile vanished. "There are a few travelers, and most of them are pleasant enough folks, but... last night a group of mercenaries came in as well, and I have to say, I don't like the looks of them. They seem like the kind who give the profession a bad name. I'd appreciate it if you were careful around them."

"We'll try and stay out of their way." Sten nodded, tone unlike his normal, jocular one. "How bad are we talking here?"

"I wouldn't like to take it to court, but I wouldn't be surprised either to learn that they were involved in the slave trade," the man explained quietly, glancing towards the door to his right nervously. "They were joking about having some sort of arrangement with the Kimoto, but I'm not entirely sure it _was_ a joke."

"That says it all, doesn't it?" Nina replied, speaking for the first time since they'd come in. "Thank you for warning us."

"I just don't want any trouble, that's all," the man said quickly.

"We can get behind that," Sten agreed. "We won't cause any." Opening the door the right of the desk, he led the way into the lodge's common room, taking up most of the rest of the first floor. Instantly, his face returned to its normal, cheerful expression. "So, the rooms in here are two-bunkers, right? How're we going to divide that up?"

"How do you _think_, genius?" Katt rolled her eyes. "Girls in one, boys in the other."

"Eh, just thought I'd ask." He shrugged. "There was a chance one of you was going to go with Ryu."

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Nina muttered, looking around the room. Her eyes widened as she saw a young woman about her own age in a green dress with short, brown hair at one of the tables. "I don't believe it... Baretta? Is that you?"

"Yes?" The woman looked up. "Have we met... before..." She trailed off, her own eyes growing just as wide. "Nina? It's been forever! I never thought... what are you doing in this part of the world again?"

"I'm traveling with my friends, here," Nina explained. "We're just passing through. It's somewhat of a long story."

"An old buddy of yours?" Katt guessed.

"Yes, we've been friends since we were children," Baretta replied. "Although it's been a long time since we've seen each other, considering..." She paused, eyes unsure.

"It's all right, we all know," Sten said as he sat down, ignoring the startled looks that statement got from the other three. "Personally, I think it's complete bullshit, but it's not exactly like the Windian government is asking my opinion, you know?"

"Oh, don't even get me started." Baretta rolled her eyes, recovering from her awkwardness quickly. "When she had to leave, it made me so angry... but that's all in the past now. It looks like we've both changed a great deal since then."

"Indeed we have." Nina took a seat as well, and Ryu and Katt followed suit. "What are _you_ doing out here? Aren't you working at the armory any more? I did think it was a little strange that we didn't see you when we stopped by there."

"I'm looking for somewhere to set up shop, actually," Baretta explained. "It turns out Fritz's son wants to inherit his father's business after all, so I'm not going to be able to take over once he retires. And there really isn't any need for another one in the city, so..." She shrugged helplessly. "I'm meeting my uncle Lemington here. He's a traveling weapons salesman, so I'm going to tag along with him until I find something."

"You work in smithing?" Katt grinned approvingly. "Okay, you're cool in my book. That's one field that definitely needs more girls in it."

"I know, right?" Baretta agreed. "I'm kind of afraid of that being an issue, actually. That nobody will give me a fair chance just because I don't have a... well, you know."

"If that keeps happening, you could always try down in Highland," Sten suggested. "There'll be other problems there, of course-my people aren't exactly too fond of outsiders-but gender doesn't come into it. If there's a place that needs you, you should be able to talk them into giving you a chance, and they'll warm up eventually."

"I'll keep it in mind," she said thoughtfully. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He winked.

"Don't start liking this guy _too_ much, either," Katt added jokingly. "He's a real smooth talker. Hey, looks like we're getting some food." A man with a strong resemblance to the one behind the desk was walking towards them. "Hey. Whatcha got?"

"Beef, bread, and beans." The man rattled off. "And turnip soup."

"Some of each, all around?" Ryu glanced around, and they all nodded. "Ale for us guys and Katt, too, and wine for Nina there."

"I'll have ale as well," Baretta added.

"Four zenny apiece," the man replied, then smiled as they paid him. "Be right up in just a few minutes."

"Cool." Ryu nodded.

"So, what kind of long story is this, exactly?" Baretta asked, glancing at Nina again. "The last time you sent me a letter, you were still enrolled at the magic school in Auria, right? What happened to that?"

"I graduated a few months ago," Nina lied easily, without a trace of self-consciousness. "After that... well, I've sort of hired on with a group of freelancers. My friends here." She nodded at Ryu.

"We're out here chasing down a thief who raised a lot of hell back in Auria," he continued, following up on her story casually. "The last we heard, she was heading over towards Capitan, so we're following her there."

"I thought you might be heading towards Capitan," Baretta murmured, eyes uneasy. "If so, be careful. Some of the people I've talked to here have been coming from there, and they've all been saying something bad is happening. People are disappearing, and they don't know why. I'm hardly a professional, but you might want to watch your step."

Ryu, Katt and Nina all traded a weary glance, then sighed heavily in unison.

"It never stops." Ryu sighed as the cook brought them their food and drinks. "Maybe we should be glad nothing like _that_ happened when we were in Windia, at least."

"No kidding." Katt took a gulp of her ale. "What do you think it's going to be _this_ time? Slavery ring, maybe? Some Kimoto paying assholes off to kidnap people and drag them out of town to get sold off somewhere?"

"If that's the case, then we'll deal with it," Nina said grimly. "I'm sure whoever's in charge in Capitan will be all too grateful, too. You're both right, though. Can you believe I was actually hoping things would be simple and uncomplicated for once? What was I thinking?"

"You young kids have _got_ to work on that optimism problem of yours," Sten joined in, using the same world-weary tone as if he'd been along for the Joker and Augus incidents. "The more time you spend in this line of work, the more you learn it's _never_ that easy."

"Wow." Baretta was looking at them all a little oddly, especially Nina, but she was smiling. "You _have_ changed, Nina. It sounds like you should be able to handle whatever's going on there, but try to be careful all the same, hm?"

"We'll do our best." Katt winked. "Just keep in mind, we're not exactly good at 'careful.' But we'll try, all the same."

Before any of them could add anything to that, further discussion was cut off as the door leading out behind the lodge slammed open, and five newcomers walked in, talking and laughing amongst themselves raucously. All of them were wearing identical shabby red clothes, and had close-cropped, dyed electric-blue hair. Crossing to the bar and leaning on it, they began shouting orders for food and ale at the cook.

"Oh, it's them," Baretta muttered under her breath. "I was hoping they'd stay out later."

"The gang of mercs the guy running this place told us about, I take it?" Ryu asked, just as quietly.

"That's them." She nodded. "They've been staying here while they look out back in the Owlwoods for something, for several days."

"Hey, everybody!" One of them yelled, quieting the room. "Anybody here know anything about the Owlwoods? We've been looking out there for a few things for a few days, but no luck so far. We could use some info."

"Well, for one, the uparupa migrate here in the autumn," a scholarly-looking man in one corner of the room offered after a few moments of silence. "They come here to eat the owlfruit that give the woods their name."

"No shit, pops?" Another of the group asked, spitting on the floor. "Yeah, we heard there were uparupa up here. One of the things we been looking for. Didn't mention that part about only coming in autumn, though. You sure about that?"

"Yes." The man nodded firmly. "Once they've eaten up the harvest, they return to their normal homes in seaside caves." He paused. "Why were you looking for one?"

"Shit, pops, you don't know?" The first one shook his head. "Those things sell for thousands of zenny. Pretty good for an overgrown rat. There's even a freakshow going around the world right now that's promised us payment already for one. If they ain't here right now, though, we're screwed. So much for that one."

"I wouldn't recommend it, gentlemen," the scholarly man said hesitantly. "Uparupa are dangerous enough when there's only one of them. When the entire pack comes, anybody in their way would be ripped to shreds."

"We can take care of ourselves, old man." A third one chuckled, all of them taking their mugs of ale from the cook. "That leaves the other thing, then. Anybody here know anything about some girl who lives in the forest out back with ivy for hair?"

"Just the local legends," a middle-aged woman told them. "The ones everybody knows. Why do you ask?"

"Same reason." The first one grinned nastily, all of them draining their mugs with remarkable speed and motioning for more. "So we can sell her. Ivy for hair... that ain't any Clan that's legally recognized, which means she's fair game, whoever she is."

"Slave traders." She frowned. "You think the government will just turn a blind eye to your activities?"

"You think _we_ don't know the way the law works?" Another of them replied easily. "Any clan doesn't want to join civilized society like the rest of us, then civilized society ain't gonna do shit for them, either. Which literally makes what we do just plain earning an honest zenny, and it sucks to be the folks who we bring in."

"Even if the laws allow this, God will not," an old man snarled. "St. Eva will punish you for this outrage one day!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, geezer, but that ain't the way it goes." The first one smirked. "St. Eva's always been just fine with us, mostly because we make sure and donate ten percent of everything to his churches. The priests look at us awful funny, sure, but it's right there in the doctrine, so they can't tell us no, and that ain't changing any time soon. Let's hear it for civilization, folks!" They all raised their tankards and started laughing.

"I've lost my appetite, all of a sudden," Nina muttered. "Something in the air, perhaps. I think I'll go upstairs."

"I'm with you." Ryu nodded shortly, as did Baretta; Sten seemed to have vanished while they hadn't been looking.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a bit," Katt told them, standing up. "Gonna go look around out back for a while." Finishing their drinks and setting them down, they left the table, Katt going out the back door while the other three headed upstairs, all of them doing their best to ignore the mercenaries as they ordered a third round.

The upper level of the lodge was where all of the bedrooms were located, the doors branching out from a long hall. They quickly located theirs at the back; as Ryu had remembered, they were pleasant if not fancy, nothing special but more than enough to suit their needs. Nina and Baretta split off once they were done inspecting them, going into the smith's room to catch up on their past, leaving Ryu alone for the moment.

The last door at the end of the hall led out to a balcony, with a ladder up to the lodge's roof, which he climbed up, wanting some time to think. It was a clear, warm night, and the stars were shining brightly. He wasn't sure how long he sat up there, watching the sky, before he heard the door opening below followed by the sounds of somebody else climbing the ladder.

"Thought you'd be up here," Katt called as she came over the rooftop, walking over to sit down next to him. She was looking slightly scuffed up, with light scratches and scrapes on her arms and shoulders, but didn't seem to care.

"You know me." Ryu glanced over at her. "Have fun out there?"

"Found a couple of dragonflies to help me let some stress off." She shrugged. "It helped a little."

"Nice." Ryu whistled. It wasn't completely unimaginable to think that she'd brought a couple of the man-sized, predatory insects down herself, but it was still surprising that she hadn't been injured more in the process. "They really got to you down there, didn't they?"

"Was it that obvious?" She asked, looking up at the stars.

"A little." He turned his own gaze skyward as well. "Normally, we'd have had to hold you back from beating the shit out of them. Down there, though? You didn't even say anything about it. That was different."

"Yeah," she agreed, waiting a bit before continuing. "My Clan's kind of a weird one, you know. We don't have lands of our own, and most of us don't have homes we stick around at for long. All Woren Clansmen are really hot-spirited; we tend to not get along with each other, even married couples. The only exception's when they get too old for it; that's when they join the elders who live in Prima. They're the ones in charge of Clan Law."

"Sounds like a pretty good retirement plan to me," Ryu said. "I'm guessing they represent your Clan at World Council meetings, too?"

"You guessed it." She sighed. "Our Clan actually has a treaty with the Maniro Clan to provide housing for the elders. It's been a system for as long as anybody can remember. But it's a lot shakier than you'd think. We're so bull-headed, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the old ones stopped showing up at Prima if they had something else going on. There are so few of us around that it wouldn't take much of that before there was nobody left."

"I get it," Ryu muttered. "And if that happened, there wouldn't be anybody representing your Clan at the World Council any more."

"Yeah." She brought her knees up to her chin and hugged them, still looking away from him. "Which would mean we wouldn't be rec... recog..."

"Recognized."

"Thanks." She sighed. "Recognized as a legal Clan any more. We'd be in the same boat as that girl in the woods they were talking about. That could be _me_, if some old men and women I've never met and probably never will screw up."

"If she's got ivy hair..." Ryu replied thoughtfully. "Well, that doesn't sound like any Clan _I've_ ever heard of. Could be an entirely new one, and the first contact they have with the rest of the world is being captured and sold by assholes like that. How many other undiscovered Clans are there out there that might get the same treatment?"

"Exactly." She bit her lip. "And not just those ones, either. I'm no fan of assholes like the Kimoto or the Harpies, but thinking about _anything_ being completely legal to do to them... even they don't deserve that."

"Sounds to me like you want to change the way the world works," Ryu said after a long, silent moment.

"Maybe I do." She shook her head then, smiling ruefully. "Geez, listen to me. I can't even hold down a job, and I'm talking about messing with the whole world's laws. You ever start thinking like that?"

"Every now and then," Ryu admitted. "Most of the time, I try to keep my mind on business. But sometimes... yeah. I spend some time thinking about how the world works, how I'd do things different if I could. Hell, you never know. Maybe one day when _we're_ all old geezers, we might even be able to actually do something about it."

"You think we'll live that long?" Katt asked, her tone mildly curious. "We are kind of in a high-risk line of work."

"Some days I wake up, I'm surprised I lived _this_ long," he replied. "No point in _planning_ on dying. And the nice thing is, high-risk means high-pay, too. If we _do_ make it that long, chances are we'll be rich, too. Maybe at that point, we _will_ be able to do something."

"Heh." She chuckled, smiling then. "Yeah, you've got a point. On both counts. Live for today and dream for tomorrow, then?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," he drawled. "How about you?"

"I can work with it." She leaned over and gave him a hug, then stood up. "I'm going to go turn in. Thanks, Ryu."

"For what?"

"For listening." She was still smiling as she left him, climbing back down the ladder to the lodge's balcony.

"Heh heh heh." The sound of chuckling drew Ryu's attention to one corner of the roof. Sten was there, sitting on the edge, legs dangling precariously over as he looked out at the forest. "You two are pretty close, aren't you."

"You could say that." Ryu glanced over at him, but didn't stand up to walk over. "How long have you been there? Didn't even notice you coming up."

"A little bit." Sten shrugged it off, turning to look at him as well. "Didn't want to intrude, so I just stayed quiet and tried not to listen."

"I appreciate it," Ryu replied dryly.

"Any time," he shot back. "While we're both up here, though, I'd appreciate it if we could talk a little too, boss."

"That's different." Ryu raised an eyebrow. "All right, I'm listening."

"Glad to hear it." Sten turned his head away again. "I'm just gonna come right out and say this, since it's kind of awkward. Thanks for giving me a chance, back there in Winlan. I was kind of surprised about that myself."  
"It was a safe bet," Ryu replied calmly. "Hearing you out, that is. Didn't cost us anything, and once you'd shown us you knew what you were doing..." He shrugged.

"You never thought about what if I cut all your throats while I was on watch one night, then?" Sten asked, tone casual. "Or not for long, anyways. I noticed you had somebody watching me anyways the first few times, but after that you all stayed asleep. You've got good instincts, boss, but you're a little too trusting. Might want to work on that."

"I'm fairly sure you're not a serial killer," Ryu told him. "You don't seem the type. And if you don't get your kicks that way, not much reason _for_ you to off us like that. It's not exactly like we're rolling in zenny."

"You've got a fair amount." Sten shrugged. "You adjusted the numbers on what you made from all these adventures you've been on recently, which was smart, but you went too far. A bribe that small would be a joke, and so would all the others. Plus, I could sell everything else you have. That sword. Your armor. That jewel you've got around your neck." He glanced over at Ryu. "So, what's it do when you look at it?"

"Now, how the hell did you figure that one out?" Ryu asked after a long, silent moment. "Even the girls haven't spotted that, or at least they haven't said anything about it."

"You glance at it an awful lot, especially when you're talking to people," Sten explained. "And it changes colors when you do. I try to keep my eye out for things like that. A lot of the time, they tell you a lot more about a guy than what he says." He chuckled dryly. "I still wasn't sure, of course. But it was enough to make me ask, and it looks like I was right."

"I have _got_ to stop doing that." Ryu made a face. "To answer your question... the color shows how somebody's thinking about me. That's all. It's not really all that special."

"So, it reads people's minds?" Sten asked, and there was an edge in his voice that hadn't been there before.

"No, no." Ryu shook his head. "It's more like... it reads _emotions. _It can't tell what you're thinking, just what you're feeling." He glanced at it again, and frowned; the yellow had darkened all of a sudden. "That's why I gave you a chance, I guess. Because I could tell you kind of liked us, too. It didn't tell me for sure that you weren't trying to scam us, but it was a pretty good hint. And that was good enough for me."

"I guess that makes enough sense." Sten relaxed, an almost invisible tension seeming to leave his wiry frame, and the Dragon's Tear went back to its previous bright yellow. "You're still a little fond of taking risks, aren't you?"

"If it's worth it." Ryu shrugged. "Seemed like it was, in that case."

"Well then, maybe your lucky streak will keep going," Sten replied casually. "And maybe one day, you'll feel like telling me what you left out, the _last_ time you told me how this thief hunt's been going, hm?" Before Ryu could answer, he stood up and started walking away. "Right now, though, it looks like you've got some more company, so I won't take up any more of your time. Chatting with a cute girl's bound to be more fun than a couple guys like us yakking it up all night anyways. See you tomorrow, boss."

"Right," Ryu said, unable to come up with anything better. As the Highlander began descending the ladder, he glanced around the roof. "Hey, Nina."

"How did you know it was me?" She asked lightly from behind him. "It might have been Katt instead."

"She already came up to talk with me tonight," he explained, turning to face her. She was sitting on the roof, hands flat on it behind her, leaning back to look up at the stars. "Sten too, as you can see."

"You're popular tonight, it seems." She smiled briefly, and like so many times before, he was struck by how beautiful she was.

"Seems that way." He glanced down at his hands, struggling not to let his thoughts show. "You were good down there, in the common room."

"With Baretta, you mean?" She replied quietly. "I can't say it felt good to lie to my friend. But that common room was hardly the place to say who I really am, and telling her the full story would have made that obvious."

"It's the kind of thing that a group like us gets used to," he told her. "A lot of the time, for a lot of different reasons, the whole truth just isn't going to work. Coming up with a good partial story, and then having everybody else go along with it, is part of the job description. Although that might not mean much to you, if you don't ever plan on going into this line of work, long-term."

"I suppose it might not," she agreed, hesitating for a moment and biting her lip before she went on quickly, almost as if she was afraid of staying silent. "If I didn't. I suppose that's what I came up here to talk to you about. Long-term."

"You told Baretta down there that you'd hired on with us, after graduating from the Magic School," Ryu said, neutrally, after taking a moment to get his emotions under control. "How close are you to graduating?"

"It would be a formality only," she replied. "I've learned everything that the teachers there can teach me. I only went to classes in order to keep my attendance up; I just spent my time in the back studying further by myself, and they let me. They all knew. From the point I'm at, it's either finding somebody to apprentice under or self-study, and I don't have anybody lined up, which makes it the latter. Which requires zenny."

"I suppose it would, at that." Ryu nodded. "Look, Nina. Have you thought this all the way through?" He regretted the words as soon as he'd said them, but it was too late to take them back; a shadow passed over her eyes instantly before she closed them.

"I'm sorry, Ryu," she told him, turning away. "I'm wasting your time. I don't know what came over me. I'll leave you alone now."

"Hey, hey, wait," Ryu said quickly. "That's not what I meant at all. I just meant to ask if you were sure you want to go into this line of work. It's... I don't know how to put this."

"Not the sort of thing you'd see me choosing normally?" She guessed, still looking away from him. "I suppose it's not, no. I certainly never would have thought I'd be inclined to it, before all this started happening. I probably would have laughed, if you'd asked me. And yet..." She glanced back at him then, her green eyes hesitant. "These last few weeks... they've actually been fun. Despite everything, I've actually enjoyed traveling with you and Katt. I've never been quick to make friends, but both of you... you're different, somehow."

"Maybe..." Ryu said slowly, trying to figure out the right words for what he was thinking and feeling. "Despite everything we don't have in common... maybe it's because we're more alike, deep down inside, past all the things that _are_ different about us. It's kind of a feeling I got about Katt and Rand. That they were like me and Bow. I think maybe you too."

"'So come all you losers and bruisers and fools, rejects and dejects and drop-outs from schools,' is it?" She asked, quoting an old song he'd heard a hundred times in taverns, usually when the drinks were running particularly heavily.

"Something like that." He grinned before tossing off another. "'Come on son, I know a place where mugs like us belong.' I'm surprised you know these kinds of songs."

"Keep in mind who my roommate was," she reminded him.

"Good point," he conceded. "The answer's 'yes,' by the way."

"You're sure?" She asked again, and something in her eyes was empty now. "You don't have to pity me, Ryu."

"I'm not," he promised her. "I swear it. On... on the name of the Queen of the Sky, or however it goes." He didn't remember the exact words of what Joker had tried to make Nina say, but he thought that was close.

"Ryu, don't," Nina told him, eyes wide now. "You don't know what that means. How much it represents."

"I don't care," he replied, and meant it. "Look. I won't make you sign a contract or anything; if you meet Bow and Rand and Niro and don't get along with them, or take one look at where we're going to live and decide to reconsider, we won't blame you. But if you want to stay the course... we'd like that. I'd like that."

"So would I." She turned then, and gave him a quick hug, one much faster and more hesitant-more fragile-than Katt's had been. "Thank you, Ryu." Before he could think of a way to respond to that, she was gone, wings carrying her over the edge of the roof down to the balcony without need for the ladder.

He spent a long time more up there, alone under the sky with his thoughts raging through his head, before going to sleep as well.

_More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

The four of them rose early in the morning, before anybody else in the lodge, and left after eating, returning to the road. Though nothing had changed on the surface, all of them were aware that that night had altered things, subtly but definitely. Ryu suspected that the other three had met with each other as well as with him, but by mutual, unspoken agreement, nobody spoke a word of any such conversations. In the end, he decided that everybody would probably figure out what they needed to know through intuition and instinct, if not private dialogue, and that was good enough for him.

They proceeded along the road to Capitan in good camaraderie, Ryu and Katt taking turns providing dinner; Nina and Sten couldn't hunt or fish, but the latter at least proved himself to be adept at scrounging up fruits and berries to complement the meal. Now that they were in Nanai, Nina's wing color no longer drew attention, so they often stopped by in small villages and towns alongside the path in the evening for a drink or two to bring with them for the evenings. None of them ever forgot that they were on business, but they saw no reason not to enjoy the pleasant northern summer either.

A few weeks later, they arrived at their destination. Capitan was the capital of the land of Nanai, the largest of the human countries. During the time of the Dragon Wars, it had been three separate lands; Nanai, Romero and Gust, divided by a massive mountain range. One of the freak earthquakes that occurred every few centuries had had a catastrophic effect on the northern kingdoms, sinking half of Gust and most of Romero into the ocean while flattening the mountains. In the aftermath, Nanai had absorbed the remains of both countries into itself by general agreement, forming a single, unified northern country.

Despite this, Capitan was hardly the ideal picture of a capital city. The original capital of Nanai had been a casualty of the Second Dragon War, and constructing an entirely new one had taken several generations, attracting architects and builders the world over. Almost as soon as the Ruling Council had declared that the city had finally reached a complete state once again, the earthquake devastated it anew, as well as relocating it to the new seacoast, and even greater numbers of construction professionals had flocked to the city to assist in rebuilding it once more.

As a result, modern Capitan was known as the architectural seat of the world. Following the disaster, the Ruling Council had thrown up their hands and made construction and renovation their national occupation, challenging experts the world over to demonstrate their expertise. The city was thus a chaotic mishmash of more than a dozen different building styles. Pleasant, simple houses stood next to harsh, private fortresses. Wooden cabins on raised legs elevating them into the sky were side-by-side with dreamlike fairy manors. Dark towers loomed, and golden palaces sprawled.

"What a mess," Ryu offered his opinion as they wandered around under the morning sun. For some reason, the streets were oddly empty, only a few furtive pedestrians going about their business. "Can you imagine trying to navigate around here? It'd be one thing if all the buildings were similar in their own areas, but this is just chaos. There's no logic to it at all that I can see. It's like somebody just thought, 'hm, this would be a good place for a freakin' huge tower, and maybe a log cabin on stilts across the road from it.' Yeesh."

"No kidding." Katt shook her head. "Hope we don't ever have to give anybody directions around here. 'Take a right at the huge weird gold temple-looking thing that people actually live in.' Yeah, but _which_ huge weird gold temple-looking thing that people actually live in? I've seen at least half a dozen here already, and we've only been here what, an hour? I don't even remember which direction we came in from."

"South," Ryu informed her.

"Gee, thanks."

"No charge."

"The Ruling Council is a bit... eccentric... about all of this," Nina conceded. "It probably doesn't help that many of the greatest builders are _on_ the Council. Still, I understand the Capitan School of Architecture is by far the best in the world for an education in that particular field." She smiled briefly. "Assuming anybody can find it reliably."

"There's a pattern here," Sten told them. "It's just tricky to pick up. You spend some time here, you start to learn it. I'm guessing you'd prefer not to stay that long, though."

"Not by a longshot." Ryu nodded. "We're not here to sightsee. It's probably too much to hope for that our thief is still in town, but the sooner we pick up information on where she went, the more we'll be able to narrow her lead on us."

"There's also what Baretta warned us about," Nina reminded them. "Something's happening in this city, and everybody knows it. We should see what we can find out about that, as well, in case we become involved." She rolled her eyes. "As usual."

"Split up and ask around, then?" Sten suggested. "We should be able to cover a lot more ground fairly quickly that way, and we can meet up somewhere in a few hours."

"Normally, I'd agree with that." Ryu frowned. "But in this mess? No matter where we chose, we'd spend all day just finding it again."

"You have any better ideas?" The Highlander asked.

"Well..." Ryu started to admit that he didn't, then froze. Crossing an intersection several streets away was a familiar figure in heavy plate armor, his long blond hair blowing freely in the wind. "No way. Hey, Ray, is that you? Ray Braddoc?"

"Yes?" The paladin turned his head, and his eyes widened. "Ryu and Katt? What are you doing here?"

"What kind of a way is that to greet some old buddies, huh?" Katt grinned as he walked towards them. "We could ask you the same thing!"

"I suppose you could, at that," he admitted, glancing at the other two. As he saw Nina, his eyes widened, but he recovered quickly and turned back to Ryu. "It seems you've picked up some other companions as well. Is Mr. Marks not with you?"

"He's back with my buddy Bow at the moment," Ryu explained. "These are..." He hesitated, suddenly wishing he'd asked Nina what surname she'd been enrolled under; obviously, it wasn't her actual one.

"Nina Windfree," she said, nodding. "And Sten Legacy."

"You're the guy who helped these two out with that mess over in Coursair, right?" Sten grinned, shaking Ray's hand. "They told us about that."

"We're still looking for that thief I told you about," Ryu explained, relieved. "We were just going to start asking around about her when I saw you. What about you? Are you just passing through here, or...?"

"If only." Ray shook his head. "I've received orders to investigate the disturbance in this city. I was on my way to do something about that."

"We heard about that ourselves." Katt dropped her grin. "Is it that bad?"

"They've closed the port," Ray told her grimly. "There aren't even any ships left. They've all departed already, and I doubt they'll be back until the problem is resolved."

"Shit." Ryu swore. "If the thief's crossed the Gulf of Gust, then, we'll be out of luck until we take care of that."

"Knowing our luck, then, boss?" Sten rolled his eyes. "Don't even need to ask any more, 'cause that's where she'll be."

"Probably," Ryu admitted.

"Well, then." Ray's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps I could talk the Ruling Council into hiring you to give me some backup. The more I learn about this incident, the more I think I'm going to need it, and I am here at their request, after all."

"Come on, Ray." Katt grinned. "We still owe you one from Coursair, and we'd have to wait until this was cleared up anyways. We'll help you out."

"Not that I'm objecting, but there's nothing wrong with helping out a friend _and_ getting the guys in charge to pay us for it," Sten pointed out.

"Couple of problems with that," Ryu told him. "For one, if the Ruling Council's already got a paladin on the job, they might be reluctant about hiring a bunch of bums they don't know for the same damn thing. And for two, the Ranger's Guild branch in this city are a bunch of by-the-book tightasses. There's a reason we're not dropping by _there_ to ask about the thief, and that's because they wouldn't tell me shit until they'd confirmed my story with Elder Allen back in Auria. If I went over their heads for something like this, they'd probably have me thrown out of the Guild."

"On the other hand, there is such a thing as being rewarded for a good deed," Nina added. "Should this be as serious as Mr. Braddoc thinks it is, the Ruling Council will probably feel highly grateful towards us for volunteering to help him. It probably won't be quite as substantial as if we'd been hired, but it's something."

"Good points all around." Sten held up his hands. "All right, I'm in."

"Glad to hear it." Ryu turned back to Ray. "So, what's the case this time?"

"Monsters," Ray explained. "One month ago, the largest public well in the city dried up. Those who went in to investigate never returned, and others began to disappear as well; there were reports of horrible beasts stalking the streets at night. Then, to make matters worse, yesterday a young boy was among those who vanished. The head of the Ruling Council led a party of men into the well to try and rescue them. They haven't been seen since."

"That sounds bad, all right," Ryu growled. "Any idea what kind of monsters we're dealing with? It can't be anything that's normally found locally. The people here would know how to deal with that by themselves."

"Judging by the descriptions of what the people have seen at night..." Ray closed his eyes. "It sounds like creons."

"Creons?" Nina murmured, as the other three all exchanged blank stares and shrugs. "This is bad. I thought those were supposed to be extinct. Not to mention, they were only found in the Desert of Arad when they were alive. How on earth could they have resurfaced here, of all places, and why would they be living in a well?"

"I'm aware of the improbability, believe me." Ray shook his head. "However, I've shown the witnesses pictures in zoology books, and they all agree that what they saw were adult creons. I'm not sure how they've resurfaced, but... while most creons did indeed live in the desert, according to the textbooks, a queen terrapin would live in an oasis. It seems she'd require a body of water in order to survive, which explains the well."

"Indeed it does," Nina agreed. "Your knowledge is impressive, Mr. Braddoc."

"Ah." Ray glanced away, actually blushing slightly. "Thank you, Miss Windfree." Recovering, he turned back to them. "At any rate, our mission is clear. We'll have to exterminate the colony, and rescue any villagers left here."

"One question." Sten raised his hand. "For the benefit of those of us without a sufficient background education... what the hell is a creon?"

"Predatory insects the size of a horse," Nina told them. "They used to infest the Desert of Arad back during the days of the Dragon Wars. Fast, strong, vicious, and difficult to kill. Nearly mindless, so we won't be able to scare or intimidate them. Supposedly, they have a weakness to Water Magic, but I don't know any, and it likely wouldn't apply to the terrapin anyways. According to zoology books, those are supposedly somewhat larger-the size of a small building, roughly-and possess a great deal of magical power themselves."

All five of them exchanged a long glance, even Ray and Nina.

"This is going to suck, isn't it?" Katt said eventually.

"More or less, yes," Ray admitted. "But if we don't stop them, the colony will only expand further. At the moment, there are probably only a dozen or so adult creons. Allowing them to continue growing, however..." He shook his head. "The entire city could become nothing but one huge creon nest within months. I cannot allow that to happen."

"Man's got a point," Ryu agreed. "We need to stop this here and now. Which way to the well, then?"

"It's right over here." Ray led them through the streets to an open square, where a well large enough to fit a wagon down gaped, dry and empty. Descending iron rungs set into its side, they found that underneath it lay a spacious cavern, with tunnels branching out in half a dozen directions. Despite the lack of water, all of the earth still looked damp in the dim light. "Normally, all of this would be underwater. The Creons must have built some kind of blockade."

"Makes sense that the queen would prefer stagnant water, I guess," Sten added. "Since she lives in an oasis, I mean." He blinked as everybody looked at him. "Hey, I might not read any fancy books, but I ain't stupid. So, which way to we go?"

"Down this way," Ray murmured, turning to face one direction. "I sense a foul presence. Something corrupted... wrong."

"That's where the worst of the smell is coming from, too." Katt wrinkled her nose. "It reeks of bug from down there."

"There's a powerful source of magic, as well," Nina agreed. "I can actually feel it, all the way from down here. That's got to be the terrapin."

Sten and Ryu glanced at each other, then shrugged.

"This way it is, then," Ryu said, a moment before something blue and fast darted out of one of the holes to their left, slamming into Ray.

The creon was hideous, a termite-like monstrosity as large as any of them, coming up to their waists while flat on the ground. Six spindly, clawed legs rose from its sides before jointing sharply downwards, supporting a plated blue body. The head was a horror, with no visible eyes, only antennae both above and below the bare-gummed maw bristling with fangs. Hissing, it dived on the paladin as it brought him down, going for his face.

"Shit!" Katt snarled as a second one lunged out of another cavern, heading for Ryu. She intercepted it from the side, smashing it away, only for it to turn on a dime and come for her instead, biting at her staff and missing before charging at her legs.

"Nina, help Ray!" Ryu yelled, drawing his sword. "Sten, with me and Katt!" As the beast clawed at her legs with its foreclaws, he brought his sword down from overhead, aiming for the point where its head and body connected. Unfortunately, it was moving too fast, and the blade only barely penetrated its body, drawing blood but nothing more. Snarling, it whirled on him instead, latching onto his leg.

As he howled in pain, Sten leaped onto its back, daggers plunging into the wound he'd opened again and again, deepening it. It thrashed around, trying and failing to knock him off, before Katt smashed it right in the teeth with her staff, stunning it. As it hesitated, fangs and blood spilling from its maw, Ryu stabbed it through the wound on its back, this time impaling it completely. Still struggling, it turned to face him, then collapsed with a heavy sigh.

The three of them turned back to Ray and Nina just in time to see the two of them finish their own battle. They'd managed to knock the creon away from them, and before it could rise, they both cast magic simultaneously, two different spells both channeling the air around it. Nina's blades sliced into the head joint, carving in from both above and below, and a moment later, an atmospheric detonation compounded the damage, blowing the head and body completely apart.

"The Bomb spell," Nina said, apparently recognizing it. "You're quite talented, Mr. Braddoc. I hadn't realized paladins were trained in both white and black magic."

"Most of our training is in white magic, but St. Eva requires that we be able to defend against magical threats as well as physical ones," Ray explained, then made a face. "Although that doesn't help much when you're foolish enough to attempt something like this without getting a replacement helmet first. Thank you for helping me. You're quite skilled yourself." He glanced back at the other three. "You still have that sword, I see, Ryu. Good."

"Looks like you've picked up a new one yourself," Ryu noticed; the sword in Ray's hand was identical to his own. "That's good, too. It looks like bronze wouldn't cut it against these. They're hard enough to take down with good solid steel. What happened to your helmet?"

"A skirmish with some Kimoto." Ray's eyes darkened. "I used it to bait their arrows, and it didn't survive the affair. Godless heathens, the entire Clan... though I'd gladly take another fight with them over these monstrosities."

"They're tough customers, all right, but they've got their weaknesses," Sten said, eying the corpses. "They can't jump at all, by the looks of it, or stand up on their back legs alone. Probably can't roll over on their backs either; their legs aren't built right for it. Those head joints _look_ like an obvious weak point, but they're hard to nail when they're moving so fast. Might be better to try for a bigger target unless you can get 'em to hold still long enough." He glanced at Nina and Ray. "Do we have to worry about poison, too? Insect monsters are pretty bad about that."

"According to records, creons weren't poisonous," Ray assured him. "And if these ones are, I'll be able to purify it."

"Good enough." Ryu nodded. "As long as we only fight them one or two at a time, anyways. If more than that come up, we're screwed. Will they come to defend the terrapin if we attack it?"

"Doubtful." Nina shook her head. "On both counts. Creons are hive-minded, but they're hunters nonetheless; once one or two have seen prey, they're territorial about it, and the rest will keep away until the fight's over. The terrapin will be even worse; once we engage her, she'll be so angry that she'll want to kill us herself."

"A stupid enemy is a gift from the gods." Sten rubbed his hands together.

"Damn straight," Ryu agreed, seeing Ray wince, but refrain from objecting. "What do you say we track it down before any more find us, then?"

"Best idea I've heard all day." Katt nodded.

The five of them proceeded deeper into the well, down the tunnel towards the source of the infestation. Another creon charged them once, but it was alone, and they were able to dispatch it without _too_ much trouble. Before long, they emerged from the tunnel into a wide, open cavern mostly filled by a vast pool of still water. Another man was standing on the shore, looking across a chain of rocks to an island in the center of the water, where a small boy was huddled, arms wrapped around his legs in obvious fear. Two of the rocks held creons atop them.

"Sir!" Ray called to him. "What's going on here?"

"They have my son!" The man shouted back, not turning away. "Those things won't let me near him. What am I going to do?"

"Allow us, sir." Ryu tried to give him a reassuring smile. "We're professionals." He glanced over at the other five. "Looks like your guess was wrong, Sten. They wouldn't have been able to get up on those rocks at all unless they can hop... or swim, which I doubt."

"Definitely not." Nina shook her head.

"Guess they can do it if they really have to, then," Sten acknowledged. "They just don't like it. You realize fighting them hand-to-hand on those rocks is a losing proposition."

"Indeed it is." Ray nodded. "Some well-placed magic, on the other hand, should be more than sufficient to knock them off into the water."

"We'll have to do it in one hit, or else they'll come after us," Nina pointed out. "There's also the matter of the terrapin. Having those soldiers die so close to her will almost certainly bring her out of the water."

"We can't get the civilians involved," Ryu decided, then glanced at the man. "Could you get over there and grab your boy if those creons were gone, then come back? Quickly?"

"Easily," the man assured him; he'd been paying attention to the conversation. "I've done far worse just working around here."

"If we're going to fight that thing on the island, I'm more worried about you two," Katt pointed out. "Nina can just fly over, and me and Sten could manage this easy, but... agility isn't really your strong point, Ryu. And Ray... you're wearing _plate mail_. Enough said."

"Don't worry about me." Ray shook his head. "Magic, remember? I'll be able to cross as easily as Miss Windfree."

"Lucky," Ryu muttered. "I can make it. Maybe it won't be pretty, but I'll make it. Tell you what, I'll go last, so I don't slow the rest of you down."

"The two of us first, then." Sten nodded. "So we can keep the terrapin off of this guy and his son, if it goes for them. Nina and Ray float on over; you don't count, but wait until that thing surfaces. If it goes for you first while you're over water, you'll be dead meat. Cross at the same time as this fella; Ryu, you come after him. Once you're out of the way, he can get out of here while we kill the terrapin. Nice and simple."

"Except for the part where we have to kill it," Nina pointed out. "It won't be easy."

"'Easy' isn't in the job description," Ryu reminded her. "Care to get us started, then?"

"Very well." Ray concentrated on the rocks, and Nina did the same. Twin bolts of lighting flickered out, blasting the Creons off of their perches and into the watery depths, electrifying the water as well. The monsters sank without a struggle, and an instant later, a watery roar of fury filled the cavern as it began to shake.

"That did it, all right!" Katt yelled, leaping across the rocks. "Let's go, Sten!" The two of them crossed with remarkable speed, reaching the island as something huge and terrible began to rise from the water. The townsman began jumping across, with somewhat less grace and speed, but he was clearly in no danger of falling. Ryu followed, much more clumsily; several times he almost slipped, but managed to regain his balance.

When they were about halfway there, the terrapin rose in a geyser of water that nearly reached the roof of the cavern.

It was a true horror, something from a bygone age that should have stayed in the past where it belonged. Most of its body was covered in glistening white, perfectly round eggs the size of a human head, the monster's massive bulk trailing down into the water out of sight, its actual length left to the imagination. The fore of its body was what crawled onto the edge of the island, two white plated limbs digging into the shore with long, red claws while two more hung at the sides of the head, ready to defend it if necessary.

Its head was even more hideous than the normal creons, two sets of teeth bristling from lipless gums flanked by pulsing, fleshy pink cheek pouches. A single red eye glittered malevolently, and a long, conical head plate stretched back above it, covered in spikes and ridges. The worst thing of all, though, was felt rather than seen; when it had emerged, Ryu suddenly picked up a hideous buzzing in the back of his mind, appearing there directly without using his ears. By the way the others were all buckling, they felt it too.

"Daddy!" The little boy screamed. "Daddy, it hurts! It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts-"

"I'm here!" The father told him, reaching the island and snatching him up. "I'm here now! It's all going to be okay!"

"Get him out of here!" Ryu told him, clambering onto it as well as Ray and Nina crossed the water, the former levitating himself with a glow of magic. "It didn't start until this thing came up! Get him out of the well and it'll stop! Go!" Running past him, he joined Sten and Katt as they advanced on the beast. "All right, ugly. Let's shut that mouth of yours!"

The terrapin responded immediately, meeting them head-on with a blast of fire from its mouth, the flames washing over them all and igniting their clothing. Yelling, they all plunged into the water, then turned around and pulled themselves back out immediately, climbing back onto the island's shore before it could come after them there; fighting it in the water would have likely been nearly instant death.

"Well, _that_ sure as hell didn't work," Sten growled as Ray healed him and Katt; they'd both been burned more severely than Ryu, who'd only been singed.

"No shit!" Katt snapped. "How are we going to kill this thing if we can't even get near it without that happening?"

"Those cheek pouches are where the flammable gas is stored," Nina told her. "If we damage those it won't be able to breathe fire any more."

"It's not magic, then?" Sten frowned.

"No." She shivered. "Its magic is what's infecting our minds. This abomination needs to die, and quickly."

"Can do." Ryu drew his blade. "Something this huge, we've pretty much got no option but to take it apart piece by piece anyways. Mind giving us a distraction?"

"Gladly." Nina concentrated, and threw out her arm, flinging shots of ice magic all along its visible length. The terrapin recoiled, hissing, and Ryu dashed forward, Ray by his side.

"You two hang back!" He told Katt and Sten. "Try after us, if we don't-" He cut off as the terrapin breathed fire again, covering them both with flames. Yelling, he threw himself in the water again. Coming up, he saw that Ray had used his magic to bring some up, dousing himself, while Katt and Sten had moved in after the blast, attacking before it could spew another. Staff and knives both did their work, and the cheek pouches were split open as the terrapin shrieked its rage.

As its cry filled his ears, the buzzing inside his head rose, overwhelming his thoughts. A horrible, inhuman consciousness completely unlike anything sentient had seized him, pulling his mind into itself like quicksand. As if in a dream, he saw himself climb back onshore, regain his footing, and then leap at Nina, hissing like one of the creons. The startled Wing Clanswoman was unprepared for his attack, and she went down under him, feebly trying to keep his hands away from her neck. He was saying things, he could tell, but he couldn't make out what the words spilling from his lips _were._

"Ryu, what the _hell_?" Katt yelled.

"It's controlling him!" Ray shouted. "Hit him in the head, quickly!"

"Ryu..." Nina whispered as he throttled her, slapping at his face. He was still talking, saying something under the Terrapin's control, but yet had no comprehension of what it was the monster was making him say. A sharp rap on the head cleared the foul grip from his mind, and he fell back away from Nina, head spinning. She sat up, wheezing, as he stared back at her, shuddering as he remembered what it had felt like.

"Oh, St. Eva," he started to say, then dove aside on instinct alone just in time to avoid Katt's strike. Rolling away from her staff, he turned to see that her eyes had gone completely white, and that she was hissing in anger as she stalked him. "Whoa! Katt, fight it! It's got you!" Unfortunately, she showed no signs of doing so.

"It's taking control of our minds," Nina gasped, rising back into the air. "We have to stop it, but how... the eye!" She pointed at it; the glittering red sphere had turned just as white as Katt's. "That's how it's making mental contact with us!"

"You three do something about that!" Ryu told them, backing away from Katt as she discarded her staff, swiping at him with her bare fists. "If we snap her out of this, it'll just grab one of you instead. Seems like it can only hold one of us at once. I'll keep her busy-whoa!" Katt had swept his feet out from under him with a low kick. As he tumbled, she reached out, arms wrapping around his back and pulling him close to her.

"_Ryu, how long until you leave me?_" She hissed, her teeth bared in a twisted grin as her arms tightened with far more strength than most people would have thought her to have. "_Everybody leaves me. They always do. I'm so lonely, Ryu. I won't let you go._"

"Any... time... people!" Ryu growled as she gripped him tighter and tighter, pain wracking his body. Just as he heard and felt his own bones starting to crack, Sten dove on her back and knocked her on the head, and Katt released him, falling away as well. Knowing what was coming now, Ryu swung at the Highlander's head, but Sten leaped back, releasing Katt and landing on his feet, hideous grin bared under dead white eyes.

"St. Eva..." Katt whimpered, then snarled. "This thing is _dead! _What's happening?"

"It's got Sten now!" Ryu told her, keeping pace with the Highlander. "Ray, Nina, how're you doing?"

"I can't get a clear shot at the eye, and Ray can't reach it!" Nina called back, throwing a fireball that sizzled and died on its forehead plate.

"Damn!" Ryu grunted, grabbing Sten's wrist as he lunged at him. Swinging around into the air, the Highlander landed on Ryu's back, locked his legs around his waist, and began throttling him with his free arm.

"_Back to the front, grunt!_" He snarled in Ryu's ear. "_Get a hold of yourself, soldier, or I'll kill you where you stand myself! Now get back out there and die like a man!_"

"The hell...?" Ryu choked out before Sten released him, falling off; Katt had hit him, but her eyes hadn't turned white. Turning around, he saw Nina grinning horribly, and swore under his breath before diving on her again, pulling her from the air and pinning her to the island. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sten sitting up, with a completely different look in his eyes; the simian rogue looked murderously furious, his face actually more intimidating now than it had been when he was under the terrapin's control. Snarling, he and Katt ran at the monstrosity once more.

"_Ryu, why do you like me?_" Nina whispered, struggling vainly against him. "_What do you see in me? I don't understand it at all..._" She trailed off, eyes snapping back to normal in a flash, as another roar from the Terrapin filled the air. "Ryu! Are you all right?"

"Hurt," he admitted. "But I've had worse." Glancing over his shoulder quickly, Ryu saw that Sten had managed to plunge his old, cheap dagger into the terrapin's eye; the blade was red-hot, burning out what it hadn't punctured. The Highlander was scampering back now, as Ray and Katt swung at its head with sword and staff, chipping out pieces of carapace with each hit. "Come on, we've still got a bug to squash!"

"Indeed we do," Nina agreed, rising back into the air and raking the beast with lightning once more. "Look out, it's attacking again!" The terrapin's claws had seized the island, and it leaned back, actually shaking the entire landmass. The vibrations knocked them all down, slamming them to the earth with brutal force and then tossing them into the air to come down again several times before they subsided.

"Great," Ryu grunted, prying himself back to his feet. "All right, looks like those claws are next!"

"How many ways of trying to kill us does this thing _have_?" Sten yelled.

"It might not look like it, but we _are_ winning!" Ray yelled, healing Ryu. "It can't actually extend its head to bite us, so those teeth are nearly useless. It doesn't have much left!" Its two foreclaws were raking at his armor without much luck, and he turned his blade from the head to them, slashing back without fear. "Keep on it!"

"Come on!" Katt yelled to Ryu, and he grunted in agreement. They both slipped around Ray's sides while he kept the claws busy, each moving to one of the limbs that were gripping the island. Even as it began to shake the landmass once more, they attacked, Ryu chopping at the wristlike joint like it was a piece of firewood while Katt pulverized each claw in turn. The shaking knocked them around once again, but still they rose, beaten and battered but not defeated, and finished the job even as Ray sent one of the foreclaws flying.

"Look out!" Nina shouted, as the other claw slashed towards the paladin's unprotected head, the terrapin finally recognizing it as a weak point. Before it could strike, however, an airblast detonated, blowing the wounded limb away like its partner.

"Nice shot!" Katt congratulated him.

"That wasn't me!" Ray told her, and all of their eyes turned to Sten, whose hands were linked before him as he muttered under his breath. Another Bomb spell erupted inside the monster's maw, sending broken fangs flying, and he lowered his hands with a grim smile as it screamed.

"Ready to finish this?"

"Oh, yeah," Ryu said grimly, all of them turning to look at the beast. As they advanced, it began launching the eggs from its body in a last, feeble attempt at holding them off, but they all easily dodged the flying spheres, continuing forward. Nina hurled ice magic one more time, and its toothless jaw gaped in a howl of pain. Katt dashed forward, ramming her staff into the maw and forcing it open even further, and Ryu and Ray followed up, ramming their swords up through the roof of its mouth.

All three of them pulled their weapons back as the terrapin's screeching trailed off into a dying hiss, jaw spasming and body twitching. The eggs began exploding like a string of bombs, bursting into disgusting goo, leaving a long, thin body resembling a spinal column exposed. The hideous buzzing in their minds faded away, dying with the monster. A moment later, it slid from the island back into the depths of the water, and was gone.

"Shit," Sten said a moment later. "Well, I'm not getting _that_ dagger back."

"I'll buy you a new-" Ray started to offer, then cut off as the cavern began to shake. "Oh, no. Run! Run! Back out of here, now!"

"What's going on?" Katt yelled as she skipped across the rocks, Sten close behind her.

"Whatever was damming the water up is coming loose!" Nina shouted back, flying through the air alongside Ray, who was levitating himself again. "Could it have been the terrapin itself? We never saw the back end of that thing..."

"And when we killed it, it would have slid out! Damn!" Ryu swore, hopping from rock to rock as quickly as he could. "How long do we have?"

"We won't make it out of the well!" Ray told him. "But if we can get back in that tunnel, I can take it from there! Hurry!"

There were no more words after that; they all concentrated solely on escape, crossing the rocks and then running for the entrance of the water cavern as the rumbling increased, huge clumps of earth falling loose from above. As they raced into the tunnel, Ray turned around, raising his hand, and a wall of light appeared even as the mass of water roared down out of the cavern towards them, filling the tunnel from top to bottom.

"Holy _shit_," Katt muttered as the water met Ray's spell and halted, as if the light were a solid surface.

"Barrier," Nina said, apparently recognizing it. "But with all the magic you used in that fight, you won't be able to hold it for long."

"I came prepared," Ray told her, his free hand pulling a pouch from his belt. Opening it, he produced a number of black, dried berries.

"Wise Fruit." Sten's eyes narrowed. "Those'll restore your magic stores, all right. At the cost of your physical health. Take too many at once, and you'll die, even with white magic to heal you. You gamble with high stakes."

"It can't be helped." Ray shook his head. "The search party. They're still in the rest of these tunnels. You have to find any of them who are still alive and get them out of here, before the well floods."

"Shit," Ryu growled. "I didn't think of that. All right, there were five more tunnels back there. Let's split up. Everybody search one, and we'll hit the last one next."

"Might not be such a good idea, boss," Sten disagreed. "Might be more creons down there. Fighting those suckers one-on-one is a losing proposition."

"Shit," he said again. "Yeah, okay. We'll search them all together. Let's just make sure we hurry, then."

"Make sure you search them all," Ray called as they left him. "St. Eva will never forgive me if any men who could be saved were not."

"St. Eva might not, but I would," Nina muttered under her breath. "He has ten minutes, tops, before he loses it."

"Two minutes a tunnel, then," Ryu decided. "Ray's sharp. He'll know if we lie to him. We'll just have to move." They rushed back to the junction and took the first tunnel they saw, almost immediately finding a young man leaning against the wall, breathing heavily.

"Who are you?" He asked, staring at them.

"Creon exterminators," Sten cracked, and Katt cuffed him.

"We're here to take care of your bug problem," Ryu explained quickly. "You need to get out of here. The water's about to come back in here."

"St. Eva!" The man yelped. "The rest of the people-"

"We'll find them," Ryu assured him. "We already saved the kid. His dad got him out. What about down here? Is there anybody else?"

"No, just one of those big bugs," he told them. "I ran away from it. It's a dead-end. But listen, the other guys down here... there's something wrong with them. Some smaller bug's attached itself to their faces, and it's like... it's controlling them, or something! They hauled one of my friends away, and then when I saw him, he was one of them!"

"Chigoru." Nina scowled. "Creon larvae. They were probably controlled by the terrapin. Now that it's gone, they'll be running wild."

"Can we still save them?" Sten asked quickly.

"Yes." She nodded. "If we kill the chigoru, the victims will recover."

"All we need to know." Ryu turned on his heel. "Come on, this one's clear. Let's check the next one!" They ran back and took another tunnel as the young man began climbing out, only for a second man to burst out from it, arms flailing as he gibbered wildly. A dinner plate-sized gray insect was hanging from his face, six claws holding it in place; it had no head, and its long tail was wrapped around the man's neck before plunging into the back.

"Hold him down!" Nina told them, and the other three promptly did so, pinning him to the floor. A precisely aimed airblade bisected the chigoru, and it fell off, tail sliding out of the wound easily. As soon as it was out, the man lurched up, and they backed away as he vomited, shaking.  
"What..." He gasped once he was done.

"Later!" Ryu told him. "The well's going to flood again! Get out!" That penetrated his stupor, and he began running after his friend. "Come on! Let's keep going!"

Searching the rest of the tunnels, they located three more infested civilians and removed the chigoru from each, sending them up the ladder. Twice, creons attacked, and they killed the monstrous bugs as well, though not without injury. As they raced down the last tunnel, according to Sten they had about two minutes remaining.

"If there's another creon down here..." Ryu muttered, then called out as they saw a dark-haired, overweight man in an expensive-looking red doublet ahead, standing alone in a dead-end. "Sir! Are you all right?"

"More searchers?" The man turned around, and they saw that he wore a gold chain around his neck. "I told those fools not to send anybody else in after us! They were supposed to collapse this well if we didn't return!"

"A Paladin from Evrai came to offer his help," Ryu explained. "We were passing through and we owed him one, so we gave him backup. Sir, you have to get out of here. We've killed the leader of the monsters and rescued the boy, but the well's about to fill again. You're the last one."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" He demanded, taking off with surprising speed considering his bulk. "Let's go!" As they reached the ladder, he began clambering up, then stared as they ran down the first tunnel. "Where are you going?"

"The paladin's holding the water off!" Katt shouted at him as they ran. "We have to get him! Go!" They raced back to Ray and found him kneeling before the barrier, head bowed and skin pale as he trembled, sweating heavily. Despite that, his right arm was still raised, palm out, holding the water at bay.

"How many did you take?" Nina demanded.

"No matter..." He croaked. "The people. Are they..."

"We saved them all." Ryu pulled him to his feet. "Come on, let's go!" They raced back the way they came, but as they were nearing the ladder, Ray fell to his knees again.

"Go!" He gasped. "Save yourselves! The barrier is broken... the water's coming!"

"Like hell!" Ryu yelled, dragging him along with Katt's help. As Nina and Sten began to scramble up the ladder, he saw the wall of water approaching, and closed his eyes. "Oh, shit... here it comes! Katt, I-"

It hit him like a hammerblow, slamming the words and breath from his lungs, and then he was underwater, the raging force of it throwing him around like a ragdoll. It seemed like it was forever before he broke the surface again, gasping like a landed fish. Somehow, against all logic, he and Katt had managed to pull Ray to the surface with them, and all three were leaning on the edge of the well, coughing and choking. Nina and Sten pulled them the rest of the way out, and they lay on the ground for some time, dripping and miserable.

"St. Eva..." Somebody said, and they raised their heads to see a crowd of men and women surrounding them, staring in horror. Slowly, Ryu realized what they all probably looked like after the ordeal. One by one, they all stood up and looked back at the citizens until the man who'd spoken did so again. "What's going on?" They turned to each other, silent, all of them aware that they were all trying to think of something to say and failing

"Do _not_ go in there," Sten drawled eventually, pointing at the well. Katt clobbered him on the back of his head, and he fell forward onto his face.

"Everybody who needs a freakin' drink, raise your hand," Ryu said, and all five of them did so, Sten without getting up.

"Um..." The fat man toyed with the chain around his neck; he and the others from in the well were all among the people there. "On the city?"

"We will never forget the city of Capitan for the service it has done us this day," Ryu told him as they began making their way through the crowds, looking for the nearest tavern. "Let's make that ten drinks, people. After what we've been through today, we've earned it."

"Amen," Nina murmured dryly.

_FACE THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE _


	10. Chapter 9: The Awakening

_**Chapter 9: The Awakening**_

"Now _this_ is the life!" Sten crowed, raising his mug to the ceiling. "Free drinks, free food, _and_ free lodging? Almost makes it worth it!"

"Almost," Katt added, tearing a bite out of her third roast chicken that evening. "Not quite. But almost."

It had been a day since the incident under the well, and they'd all more or less recovered, at least physically. The obvious gratitude and goodwill of the city had contributed heavily to that; they'd been living the high life, and none of them minded at all. Ray had been somewhat scarce, apparently sleeping in, but when he'd left them the previous evening, it had seemed like he'd been feeling better as well. The four of them were all sitting around a table in a local tavern at the moment, enjoying their temporary celebrity and keeping an eye out for him.

"Here he comes," Ryu pointed out as the paladin walked in the door. "Hey, Ray! Ray, over here! We saved a seat for you!"

"Thank you, my friends." Ray smiled briefly, joining them. The cook immediately came over, and he turned to him. "I'll take some more of whatever they're having, thank you. Well then, I take it you're all feeling better tonight?"

"Amazing what this kind of treatment will do for your health," Sten told him cheerfully. "We should market this."

"You realize it's not going to last, right?" Ryu said. "Grateful as everybody is at the moment, we're not going to be able to mooch off them forever. Probably not even for long."

"Shhhhhh." Sten waved his hand. "You're spoiling the moment."

"Mr. Legacy has a point," Ray said, surprising them all. "You've more than earned this, my friends. Both this city and St. Eva owe you a great debt. Without your assistance, I would have perished attempting to slay that monstrosity alone. I had no idea it would be quite _that_ great a horror when I planned to embark by myself."

"It was a real terror, all right," Ryu agreed, cheerful mood vanishing. "Any idea yet why it wanted that kid? It wasn't using him for food like the people the creons hauled down there before, by the looks of it."

"I think it might be better that we _don't_ know," Nina told them darkly. "It seemed like it was in mental contact with the boy, much like it was with us, though in a different way. Whatever its goal was, it almost certainly hinged on whatever it was doing with the child." She left it at that, and none of them pursued the topic any further. They all remembered the touch of the terrapin's diseased mentality on their own minds far too well.

"Let's just be glad we killed it," Katt said, shaking her head. "Anyone stopped over to check up on that kid? See if he's doing okay?"

"I went by before I came looking for you." Ray nodded. "He seems to have made a full recovery. He doesn't remember anything of what happened beneath the well, but his mind and body seem undamaged. His parents were both very grateful."

"Good for him." Ryu smiled briefly. "Kind of wish _I_ could forget it. Anybody got any ideas why this shit keeps happening to us?"

"Don't ask me, boss." Sten shrugged. "I've only been in since Windia. This is the first time I've seen this crew's luck-or lack of it-firsthand."

"There are ill things afoot in this world, my friends," Ray said gravely. "I doubt it's so much that we seem to have the foul luck to be stumbling upon them all, as that there are so many afoot, we find them wherever it is we go."

"I don't like the sound of _that_ one bit," Ryu replied after a long moment. "You said you were going to do some digging, after that mess with Augus. Looking into what he might have been connected with. I take it you've found some answers."

"Indeed I have," Ray admitted. "Things that I've been meaning to tell you of, ever since we met here once more. I was going to send a report to the Elder of the Ranger's Guild in Hometown, but this is better. However..." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Should you trust me with their location, I think it would be best to talk of this with Mr. Marks, as well as any other members of your fellowship, present as well."

"Should we trust you with... come on, man." Katt laughed, slapping him on the back; she'd already had a few to drink that evening, surprising no one. "Like we _wouldn't_ trust you after all this? Gimme a break."

"What she said," Ryu agreed, sipping at his own mug. "No, my only problem with that plan is that it'll take a long time to get back to southern Auria, and our thief's lead on us would pretty much make chasing her a lost cause by the time we made our way there and back."

"That won't be much of an issue," Ray assured him. "I can take us to Hometown tomorrow morning, easily, and then once our business is concluded, bring us back here from your hideout just as quickly. The only time lost will be traveling between Hometown and our destination. Will that be acceptable?"

"You know the Warp spell?" Nina asked, impressed. "I've tried learning it before, but I've never quite been able to manage it."

"Perhaps one day I'll be able to help you try again," Ray offered, eyes downward. "I'm sure you'll be able to pick it up."

"That'll be fine, then." Ryu slowly nodded. "If I understand things correctly, the port probably won't be open again for at least that long anyways, so we've got some time to kill. And spending some of it out of here should reduce the people in charge's inclinations towards telling us enough is enough on the whole gratitude bit." Before coming to the tavern, they'd snooped around the docks earlier in the day, and confirmed their hopes; a strange girl with black wings had bought passage across the Gulf of Gust to Sima roughly a week ago.

"Aww, but I _liked_ the whole gratitude bit," Katt pretended to whine.

"You'd like getting run out of town if we pushed it too far a lot less, trust me," Sten told her. "Not that I think that'd _actually_ happen, but it's best to hedge your bets on that sort of thing." He turned back towards Ryu, and though he was still smiling, it wasn't in his eyes. "So, tell me. Am I invited along here? Because I'm getting the feeling this discussion's going to involve the parts of those stories you left out for my benefit."

"That's really up to you," Ryu replied, noticing idly that everybody else at the table was remaining quiet and watching the two of them. "After that terrapin mess, I don't think anybody here's going to have a problem with you being in, if you want to be in." He glanced at the others, and they all shook their heads. "But I'm sure you already know there's a damn good reason we don't go around telling the whole story to everybody we meet. Might be some shit you'd prefer you didn't get up to your neck in. Your call."

"Trust me, I've seen worse," Sten said without a trace of humor. "As long as you guys are willing to-to trust me, I mean-I'm in, whatever it is."

"Then let me just ask you one more question." Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Do you believe in demons?"

"Demons, huh?" Sten looked back, unsurprised. "After everything _else_ I've seen in this shitty world? Let's say I wouldn't be surprised."

"Good enough," he decided. "All right then. Tomorrow morning, we're all off to the hideout for some serious business. Which means tonight, since you all seem to have decided I'm the leader for some ridiculous reason, I declare that we all enjoy the hospitality of this fine city as far as we feel is rational! Refills, all around!"

"_That's_ why you're the boss." Katt told him, winking. "Because you tell us to do things like that."

They all enjoyed the evening immensely, drinking enough to have fun but not quite enough to be insensible; they did have somewhere to be the next morning, after all. Their mood, unsurprisingly, was infectious; the rest of the city was in high spirits as well now that they were freed of the underground terror. They made their way back to their inn sometime after midnight and fell into their beds to sleep it off, the horrors of their first day there almost forgotten.

The next day, they met up in front of the inn, and as Ray had said, he warped them back to Hometown. The transition was easy and painless; the world around them simply shifted from one city to another seamlessly, as simple as going indoors. They checked in on the Ranger's Guild, but it was closed that early in the morning, so they simply left the city and began heading towards the south immediately. A week later, they crossed Mt. Fubi and returned to the hideout.

"Remember, don't expect too much," Ryu warned them as they approached through the trees. "We got this place for free for a reason."

"So you've been telling us for the last couple days." Sten shrugged. "Again, I'm pretty sure I've seen worse."

"I agree with Sten," Nina said, smiling slightly. "I just like the idea of living in a secret hideout, myself."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you two," Katt told them. "I'm just hoping the guys back there got enough work done that-_holy shit!_" The building had come into view, and all of them froze in place, staring up at it.

The open-roofed ruin was gone. In its place, a four-story tower loomed over the treetops, gray stone walls appearing as immovable as the mountains they'd just crossed. The top three floors each had narrow windows crossing them in a straight line, and the front of it boasted huge, double wooden doors large enough that even Rand would be able to fit through easily. To its right, a second building huddled, shorter but broader, two stories with twice the area. Even the statue of Ladon had been polished back to its original glossy, reflective black, and now stood on a marble pedestal.

"_This_ is your idea of 'not too much'?" Ray asked eventually, breaking the silence. "I've seen _monasteries_ that looked less impressive, my friend."

"It didn't look like this when we left here, okay?" Ryu protested, still somewhat dumbfounded. "I thought the guys back here would have done some work, sure, but... hey, there he is! Hey, Bow! Bow, over here!"

"Ryu!" Bow shouted back; he'd just emerged from the building on the right. "Hey, buddy! Back here again? I was wondering when you'd show up another time!" He spread his hands. "So, what do you think?"

"You guys are _geniuses_, man," Katt told him as they continued walking towards the building. "How'd you do it?"

"Honestly?" Bow shrugged. "Rand and Niro are the ones who should get most of the credit. I just did what they said to do, and here we are." He raised an eyebrow, looking over Nina, Sten and Ray. "Brought some new faces back, too, I see."

"I'm not signing on permanently, I'm afraid," Ray told him, smiling slightly. "Though seeing _this_ almost makes me wish I was. I'm just a friend who's here so we can all talk about some mutual business of ours."

"Business, huh?" Bow's face grew serious. "We should take care of that first thing, then. Let's go on in and get the introductions of the way so we can do that." He led the way in, and the others followed him.

"Hey, fellas!" Niro called as they came in. "Hauled in some more folks, huh?" The old man was sitting behind a wooden counter that wrapped around a corner of the room, leaning back in his chair. An old sword rested on it, next to an assembly of stationary. A thick red rug led from the door to the counter; beyond it and to the right, another set of doors led further into the building. A second, smaller door was behind the counter; apparently they led to separate rooms.

"A couple," Ryu said. "Where's Rand?"

"He's back in the meeting room," the old man explained, raising an eyebrow. "I'm guessin' maybe we should all head on back there?"

"Definitely a good idea," Ryu nodded as the old man swung himself over the counter with surprising nimbleness to join them. Nina and Ray both raised eyebrows at that move, but didn't comment. The next room in held a huge, circular table with ten seats. Bookcases occupied most of all four walls, each of which also had a door, though the cases were mostly empty at the moment, only a few volumes leaning on them. Rand was standing on the table at the moment, affixing a chandelier to the ceiling over the meeting table.

"How's it look?" The big man grunted, then glanced down. "Oh, hey! You guys are back!" He looked them over and smiled. "You know, somehow I knew you'd be bringing more people back with you. Good thing I planned for that and made sure to put in a lot of rooms. So, what do you think?"

"You've earned your pay for the next decade, all of you," Ryu told him frankly as he climbed down. "Is it all done, then?"

"For the most part." Bow nodded. "The side building still needs a roof on it-that's where our rooms are, buddy-but that's about it. The rest is just polish. We'll show you around in a bit." He glanced at the others. "Bow Dogi, by the way. Founding partner and white mage."

"And I'm Rand Marks," Rand added. "Second white mage."

"Nina Windfree," Nina gave her alias, but smiled slightly. "Black mage."

"Sten Legacy," Sten added, arms locked behind his head. "Knife man."

"Ray Braddoc." Ray smiled. "Paladin, but I'm not joining up. I'm just a guest." He glanced at Niro. "And yourself, sir?"

"Uh..." Niro coughed. "Name's Niro Mani. You should probly just ignore me... yeah." He scratched his head.

"Come on, Niro." Rand clapped him on his back, nearly knocking him over. "You're in this too. Agent and clerk."

"You all know me and Katt," Ryu finished up the introductions as they all took seats around the table. "Now that we all know each other, maybe we should start by taking turns filling us all in on what's been going on, both here and on the road." He glanced around. "I know we left you guys most of the cash from our last run of luck to work on this place, but _damn_."

"I know people, sonny." Niro cackled. "Always best to know a few people when it comes to fitting a place out like this. And then there was your friend up north, too."

"Friend?" Katt raised an eyebrow, glancing at Ryu, who shrugged.

"Duke Kilgore," Bow explained. "He got in touch and we told him what we were doing, and before we knew it, he was _contributing!_ I take back everything bad I ever said about the old nobility, man. Every last word of it."

"He does have a good reputation in town, from what I've heard," Nina murmured agreement. "I'm surprised he went this far, though."

"I suppose he still feels guilty about what happened." Rand shrugged. "We've just been building this place up ever since you headed back out, then. Not really much to say aside from that. Your friend Silvia came by once to visit Bow, and she said they didn't have any new leads aside from the ones they'd already given you."

"Oooh, Silvia came by to visit?" Katt grinned. "Why didn't you tell us about that right off the bat, huh?"

"One, because it's not important." Bow rolled his eyes. "Second, because it's nobody's business but hers and mine."

"Spoilsport." Katt stuck out her tongue at him.

"Children." Rand sighed heavily. "What about the rest of you, then? I'm hoping you _did_ find her trail?"

"Oh, we did that, all right," Ryu agreed. "After another false start. That worked out in the end, though, so I'm not complaining." He glanced at Nina, and she met his eyes for a long moment before turning back to the others.

"Before Ryu continues, there's something I should admit," she told them. "I haven't been entirely honest with some of you about my name, and I'm sorry for that, no matter how brief it was. I just hope you'll understand." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "My name isn't Windfree. It's Windia. Nina Windia."

"Whoa!" Bow yelled, nearly falling out of his chair. Rand actually _did _fall out of his, grunting wordlessly in shock.

"_Scheisse!_" Sten swore in another language, harsh and guttural.

"I can certainly see _why_ you wouldn't go around telling everybody that," Ray murmured quietly, though his eyes were as wide as the others'.

"Yeah, okay." Niro shrugged; he was the only one who hadn't known already that seemed to be taking it in stride. "Guessin' this is related to whatcha've all been doing?"

"Definitely." Katt nodded. She'd been watching their various reactions with an amused smirk, but now that vanished as she glanced at Ray, deathly serious. "We found another demon. Augus wasn't the only one."

_ This_ time Niro nearly fell off his seat along with Bow and Rand. Ray had a similar shocked but calm response, while Sten remained casual, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Augus, huh?" He asked. "The guy who was in charge of the coliseum in Coursair? He was a demon?"

"You didn't tell him?" Bow rolled his eyes. "Looks like we've got a _long_ story ahead of us."

"Nah, we told him most of it." Ryu shrugged. "Just skipped a few details that wouldn't be good to spread around to everybody we meet. Might as well correct them before we move on to current business, though. Here's how it _really_ went down..."

Despite his prediction, the storytelling took up the next few hours, starting with filling Sten in on what they hadn't before, then proceeding to what came afterward. Bow naturally had questions about both Deis and Mina during their explanation of the incidents with the magic guild and the Jokers, the latter of which prompted almost no wisecracks at all, a noteworthy thing considering who was listening. Discussion of what happened in Windia prompted a somber mood for entirely different reasons, and finishing the tale in Capitan did nothing to improve the general state.

"Why us?" Bow demanded of the ceiling once they were done. "That's all I want to know, St. Eva. Why is it always us? And I ask that fully aware that I've been sitting on my ass back here completely out of harm's way."

"If this is you sitting on your ass, I can't wait to see what happens when you actually get off it," Sten cracked, gesturing at the building around them, but his heart wasn't in it.

"On the contrary." Ray shook his head. "The more I look into these affairs, the more I become convinced that it's not our luck at all. Rather, that dark things are afoot in the world no matter where we go."

"That supposed to make us feel better, son?" Niro asked after a moment. "'Cause I don't know about the rest of ya, but _I_ sure ain't reassured."

"You said you'd fill us in on what you dug up once we were back here," Katt remembered. "It's been a couple months since Coursair. What've you been doing since then?"

"Examining the state of the world." Ray exhaled heavily. "And I haven't liked what I've found. Hearing that the leader of the Jokers was another demon only reinforces my suspicions. If I'm correct, then both Joker and Augus were only minor members of an underground conspiracy that almost certainly has roots in most, if not all, of the civilized world. It's entirely possible one of their members was even responsible for the creon infestation in Capitan; if anybody would deliberately attempt to wipe out the capital of a nation, it _would_ be demons."

"You've found some dirt, then?" Ryu asked quietly.

"Augus had connections," Ray said, steepling his hands on the table. "With the Jokers, yes, but also with noblemen in Tantar, Auria, Windia and Gust. Several large Kimoto bands, a few wealthy master artisans, members of the government... the list goes on. Various traveling sublegal organizations serve as couriers; shady circuses and the like. Most of them are simply being bribed, but I'm sure a few have succumbed to the lure of Infinity as well."

"Noblemen in Windia?" Nina asked sharply. "Who?"

"The one who seems to be senior, at least as far as I've been able to find out, is Baroness Leguin," Ray told her. "I'm not sure yet just how deeply entrenched she is; she may simply be a higher class of catspaw. Regardless, she's directing their operations in your country; the others take their directives from her."

"Windia can't be a priority of theirs, then," she said scornfully. "Leguin's an imbecile. Her husband didn't marry her for her brains. It was a miracle she got away with inheriting his title. On top of that, she's absolutely loyal to whoever paid her most recently, until somebody else trumps the price. If she's the best they can get in Windia..." She paused. "No... Leguin's a fool, but even I wouldn't have believed she'd be involved with demons and the Kimoto. We won't have much luck convincing anybody of this without concrete proof."

"That's why you haven't taken this to Evrai, isn't it?" Bow snapped his fingers. "You don't have enough proof, and it's not just these countries. If it's all over the world, a lot of it's in places that the Church wouldn't be welcome."

"Exactly." Ray glanced downward. "If I were to present my findings to Evrai now, either two things would happen. Either I would be laughed out of the Grand Cathedral... or the leaders of the faith would order a global crusade to stamp out all traces of this infection."

"Windia would never allow an army from Evrai to enter their territory." Nina shook her head. "I'm sure you wouldn't intend anything permanent, Mr. Braddoc, and if you promised me the rest of your church would swear to that as well, I might believe you... but many in Windia wouldn't be quite so trusting. Threats have been made, by both sides, in the past."

"And both the Windian government and the Church of St. Eva have long memories," Ray agreed. "I'm aware. Windia wouldn't be the only problem, either."

"Highland," Sten grunted laconically. "If your people tried moving in there, the only greeting you'd get would be a violent one. My Clan are happy to hire themselves out to the Church of St. Eva, but they'd prefer you stayed out of their homeland. It's a business relationship, not a personal one"

"And thus, precarious." Ray nodded. "There's also the Isle of Guntz, as well as Sima. Neither is completely opposed to the faith, but nor would they be pleased to receive that sort of attention. And then there's Carmen." He glanced at Rand.

"Sounds like a quick fix wouldn't work, all right." Rand leaned back. "You can't at least move in on the countries that _would_ let this happen, and clean them out there?"

"That's not the way the Church thinks, I'm afraid," Ray explained. "If I _was_ able to convince them that demonic activity was responsible for this turmoil, they would do anything necessary to purify this world from its taint, no matter the fallout. The chaos that would result... it might even be that that is the goal of those who lurk in Infinity in the first place. All of those who have taken their coin might simply be bait with global unrest in mind."

"So don't tell everybody up top," Sten suggested. "Just the ones who you know are smart enough not to explode like that. Have them hire some professional assassins, and take out whoever's giving all the orders. A snake without a head isn't gonna be biting anybody."

"I've considered that as well," Ray admitted. "However, there are several problems with that plan. For one, I have yet to discover exactly who the leaders of this conspiracy are. As I've said, though Augus gave orders and bribes, he was still relatively low on the demonic totem pole, and I assume Joker was the same."

"Yeah, I can't see him as being at the top of the ladder," Ryu agreed, glancing at Katt and Nina, who both shook their heads.

"There are currents to this, however," Ray continued. "Patterns. Flow. And from what I've found in the northeastern part of the world, it's beginning to look like the orders from the top are coming out of areas where the church cannot take the risks of sending in assassins; their discovery would shake up world affairs almost as much as an army would, which is the second problem." He made a face. "The demons of Infinity are cunning indeed. They've placed their top men in locations where the church cannot touch them."

"Sima, in the northwest," Ryu guessed. "And Highland, in the southeast. It's all coming out of those two countries, isn't it?"

"What I've discovered certainly indicates that," Ray said quietly. "I don't know who it is, or where exactly in those countries they are... but activity in the northeast is almost certainly being directed from those two directions."

"In Highland, there's only one source of authority." Sten scowled. "The military. If these demons have managed to subvert a high-ranking officer... hell, maybe even one of the general staff... then this _is_ bad. You're right. Trying to send an assassin in to take one of them out is completely out of the question. It's just too much of a risk."

"Sima's the one I'm really worried about, though," Katt chimed in. "Mainly because that's where we're heading, in a few days. If they know we're the ones responsible for shutting Augus and Joker down, we could be walking straight into an ambush."

"And that might be all that thief needs to slip away again," Bow added, then grimaced. "Hope I don't sound like a broken music spell, but I can't help you guys out with this until I'm in the clear."

"I would definitely suggest caution, then," Ray told them. "Keep your eyes open, and be wary of any suspicious activity. As much as I would like to accompany you there, both to lend you further assistance and to conduct my investigations further, I've already received my next orders from Evrai. They're sending me to the Isle of Guntz."

"Guntz stays out of geopolitical affairs as much as possible," Nina murmured. "They're on neutral terms with almost everybody. It's unlikely the demons will have bothered to do much there... but not impossible."

"I'll look around while I'm there." Ray nodded, then frowned. "I just wish I could do more for all of you, to thank you for your help."

"You're kidding, right?" Katt asked, smiling slightly again. "We're way past keeping track of who owes who what, Ray. We're all friends here. That's more than enough reason to help each other out, you know?"

"Yes, but still..." Ray paused thoughtfully. "Ah. Mr. Dogi, Mr. Marks. You're the team's white mages. Do either of you know the Renew spell?"

"Not yet," Bow admitted, scratching his head. "Never had any formal education, you know? Self-taught. That's picking up, though; Duke Kilgore's been buying some books on that along with everything else, so I've been trying to learn the higher-level spells. That's one of the ones." He thumbed at the few books they had. "Shouldn't be too long before I have it down; now that the construction's mostly done, I've got plenty of time to hit 'em up."

"I've been doing the same," Rand agreed, then winced. "I'm not so good with books, though, so... it's not really coming along as fast. I'll get it eventually, it'll probably just take me a while longer than Bow. Why do you ask?"

"I've learned it some time ago, and St. Eva's blessing would allow me to make my knowledge of the spell yours," Ray explained. "For one person."

"Transfer of a spell?" Nina asked skeptically. "I've heard that it's possible in theory, but I've never seen it actually performed. And all of the stories I've heard about it say that if it does work, _you'll_ forget how to cast it."

"That's why I can only do it once," Ray conceded. "But I can learn it again, and to be honest, I think you'd get more use out of it than I would."

"Mind explainin' for those of us who don't speak magic?" Niro asked, prompting nods of agreement from Katt and Ryu. "What 'zactly does 'Renew' do?"

"It revives somebody who's lost consciousness," Bow explained. "Doesn't heal them in the process-that's a much trickier spell to learn-but it's still one of the staples of a professional white mage. Learning it _would_ help us out on our travels..." He frowned thoughtfully. "But I don't know if I'd be the right one to give it to. I'm gonna be stuck here for a while, so by the time you catch the thief, I might have learned it anyways. Besides, you might need it in Sima."

"It's up to you," Ray told them. "I can teach it to any one of you. If you think it would be better to have another person know it, just in case, that would work as well."

"Don't look at me." Katt raised her hands. "Even if I knew how, I'd probably still screw it up. I probably don't even have the power for it anyways."

"Same here." Ryu shook his head. "I can use a first-level healing spell _technically_, but even then it barely does shit. I'd probably screw this up just as badly."

"I certainly have the magic for it," Nina said thoughtfully. "But I've never been any good with white magic. They're two completely different disciplines. I'm not entirely sure it would be a good idea."

"That leaves me and Rand." Sten shrugged. "Not that I'd mind, but teaching it to me would be kind of a waste, you know? Give it to the big guy." He smirked. "Or Niro."

"Nope," the old man drawled. "Try again, lunkhead."

"All right." Rand shrugged. "If you're going to give me that spell, go right ahead. I don't turn down freebies."

"Very well." Ray closed his eyes, clasped his hands as if in prayer, and began murmuring under his breath. It seemed like the room went darker, suddenly, the candles dimming and flickering oddly. As they all watched Ray silently, a stream of silver sparkling light began to emerge from his hands, spiraling upwards and outwards away from him.

Rand had watched him start, his gaze contemplative. As soon as he'd seen what the other man was doing, however, he'd closed his own eyes and assumed a different prayer position of his own, one that clearly wasn't from the Church of St. Eva, whispering just as quietly. The silver sparkles altered their course and began to circle him instead, going downward and inward, until they vanished into his own hands, and the light returned to normal.

"Namanda, Namanda..." Rand said once more, then opened his eyes. "I see... so that's how you do it. Looks like it worked. Thanks, Mist... thanks, Ray."

"I'm just glad it did, Rand." Ray smiled. "I certainly can't remember it now. We might have our religious differences, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends, does it?"

"Hell no, it doesn't!" Katt grinned. "Or do we need to put it to a vote?"

"I don't think that's going to be necessary." Rand smiled as well. "By the way, in case you hadn't figured it out already, I'll be coming back to Capitan with you guys. I've had enough of lying low, and these two can finish up without me. Besides, you guys might need a white mage around if things go badly in Sima."

"Can't argue that one." Ryu nodded. "Any other business, then?"

"One more thing." Ray frowned thoughtfully. "I forgot to mention this, but one of the nobles I mentioned that was involved in this conspiracy, in Auria, is familiar to both of you. A certain Count Trout."

"Trout's in on this?" Ryu frowned. "Any idea how deep?"

"None." Ray shook his head. "He could just be a puppet who's being bribed in order to use his position for their benefit, or he might have sold his soul to Evrai just like Augus and Joker. I haven't been able to find out how heavily he's involved."

"Trout, a demon?" Bow said skeptically. "I can't see it. I mean, he kind of pisses me off-especially right now-but he's just not the type, you know?"

"Trout's a bastard, but he's a _smart_ bastard," Ryu agreed. "He knows better than to sell his soul, no matter what how much he'd get for it. Besides, he does have _some_ standards. Not many, but a few. Duke Kilgore wouldn't be playing friendly with him if he didn't. Well... sort of friendly. In a weird kind of way."

"I don't know the man myself, but from what I've heard, he does have a reputation in that regard," Nina murmured. "He's supposedly absolutely unprincipled in his business dealings, but he does have a few people he cares about. One of the girls in the Magic Guild is his niece. I don't really care for her, either-she thinks she's much more gifted than she actually is-but when her parents died, Count Trout not only took her in, but paid for her tuition, no strings attached."

"He's probably only a pawn, then." Ray nodded slowly. "Very well. Perhaps if we make him aware of just who he's in league with, he'll come to his senses and help the Church of St. Eva deal with this matter. He always has been a devout man of the church, I've heard."

"And the guy who started all this for you guys ends up helping you take care of it." Sten grinned. "I like it."

"Sounds like a plan." Katt stood up. "Now then, since we've got all the business out of the way, I for one vote that those of us who just got back here before now have some looking around this place to do."

"Oh, definitely," Nina agreed. "If we're going to be living here, I want to see what the accommodations are myself."

The layout of the building turned out to be fairly simple. The kitchen and dining area was behind the meeting room, and a storage room to the left; the door on the right connected to the second, smaller building. The one behind Niro's desk led to his quarters, but the rest of the bedrooms were on the upper levels, three to a floor with one bathroom. Each was comfortable but not fancy, with a bed, desk and chair, set of shelves and narrow window.

According to Bow, his and Ryu's were going to be in the smaller building next door, but since that wasn't finished yet, they would both use rooms on the second floor for the time being. Rand had already claimed a third-floor room, and Sten decided to take one next to him; Ray took the last on that floor, though only for one night. Nina and Katt both decided on fourth-floor rooms, and though neither said it outright, it was implied that the last would be reserved for another woman as well should one join the company.

The night was another good one. Among Duke Kilgore's other gifts had been ale and wine, and everybody enjoyed both along with the deer Bow and Katt brought in together. The eight of them stayed up late under the light of the stars and the moon, and the statue of Ladon watched them talk and laugh around the firepit in front of their home, its stone features seeming to take on an approving light despite their immobility.

The next morning, everybody except for Niro and Bow returned to Capitan. Unfortunately, no ships had yet come into port, though the harbormaster assured them it would only be a few days more. With nothing to do but kill some time, they drifted around the city idly, in groups or solo, trying half-heartedly to wrap their heads around the intricacies of navigating it in spite of the architectural mishmash.

It was around noon of their second day back when Ryu saw the girl, while idly fishing off of the docks after becoming bored with exploring. She was beautiful, with the kind of figure one normally only saw in certain illicit publications, and a healthy tan. More importantly, she was barely wearing more than one would _see_ in said publications; a knee-length loincloth and a few strips more were all she had to preserve her modesty aside from a great deal of gold jewelry, including a strange, crested crown. Her hair was a cascade of red, the same color as her clothing, as were her eyes, which were wicked and playful. Considering she was on the docks, it wasn't too hard to guess her profession.

"You're new around here, aren't you?" She asked, walking over towards Ryu. "Haven't seen you down here before. I'd have remembered you."

"Just got in a couple days ago," Ryu said semi-truthfully, glancing up at her and even managing to maintain eye contact through a phenomenal effort. "I'm with some friends. We're waiting around here for the ships to come back in."

"Well then, if you've got some time to kill, why don't you come play with me?" She purred, touching a hand to his shoulder. "I'll show you a good time."

"I had a good time once," Ryu replied, steeling himself not to react to her touch; he'd been expecting something like this. "I didn't like it."

"Not like this, you haven't," she told him, smile widening and eyes glittering. "Trust me, _nobody_ does it like me and my sisters."

"I'm sure," Ryu said noncommittally. "Sorry, but I'm already spoken for." That was _almost_ true, he was pretty confident, though who exactly _would_ be involved was still somewhat up in the air. "And I don't think she'd like it if I took you up on your offer."

"Oh." She paused, then shrugged. "Fair enough. Can't blame a girl for trying, right?" Sighing, she sat down on the dock next to him and produced a small silver flask; he wasn't sure from where, exactly. Taking a hit off of it, she offered it to him. "Want a shot?"

"Sure." He took it, relaxing a little now that she was doing the same, and checked the Dragon's Tear casually; it was yellow, which was safe. "Thanks." Whatever was in the flask burned like liquid fire; choking and sputtering, he gave it back to her before spending the next few minutes coughing.

"Oh, come on," she teased him, making it vanish again. "It's not _that_ strong."

"Could have fooled me," Ryu told her weakly. "What _was_ that stuff?"

"Kimoto firewater," she explained, licking her lips. "Nothing like it."

"To each their own." He shrugged. "I don't suppose asking how you managed to get some of _that_ would get me anywhere?"

"It's a long story," she replied lightly. "So, why _aren't_ there any ships around right now? First time I've ever seen _that_ here."

"Those bug monsters," he reminded her, yawning; for some reason, he felt tired. "The ones that were infesting this city, remember?"

"Oh yeah, those things." She nodded quickly. "Almost forgot about those."

"Forget?" He asked skeptically, stifling another yawn as he pulled in his fishing line. "How do you forget something like that?"

"I don't actually come down to the city very often," she explained. "I live up north of here."

"That's an odd place for... huh?" Ryu paused in mid-sentence, frowning; his fishing line wasn't winding up the last few inches. Glancing up, he saw why; he'd managed to plunge the hook into his own palm without even noticing. He still didn't feel anything as he watched the blood well up, but his vision was starting to grow dim. Groggy, he turned to stare at the girl. "What was in that drink?"

"A last resort," she said as his legs buckled, and he fell to the docks. She stood over him, smirking again. "I really am very sorry, but if I don't bring somebody back, I'll catch hell. And something about you just smells too good to pass up. Don't worry, we know what we're doing. You'll enjoy it, I promise. No hard feelings, hm?"

Before Ryu could respond to that, the last sounds and sights fell away from his eyes and ears, and the darkness of unconsciousness claimed him.

_More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

When Ryu began to regain consciousness again, hearing slowly returned to him, and feeling as well, but not sight. Groggily, he became aware that he was blindfolded, bound and gagged, as well as being carried in something moving. Whatever it was, the terrain was none too smooth, which meant he probably wasn't in the city any more.

"Awake now, are you?" The girl asked him; from the sound of her voice, she was the one who was pushing him in some sort of cart or wheelbarrow. "That was faster than I expected. Oh well, we're here anyways." A moment later, he heard a knocking sound.

"We don't want any!" An old woman's voice shrieked from a distance, probably through a door. "Get lost or I'll set you on fire!"

"It's me, Granny!" The girl called to her. "I'm back, and I brought another one!"

"About time!" The old lady replied. "I'm coming!" A few moments later, he heard a door opening, and she spoke again, this time closer and more clearly. "All right, Sana. What the hell is this supposed to be?"

Ryu tried to tell her that that was what _he_ wanted to know, but it came out completely incomprehensible thanks to the gag.

"He wasn't buying the usual," Sana explained, sounding slightly irritated. "So I had to bring him in the hard way."

"Why didn't you just get somebody else?" Granny demanded. "Like you couldn't charm any other young man with more balls than brains!"

"They're starting to catch on to me in the city," Sana replied. "The ones we've already taken must be spreading the word around. Besides, this one smelled too good for me to let him go. Something about him..." She stroked Ryu's head, and he shuddered. "I'm sure we'll be able to do it."

"I'm sure you are," she muttered sarcastically. "Well, no helping it. Bring him on in and let's get started. And take all that off of him! What's he going to think we're going to do to him if we leave him like that?"

"I wasn't going to!" Sana protested, moving him again before the door closed. From the sounds he heard, several heavy locks were secured. "That wouldn't be my style, anyways. I prefer it when things are a little more... well, you know." She began taking off Ryu's blindfold and gag.

"No, I don't," Granny retorted. "And I don't _want_ to, either."

"Not sure I do either," Ryu agreed as soon as he could talk again. He was in a wheelbarrow, all right, one that was currently inside a rough cabin, most of which seemed to be taken up by the room they were currently in. The floor was soft dirt, with mystic-looking circular diagrams in dark metal set in it, a larger one in the center with two smaller ones to the sides. A mezzanine overlooked all of this, and an old lady stood up there in a brown robe, looking down at him like a vulture, which she resembled more than slightly. "Look, ladies. I'm flattered, but whatever's going on here, I really don't think it's my thing, so if you could just..."

"Awwww, don't be like that," Sana murmured, pausing in untying him to lean forward, deliberately giving him quite a view. "You're already here, so you might as well see what I was talking about, right? I told you you'd like it..."

"Will you give the flirting a rest, already?" Granny barked at her. "You're acting as bad as Spoo when she gets a Wing Clansman in here!" She turned to Ryu, exasperated. "And you shouldn't be _this_ nervous! Relax, already! She told you everything on the way here already, didn't she?" She paused, then turned back to Sana. "Didn't you?"

"Well..." Sana twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers. "Not really. How was I supposed to explain we needed a test subject?"

_"Test subject?"_ Ryu yelped. "Okay, I'm sorry, I really have to be going, the rest of my company will be looking for me..." He tried to roll out of the wheelbarrow, still partially tied up, and succeeded only in tipping it over.

"Now look what you've done!" Granny yelled. "This is what happens when you always flirt with them to bring them in! As soon as they find out what you really want, they want to take off!" She paused thoughtfully. "Although none of them ever actually do, so that's all right." She began looking Ryu over. "I guess what's important is that they do what we want them to... and this one _does_ look like he'd make a good test subject, heh heh heh..."

Ryu began muttering a prayer to St. Eva under his breath.

"Granny!" Sana said sharply. "Stop that right now! You're scaring him!" She crouched down next to Ryu and continued to untie him. "Just relax... it's all right, I promise. We just need you to help us with one little thing, that's all. It won't hurt... just the opposite. Like I keep telling you, you'll like how it feels, I'm sure of it. We're experimenting with uniting, you see."

"So I gathered!" Ryu told her, jumping to his feet as soon as the ropes were loose enough and running for the door.

"Then what's the problem?" Sana asked, catching him before he'd made it three feet away. Whirling him around, she pinned him to the wall, pressing herself up against him in a way that made his blood heat up entirely against his will. Her head was up against his ear now, and she began to murmur into it. "You and I become one... that doesn't sound so bad, now does it?"

One of Ryu's eyes began to twitch.

"All right, that's enough!" Granny yelled at them. "And you said _I_ was scaring him! Listen, bozo, have you ever heard of the Fusion Clan?"

"The what?" Ryu said, surprised; for obvious reasons, Sana was making it hard to think, especially since she still wasn't letting him go. "Wait, the Fusion Clan? I thought they were nearly wiped out in the Second Dragon War!"

"Nearly," Granny agreed. "But not totally. We're two of their descendants. If you think this is bad, you should be glad this girl's sisters and cousins aren't here. Not that that's likely. Getting all six of them in the same place at once is like herding cats."

"So... when you talk about uniting..." Ryu said slowly, briefly considering the image of five more of Sana in there with them and silently thanking St. Eva for small favors. Sana alone was all he could handle, and he wasn't even entirely sure he _could_; ignoring what she was doing was growing more and more difficult with every second. "You mean the Breath of Life?"

"You _do _know about us, then!" Granny nodded approvingly. "Good! That's exactly right. We're experimenting with a new method; the traditional use of the Breath of Life involves equal physical union, but that's always had certain downsides. The new method we're developing involves one primary part and either one or two secondary parts; we can only use one right now, since Sana here's the only one of the six who's around at the moment." She scowled. "Of course, she always gets a little _too_ into it."

"I can't help it," Sana purred. "It just feels so _good_ having somebody with me like that..." She paused, then pulled away from Ryu, looking troubled. "You're right, though, Granny. I'm usually not _this_ bad. What is it about you that smells so nice? You don't have Clan heritage yourself, do you? You don't look like it..."

"Completely human, as far as I can tell," Ryu explained, remaining against the wall. He was starting to relax a little, but he still felt better having something at his back. "And could you stop talking about how good I smell?"

"Really?" She frowned thoughtfully, then smiled again, eyes mischievous. "Would you prefer it if I tried a taste instead? Maybe that'd help me figure it out..."

"Oh, stop!" Granny snarled. "You're imagining it. The reason Spoo reacts to Wing Clansmen like that is because they have the Breath Of Wind. _That's_ what gets her all excited. She has the same elemental affinity. But you've got fire, not wind, which means it can't be the same thing at all. He's probably just your type."

"Oh, all right." Sana pouted. "Can we just get on with it, then?" She turned back to Ryu. "You're not still worried, are you?"

"One experiment, and then I'm free to go?" Ryu asked cautiously; against his better judgment, he was actually growing curious about this now.

"Two." Granny corrected him. "Once with Sana as the primary and you as secondary, and then again the other way around."

"Fine," Ryu gave in. "But I'm going first as primary."

"Oh, all right." Sana sighed, then smiled again. "Maybe it's better that way, anyways. This way I can remember how nice it feels, better and longer. Unless you really did want to spend some time with me alone after we're done here...?"  
"Sorry, no thanks." Ryu shook his head. "I really do have somebody else I'd kind of like to stay loyal to. I'm going to have enough trouble explaining this as it is. If I didn't, I might have taken you up on that."

"I could help you explain," Sana offered.

"You'd just make it worse!" Granny snapped. "All right, buddy, go stand in the center of the big circle."

"Right," Ryu grunted, doing as she'd said, as Sana took a position in the smaller circle to his left.

"Just relax," she advised him, winking. "It'll only take a minute."

Granny was chanting now, raising her hands and howling in another language at the top of her lungs. The room was growing darker, but Sana was glowing now, her form becoming brighter and brighter. In a sudden flash, she melted into a streak of red light that shot around the room in a circle, growing smaller and smaller until it plunged into Ryu's chest.

"What are you _doing?_" Another man's voice suddenly howled, and somebody burst through a window behind Granny in a shower of broken glass. It was an old man, short and wiry, with snow-white hair in stark contrast to his dark skin; for some reason, his clothes were banana-yellow. With much more nimbleness than his age would suggest, he'd landed on his feet, staring at them in horror before whirling on Granny. "You idiots! Get the hell out of here, _now!_"

"Greatfather Karn?" Granny asked, stunned. "Why have you come here?"

Whatever the strange man said next, Ryu didn't hear it. The moment the blur of red light hit him, his eyes shot open, but he no longer saw the cabin around them. Fires filled his vision instead, great sheets of flames billowing inside his eyes, inside his skin, inside his mind. A phenomenal heat was surrounding him, was emanating from him, was _inside_ his heart and bones and blood and skin, but he didn't care. He felt no pain, no burning; the fire _was_ him, was who and what he was, and always had been. He _was_ fire, and he had never known it until now, but now he knew, and he knew he would never be able to forget it again.

Dimly, in the very back of his mind, he was still aware of his physical form in the cabin. Granny and the old man were both screaming something, as was Sana, who had apparently reappeared, but he couldn't make out what the words were. It was as if that part of him was asleep now, and another part that had always been sleeping without him even being aware of its existence was awake instead. He had wings, that much he knew; wings, and a tail, and his body and arms and legs and head were all different shapes than they had been before.

He was awake now, in a way that was of the soul rather than the body, and he somehow knew that he would never sleep again.

* * *

"I'm gonna murder him!" Katt snarled as she led the other four out of the city. After noticing Ryu's disappearance, they'd asked around after him, and Sten hadn't taken long to find out what had happened. Unfortunately, the story he'd brought back to tell them had only exchanged her worry for anger. "Meets some girl on the docks and he just takes off with her? He's _dead!_"

"You're taking this awfully personally," Rand told her calmly, though his own twitching hands betrayed his actual feelings on the matter. "Did something happen between the two of you while I was back at the hideout?"

"I agree with Katt," Nina said coldly before she could sputter out a reply. "This was an entirely inappropriate course of action for him to take, both as a leader and as..." She paused before continuing. "As a friend."

"What she said," Katt growled, irritability flaring up again. She might have been dumb, but she wasn't stupid, and she could tell what was happening between Ryu and Nina as well as anybody. Which would have been all well and good, except for the fact that he'd been acting like he liked _her_ too, and she'd been responding. Up until now, she'd thought he was as confused by the situation as they both were, but _this_ put an entirely different spin on the situation. "I'll give him _one_ chance to explain, and that's more than he'd get from _most_ girls for something like this. If I don't like what I hear, he's eating his own foot, _literally._"

"This might not be what it looks like," Sten cautioned them, scrambling to keep up with their quick pace. "Remember what everybody was telling us. This girl's got a real racket going. If you'd just given me time to sniff around a bit more and find out exactly what _kind_ of 'mad science shit' she keeps pulling in guys for..."

"I believe I have a fairly clear idea on that already," Nina replied, wings carrying her forward much faster than normal, just as quickly as Katt was stalking towards the northern forest; that was where the girl in question apparently lived. "As Katt said, we'll give him a chance to explain himself. Once. After that, we'll do what comes natural."

"Aw, man." Sten covered his face with one hand. "One of you guys want to try talking sense to them?"

"Oh, no." Rand held up his hands. Anybody else would have been surprised how well the big man was keeping up with them, but Katt had already seen that his slow footwork in close quarters was completely different from his land speed once he got moving. "I'm just coming along to make sure they leave him technically alive. Leave me out of this."

"Course of wisdom, I guess," Sten admitted under his breath. "Ray?"

"I have no opinion at all," Ray told him bluntly. The paladin had taken several moments to catch on to what had probably happened, after which he'd blushed heavily; he was tight-lipped and narrow-eyed now as he walked with them after their vagrant friend. His reaction had lent an interesting light towards the crush he obviously had on Nina, but Katt didn't particularly feel like thinking about that at the moment; she had other, more irritating, things to occupy her mind.

"All right, there's the cabin," she snapped, seeing it up ahead surrounded by trees. "Give me a break, that's not even a wood. It's more like... like..."

"A glade," Nina suggested.

"Right, a glade." She shook her head. "Whatever the hell a glade is." She frowned, slowing her steps despite her anger; it suddenly felt hot, much more than it had any right to be this far north, even in the summer. "Hey, does anybody else feel this?"

"What's with the heat?" Sten asked, fanning himself. "Did we walk into a desert all of a sudden?"

"Magic." Nina froze as well, staring at the cabin. "Not focused. Wild, and very powerful... and very personal. Like a Breath, but active, rather than passive."

"Hey, it's the two they told us about," Rand pointed out. Indeed it was; a girl matching the description they'd been given and an old woman in a brown robe were both running out of the cabin, waving their arms and screaming, though they were too far away to be clearly audible.

"Looks like they're yelling, or something," Katt said thoughtfully. "Anybody able to hear what they're-_oomph!_" She grunted as Rand knocked her over. "Hey, what the-"

"_Get down!_" The big man roared, diving over her protectively; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ray doing the same for Nina while Sten hit the dirt.

And then something rocked the earth, and from underneath Rand, she saw the cabin and glade both erupt in a pillar of fire that scorched the clouds overhead.

"Namanda, Namanda..." She heard Rand whisper in horror. "What _is_ this?"

"Ask them!" She told him; the two women from the cabin were reaching them now. "Hey, you! What the hell did you _do?_"

"Fusion!" The younger one of them whimpered, shaking. "I just tried using the Breath of Life, but I was..."

"Is _that_ what you wanted him for?" Katt realized suddenly. "But wait, you're Fusion Clan? You don't look like..." She paused. "Actually, what _do_ Fusion Clansmen look like?"

"They were supposedly identical to humans," Ray told her in a numb tone of voice, staring at the flames. "The Breath of Life was the only distinction. But I had thought that the Fusion Clan were all-"

"That doesn't matter!" The old woman cut him off as, within the flames, something began to stir. "If the experiment was just a failure, that would have been one thing, but this is more than that! Sana wasn't just repelled, it woke him up! It released _his_ Breath! Ladon... what have I awakened with my foolishness?"

"Breath?" Nina asked sharply. "You mean Ryu? That's ridiculous! He's only a normal human! He doesn't _have_ Breath!"

"No..." Ray murmured, still in shock. "He does. The Fusion Clan aren't the only Clan believed to be extinct who still live. There may be... no, there _is_ another, and he stands before us as living proof. Blue hair without dye, and green eyes... I should have seen it long before now!" He slammed a fist into the dirt.

"What do you mean?" Nina demanded, crawling out from under him as Katt did the same with Rand; everybody got back to their feet, but remained wary in case of further eruptions. Something was _moving_ inside the flames, and they all tensed up, watching it. "My sister has naturally blue hair as well, and... _oh._ Oh, _hell_." Her eyes widened in sudden comprehension.

"No way..." Katt whispered as well, remembering the second time she and Rand had met him in a tavern, back in Coursair, and one of the things they'd joked about at the time. "No _goddamn _way..."

"_I've always kind of wondered what it's like to have Breath," Ryu had told them. "Used to hope something from an ancestor I didn't know about would crop up out of nowhere one day, actually. I mean, blue hair? Not exactly normal." _

_ "It's not dyed?" She'd sniffed the air, and nodded; there was no trace of dye mixed with the usual tavern smells. "Huh, it really isn't. That is kind of weird." She'd asked her next question then, and hoped he wouldn't take it the wrong way. "Did you, um... know your parents?" _

_ "A little," Ryu had replied, just a little too calmly. "They died. But I remember I got it from my mother." _

_ "The old stories say Light Dragons all had blue hair and green eyes," Rand had suggested. "Maybe you secretly have Dragon Clan blood." _

"Oh, _shit_," Rand swore, apparently remembering the same conversation. "I didn't _mean_ it!"

"Wait just one goddamn second here!" Sten yelped, looking from one of them to another. "Are you seriously telling me he's-" He trailed off as the _thing_ that was within the flames emerged at last, flying towards them.

It was a reptile, but one unlike any other Katt had ever seen. At least twenty feet from nose to tail, its scales glittered in the firelight like rubies. The arms and legs were hung like a biped's, its fingers looking prehensile, with wicked claws that also hung from its feet. Broad, batlike wings carried it through the sky despite its obviously massive weight. Its neck was long and serpentine, twin horns topped the back of its head, and its snout was beaklike, needle-sharp fangs grinning under brilliant green eyes.

"A Light Dragon," Ray whispered as it landed before them and began to shrink, melting inward at a rapid pace until Ryu stood before them once more, just as he always had. "The Dragon Clan... and the Breath of Fire."

"Ryu?" Katt asked, hating the pitiful, trembling sound of her own voice in that moment, but unable to change it. He was staring straight ahead, unwilling or unable to turn his head and meet any of their eyes, but her voice made him flinch.

"Katt," he replied absently, an acknowledgment of her presence and nothing more. "Nina. Rand. Sten. Ray. Sana. Granny." He began to walk forward then, slowly but surely, on the path back to Coursair.

"Hey, you okay there, buddy?" Rand asked, reaching out as if to put a hand on his shoulder before pausing.

"Fine," Ryu said, twitching again when he spoke and avoiding his hand, still walking forward.

"What about my house, huh?" The old lady suddenly asked angrily, snapping out of her funk. "You just completely wrecked it! Where are we supposed to live now? You going to give us a new one?"

"Hey, listen, hag-" Katt started to snarl, glad for something she could freely take some stress out on.

"Fine," Ryu told her as well, cutting Katt off.

"Well... good." The old lady replied after a moment, apparently surprised that it had been that easy. "Glad we've got that straightened out, then."

"You're not gonna hold him to that, are you?" Sten protested. "He's clearly not in a coherent state of mind! On my employer's behalf, I-"

"Everybody be quiet," Nina said sharply. "You're _hurting_ him." It was true; every word that was said made him react as if he was being burned. They all fell silent then, watching him walk back towards the city, and none of them said anything more as they followed in his wake.

None of them could think of anything to say at all.

_WAKE ME UP INSIDE _


	11. Chapter 10: The Witch's Curse

_**Chapter 10: The Witch's Curse**_

_Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

Ryu woke up.

"Hey, buddy," Bow said quietly as he looked around. He was back in his temporary room in the hideout south of Hometown, and he had no idea how or why; Bow was seated at the desk, watching him carefully. "How you feeling?"

"Like I've been sleeping for about a week," Ryu replied honestly, then paused. "I haven't, have I?"

"Nah, it hasn't even been a day." Bow gave him a curious look. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"These two crazy women were trying some sort of Fusion Clan experiment on me." Ryu shrugged. "Then the house exploded or something. It's all kind of fuzzy at the..." He paused, as his memory began to trickle back in, and his hands began to shake.

"Yeah." Bow watched him carefully. "The others told me. Light Dragon, huh? Whodathunkit."

"You know, maybe I should be the one asking you what happened," Ryu said, voice slightly strained.

"After you disappeared, the others went looking for you," Bow explained. "They tracked you down. About a mile off from the place when it blew sky-high, and out comes a twenty-foot flying flaming lizard. Caught _their_ attention, let me tell you."

"The crazy women get out okay?" Ryu asked quickly. Despite everything, he wasn't _quite_ irritated at them enough to want them to have died in the fire.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Bow rolled his eyes. "I'll get to that in a moment. Anyways, apparently whatever the hell it was they did to you was what set you off. As soon as you landed, you turned back, and started walking back towards Capitan, acting like you'd just snorted an entire plateful of magic mushrooms."

"I don't think that would actually work," Ryu pointed out.

"Details, details." Bow waved his hand, then lowered it, looking serious. "They followed you back to the statue of Ladon in the northeast corner of town, buddy. Seems you fell over next to it and started ranting at him. Ray thinks you were just talking to yourself, but Sten... we're pretty sure he heard Ladon talk back."

"Great." Ryu rubbed his forehead. "As if this couldn't get any more complicated. Did they say _what_ Ladon said?"

"A lot of apologizing, and promising that he'd talk with you some more once you were back in your right mind," Bow said, frowning. "You realize this brings all that destiny bullshit we were worried about right back up in our faces, right?"

"I'm trying not to think about that, actually." Ryu shook his head. "Let's concentrate on the shit we actually understand for right now. What happened next?"

"They figured they should get you back here, after you passed out eventually," Bow continued. "So Ray brought you guys back again. Turns out as long as he's been somewhere before, he can Warp back there. That was a few hours ago, and we were gonna take turns watching you until you woke up again. And here we are."

"And here we are," Ryu echoed, looking out the window. "Shit."

"What was it like?" Bow asked after a moment.

"Scary," he said quietly. "It was like being a hitchiker in my own body, except it wasn't even mine any more. I _saw_ myself turning into... into _it_ and doing all that, but it didn't _feel_ like it was _me_ doing it. And after I turned back... I don't remember any of the rest of that." He paused. "I didn't do anything _too_ bad, did I?"

"Well..." Bow scowled. "You _did_ promise the old lady you'd get her a new house to replace the one you wrecked. Does that count?"

"What," Ryu said flatly.

On cue, something exploded outside his window.

"Yeah, they came back with Ray and the rest." Bow sighed. "I think Niro and the old lady actually know each other or something-they both looked like they'd seen a ghost when he came out to say hi-but I was too busy with the whole housing thing to ask him about it. Eventually we gave her the place next door, just to shut her up. Looks like these rooms are gonna be ours permanently after all. Man, I was really looking forward to that, too."

"It was probably too large for just the two of us anyways," Ryu pointed out. "I've been used to shitty little rooms for so long, moving too far up would just be weird. We _are_ going to take out that door connecting the buildings, though."

"Oh, _hell_ yes," Bow agreed. "The other girl's pretty hot, though. She doesn't seem like she'd be so bad a neighbor."

"Trust me, she's worse than the old lady." Ryu made a face. "Besides, imagine what Silvia's going to think."

"Right, that door is gone." Bow winced, then grew serious again. "Anyways, Nina and Ray are taking it the hardest. Katt got over it pretty easily, and Niro's got other things to worry about. Sten and Rand are getting used to the idea, too, but Ray and Nina... last time I saw them, they were still looking shell-shocked. Not sure why."

"Ray's probably worried about the whole thing with Ladon." Ryu shook his head. "I'll have to come up with some way to explain that to him, if he can't hear the old man. As for Nina... think, man. Destiny bullshit, a Light Dragon named Ryu, and a Windian princess named Nina... ringing any bells now?"

"Aw, _shit,_" Bow swore. "Didn't think of _that_."

"I sort of have to." Ryu sighed, then gave him a direct look. "And what about you?"

"Far as I'm concerned, you're still my buddy," Bow told him bluntly. "Come on, man. I'm the _last_ guy around who'd care about what your clan is."

"Guess so," Ryu said. "Thanks, man. Let's try and keep it on that basis, then. If all this destiny bullshit comes knocking on the door one day, we'll figure out what to do about it then and there. Until that happens, though? We're just another bunch of guys trying to earn an honest buck like anybody else."

"Sounds good to me." Bow nodded, then smiled again, a little strangely this time. "You know what's weird? I always figured that when we finally got all this off the ground, I'd be the one in charge of it. You always just kind of hung back and let me take the lead, when it was the two of us. But ever since you headed off, it's been the other way around. You've been acting a lot more..." He scratched his head. "Idunno."

"I didn't even notice," Ryu said honestly, frowning. "Is it really that big a deal?"

"Never said it was," Bow assured him. "Just kind of surprised me, that's all. The rest of 'em all know it, too. Katt and Rand and Nina and Sten already think of you as the boss. Says it all to me, right there. I'd have probably sucked at it anyways. You'll do better than I would have in a heartbeat, buddy, trust me."

"Look, Bow..." Ryu started to say.

"You're not gonna make me get all touchy-feely about this, are you?" Bow threatened. "With _emotions_ and shit?"

"Ugh." Ryu made a face. "Yeah, okay. Point made."

"That's what I thought." Bow chuckled, standing up. "Get some rest, buddy. I'm gonna go sack out for the night. We'll get everybody together and talk about all of this some more tomorrow morning, huh?"

"Sounds like a plan." Ryu nodded, lying back down. "Catch you then, buddy."

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Either due to some side effect of the ordeal he'd been through, or simply because of the raging storm of his thoughts and emotions, Ryu quickly realized he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep any time soon. After what seemed like hours of tossing and turning that he was fairly sure was actually only a few minutes, he gave up and got out of bed to wander the building. With luck, somebody else would still be up as well, and some more conversation would help him settle down.

The door to the room Ray was borrowing at the moment was wide open, and a quick glance inside told him that the paladin was absent, apparently similarly insomniac. Bow's, on the other hand, was tightly shut, and the sound of snoring was clearly audible from behind it. Walking past it, Ryu went up to the next floor, then paused as he heard conversation coming from Rand's room; the door was open as well.

"I still can't believe it, you know?" Katt was saying. "A _Light Dragon_. How the hell does _that_ even happen?"

"Like I should have any idea?" Rand replied. "Don't ask me. I know about as much about that sort of thing as I do about _dancing_. I'm kind of amused by the fact that you're taking this better than what you _thought_ was happening, though."

"You should talk," she retorted. "You were almost as pissed off as me and Nina were. Probably not for the same reasons, though."

"Uh, no," Rand told her flatly. "But yeah, okay, I wasn't too happy either. We work our asses off down here, and he's taking off with random girls? Would have pissed me off, I'll admit." He paused before continuing. "So, _do_ you like him like that?"

"What's it to-" Katt started to snap, then fell silent for a moment herself. "Yeah, okay. Maybe I do. I've thought about it, at least. But then there's Nina, right? I think she does, too, and he... argh. It's complicated."

"No kidding," Rand muttered. "Makes me glad I don't have a girlfriend."

"Maybe the new girl next door will decide you're her type," Katt wisecracked. "And even if she doesn't, I hear she's got a bunch of sisters who they're gonna be inviting to move in with them, or something. Sten'll love that."

"Namanda, Namanda..." Rand groaned. "No comment. So what are we going to do? About this Light Dragon thing, I mean?"

"You really need me to answer that for you?" Katt told him. "As if. You know as well as I do that we're gonna stick around for the long haul, just like we were already planning on doing. This doesn't change anything."

"Just making sure we were on the same page," Rand assured her. "Think any of the others will disagree?"

"Nah," she replied. "There's just something about him, you know? Maybe it's why me and Nina both... but you know, that's not the point. I don't know if it would work on _normal_ people, but guys like us... hell, I don't even argue any more, when he tells me what we're going to be doing. I just do it. When did _that_ start happening?"

"Who knows." Rand sounded like he was shrugging. "I get what you mean, though. Maybe it's a Dragon Clan thing."

"Yeah, maybe."

Without saying anything, Ryu stopped listening and continued up the stairs. The fourth floor was deserted; obviously Katt's room was empty, but a quick check showed that Nina's was as well. She wasn't hard to find, however; a glance up the stairs to the roof showed him that she was sitting on the edge with Ray.

"What of the demons, then?" Ray was asking her. "You accept their existence without question, as well as that of Infinity, from what Ryu has told me."

"The magic of transformation has been lost to the world, but so have many other things that are now resurfacing," Nina replied coolly. "The Dragon Clan, for example. 'Demons' could easily just be another word for a particularly depraved Clan with knowledge of that particular secret, and Infinity their homeland, deep beneath the earth. History would even seem to support that; they apparently took part in the First Dragon War."

"Yes, they did," Ray shot back. "Under the control of the pagan spirit known as Myria who claimed divinity."

"I thought there was supposedly no God but St. Eva?" Nina asked lightly. "That would make Myria's claims a strike _against_ you, wouldn't it?"

"St. Eva's teachings are intentionally vague on the nature of Infinity," Ray argued, but it sounded slightly weaker. "That knowledge is restricted to the leaders of the church, for the good of the world. Perhaps the spirit known as Myria does dwell in Infinity, opposing St. Eva."

"Speculation only, I'm afraid." Nina shook her head. "I'm a practical woman, Ray. I believe in what I can see and know with my own eyes and mind. Everything else might be a nice story, but that's all it is, to me. Stories."

"You don't believe in faith, then?" Ray asked, sounding more curious than anything.

"I stopped believing in faith many years ago," Nina admitted quietly. "I'm sorry if that makes me some sort of heathen, but it's the truth."

"On the contrary." Ray turned his head towards her. "Under your circumstances, I can't be sure I wouldn't feel the same way." He paused for a moment. "One of these days, will you tell me about all of that?"

"I might," Nina replied, somewhat vaguely, before continuing. "Look, Ray... I'm flattered, but..." She left it hanging.

"Am I that obvious?" He asked wistfully. "No, no, you don't need to answer that. Nor do you need to concern yourself. That isn't what I meant at all. Even if you didn't have another interest, I _am_ a Paladin of the Church of St. Eva, and I've taken my vows."

"Isn't that lonely?" Nina asked him, very soft and quiet. "Living out your entire life without somebody else?"

"Perhaps," Ray admitted. "But there are other considerations. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I meant... I'd like to have you as a friend."

"You already have that," Nina told him, smiling as well. "One of these days, then... I'll tell you about Windia, yes. Perhaps the next time we meet, if there isn't quite so much else going on at the time."

"It _has_ been an interesting few days, hasn't it?" Ray replied dryly. "I can't help but think that this latest complication has been the most so, though. A Light Dragon..."

"I know," Nina murmured. "He even looks a little different now that he's calmed down. A little... tougher, I suppose."

"It's only natural, I suppose," Ray said quietly.

Ryu left that conversation behind without joining in as well; even more than the previous one, it was obvious there was no place in it for him. Instead, he chose to descend the staircase this time, down past his room to the bottom floor. As he walked through towards the front door, he heard yet another conversation from the kitchen.

"Man, I wish every time a nobleman got _me_ in trouble, he was falling all over himself to make up for it," Sten was saying over the sounds of a flowing tap. "Helping pay for this place was great, but shipping ale in here for us too?"

"Duke Kilgore's a good fella," Niro replied as the tap closed. "Always was. Knew 'im when I was younger."

"You've been all _over_ the place, haven't you?" Sten asked him. "I kind of wanted to talk to you about that, actually. I'd appreciate it if you didn't blab too much about the _last_ time we met."

"You're not alone, yanno," Niro pointed out. "This ain't exactly your normal outfit. Don't think _anybody_ here ain't got somethin' in their past they don't regret."

"I don't have a past," Sten said flatly. "It's dead."

"Oh," Niro replied after a moment. "One of _those._ Yeah, okay, I gotcha. Sorry, didn't think too much."

"It's cool," Sten told him. "I just want to keep things from getting too complicated. What about you, then? That old lady?"

"Gigli?" Niro sighed. "Just one more part of a misspent youth. Been near thirty years since I last seen her. Never knew she was livin' up near Capitan these days. Sure as _hell_ never figured she'd be movin' in next door down _here_."

"Women, huh?" Sten commented dryly. "They complicate everything."  
"That's the truth," Niro agreed. "To women, then." Their mugs clinked together audibly.

"Speaking of women..." Sten continued a moment later. "Who do you think it is, for the boss? Katt, or Nina?"

"Good question!" Niro replied cheerfully. "Now, Katt's the one who's got more in common with him, hands down. I remember back when they first came in together after that mess with Coursair, bringin' Rand back, and figurin' they were so much alike, it was only a matter of time, you know? Especially at that age."

"Right, right," Sten agreed. "But just because somebody's like you doesn't mean they're the type of person you go for, you know? If there's _too_ much of that, it might not work out. S'why they say opposites attract, and all that. In which case, it'd be Nina instead. They're about as different as night and day on the surface, so it'd only be when they really started to get to know each other that they'd start finding common ground."

"Good point, good point." Niro conceded. "Tricky. Suppose we could just ask him."

"What, like he'd _tell_ us?" Sten snorted. "We'd be lucky if he didn't throw us into the Bay of Auria."

"'Nother good point."

Ryu was _almost_ tempted to join in on that conversation at that point, but in the end he slipped past the door and continued out front. It seemed there was only one person left who wasn't occupied already that evening; aside from their new neighbors, at any rate, and _that_ wasn't going to happen. Sitting down on the porch, he glanced at the statue of Ladon, and waited for it to speak.

"So now you know," it said after a few moments.

"Seems that way," he replied noncommittally. A long silence stretched between them before he turned to stare at the statue accusingly. "Why didn't you _tell me?_ You knew, all this time, didn't you? And you never said a word!"

"Would you have believed me if I had?" Ladon asked pointedly.

"Maybe." Ryu stared at his hands. "Blue hair, green eyes... it all seems so _obvious_, now that I know. It was my mother, wasn't it?"

"It was," Ladon admitted. "How much do you remember, of Gate?"

"Barely anything," Ryu answered honestly. "It was so long ago, and the way I left wasn't exactly pleasant. There was a dragon there, wasn't there? Was that..."

"Valerie's story is... was... more complicated than even your father knew, though he was aware of more than he told you," Ladon explained.

"Awfully cryptic," Ryu growled. "Not that that's any different. You're not giving me the whole story here, and you know it. Am I supposed to be some kind of hero now? The next 'Ryu' who saves the world? Because I'll tell you right now, if that's the case, the world's pretty much screwed. I'm just a hired sword. That's all I've ever wanted to be, and it's all I ever _will_. Is it _really_ a coincidence that I keep running into demons? Do you _really_ have no idea why me and my friends are the only ones who can hear you? I want answers. _Talk_, old man."

"You wish to know why I've been so vague?" Ladon replied wearily. "That's why, Ryu. Because if I told you, you _would_ be locked into destiny's path, with no chance of escape. You wish for a normal life, you say? That's what I've been trying to give you."

"I can't say I expected that," Ryu said after a moment. "I thought... well, I guess I just assumed that you'd be the one _behind_ all of this destiny bullshit. Isn't that what you do, for... for guys like me? That's what being the Dragon God _means_, right?"

"It was, once," Ladon admitted. "However... I may be a deity, Ryu, but I'm not omnipotent, and I'm not perfect. I make mistakes, like anybody else, and some of the ones I've made haunt me, even today. The last one who shared your name... he and I didn't part on good terms, and it was my fault. I did what I had to, despite the cost, and perhaps that was a mistake. I'll warn you of immediate danger when I can, and try to fill in some of the blanks on occasion, but no more. Your path in life is your own to walk. I won't pave it for you."

"I think I understand that, actually," Ryu told him, thinking about it. "More importantly, I can buy it. I was worried for a moment there that I couldn't trust you any more, but that actually makes sense to me."

"I'm glad it does." The statue of Ladon seemed to smile, despite the immobility of its features. "Make your choices with a clear mind and a strong will, Ryu. That is all I ask of you, and should you do so, you will persevere."

"I can do that," Ryu agreed. For a moment, he considered asking him why Ray couldn't hear him, but decided against it. Instead, he stood up and patted the statue. "I'm glad they took the time to fix this one up. It looks good."

"As am I." Ladon chuckled. "I don't think replacing the temple would be a good idea, though. The church of St. Eva might not approve."

"Nooooooo." Ryu agreed. "So, how about the Breath Of Fire? Okay if I ask you about the mechanics on that? Can I turn into a dragon any time now?"

"Normally, the transformations are awakened through certain rituals known only to my high priests," Ladon explained. "It seems that the Fusion clanswoman's experimentation brought you to the first stage. You transformed into a Drake then, but that was a side effect of the unnatural awakening. Normally, at this stage, I'm afraid that you'll only be able to transform into a Whelp of fire, ice or lightning."

"Still sounds pretty good to me," Ryu commented. "What's the catch?"

"The Breath of Fire is weakened, as I'm sure you've heard by now," Ladon continued. "Because of that, a permanent transformation is no longer possible. The duration of the transformation will depend on your magic reserves; when you run out, you'll turn back, and it _will_ run out quickly. I'd imagine a minute at most."

"And when _that_ happens, I'll be pretty much beat," Ryu added. "I've seen Bow when he hits absolute zero. Not pretty. Thanks for the info."

"I'm glad to help," Ladon said warmly. "As well as that you're finally close to catching your thief."

"Heard about that, huh?" Ryu chuckled. "Let's hope so. All right, I'm going back inside to try and catch some sleep again. Talk to you later."

"Good luck with that, and with your journey into Sima," Ladon replied as he went back into the building.

The next morning, they all gathered in the meeting room once more, as they had the last time they were back. Most of the others looked somewhat edgy; Katt cracked her knuckles repeatedly, while Nina drummed her fingers on the table. Bow toyed with one of his floppy ears, and Ray buffed at an imaginary spot on his sword with a rag. Rand stared at his hands on the table, while Sten flipped one of his daggers, catching it easily. Only Niro seemed at ease, though he still watched Ryu keenly as he sat down, joining them.

"All right, let's get this straightened out before we talk about anything else," Ryu said firmly. "Yes, it turns out I'm a Light Dragon, and no, this doesn't change anything as far as I'm concerned. I've got a few hunches as to how, but that's all, and there's pretty much no way I'll be getting answers on them, not that it really matters. I'm still me, we're still us, and until something comes along to change that, we just keep on doing what we were before. Any objections?"

"Come on, Ryu." Katt looked up, smiling suddenly. "You know us better than that. We're just glad to hear you're doing okay."

"What she said," Bow agreed. "You already know I'm cool with that, and if _that_ surprised you, you _are_ messed up by all this."

"Indeed." Nina nodded. "None of us are the type to be overly concerned with such things anyway, are we?"

"Hell no." Sten chuckled. "I'm sure not going to complain. Sounds like a good plan to me, boss."

"Agreed." Rand looked him over carefully, then smiled. "Good to see that you're keeping your head on straight about this."

"It seems like a good plan of action to me," Ray murmured. "Some men would be changed forever by such a situation. I'm glad you're not one of them."

"Everything's fine, then." Niro cackled. "So, heading back to Capitan?"

"If Ray doesn't mind one more Warp." Ryu nodded, as did Ray. "Ships should be coming back in today, with luck. We'll get the first one across to Sima and keep following the trail. With luck, we'll be able to track her down in that country."

"Somebody say something about Capitan?" Granny yelled as she barged through the door in the eastern wall, Sana close behind her. "Don't go heading off just yet, now! We got a few things to talk about!"

"We have _got_ to get that door bricked up," Bow muttered under his breath, and the others around the table all nodded.

"Awww, but that's no fun!" Sana pouted. "Then I won't be able to sneak over and say hello at night if you lock up!"

"That was one of the things I was going to ask you about, actually," Granny muttered. "Glad to see you know what you're doing, carpenter."

"I ain't a carpenter, lady," Bow told her flatly. "What's the other problem?"

"Well, it's a very nice house, but we'll need a room for our experiments," she told them. "If you don't have a carpenter around here, you'll just have to find one to come down here and put one in, then!"

"Oh, is that so?" Bow replied sarcastically; the others were all staying quiet, watching him. "Look, granny, you're lucky we gave you a free house in the first place! What makes you think we're just gonna do everything you tell us to, huh?"

"Please, Mr. Carpenter?" Sana begged, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder, smiling. "You did such a great job on the rest of the house. Can't you just do us this one tiny little favor? After all, if we don't have that room, how am I supposed to try fusing with the rest of you, hmmm?"

"Listen, miss," Bow muttered, blushing. "I already told you, I'm not a... gah! Fine, whatever! We'll do it!"

"That one was a lost cause before it even got started," Katt muttered to Sten.

"Wouldn't have bet on him for all the zenny in Prima," he agreed as Bow gave them both dirty looks.

"Guess we'll look for one in Capitan." Ryu shrugged. "No promises on the quality, though. We ain't exactly rolling in dough here, so we'll have to go with what we can afford, especially considering how far he or she'll have to come."

"Let me take care of that," Niro said suddenly, surprising them all. The old man's face was pensive as he scribbled some names on a piece of paper before handing it to Ryu. "Here, look these three up. They should still be in Capitan, unless the damn fools got themselves killed, and I doubt _all_ of them would have. You should be able to find at least one, and if anything's sacred to them any more, telling them Niro's calling in what they owe him oughta be enough."

"We'll do that," Ryu told him, fighting the instinct to ask for more information; it wasn't his business. "Thanks."

"Just doing my part for the company." He shrugged it off. "I'll go over what you need while we're waitin', Gigli. Make sure to have a proper floor plan drafted up by the time one of 'em gets here so they can put it in."

"Thank you, Niro," Granny replied quietly, her voice completely unlike normal. "That would be nice of you." She shook it off a moment later. "Anyways, this'll be good for you folks too, in the long run. You're mercenaries, right?"

"We prefer the term adventurers." Rand grimaced.

"That _does_ sound nicer, doesn't it?" Sana murmured, walking over to him. "More romantic. I like it."

"Bah, call a spade a spade." Granny snorted. "Sorry about her, by the way. She's always been like that. You should have seen her when she was a kid."

"I'd rather not have, actually," Katt muttered, watching Rand twitch uncomfortably as Sana examined his massive arms. "What's your point?"

"Fusion!" She snapped. "It might not work with your chief, but the rest of you should be fine. If we get the room built, we'll be able to try Sana with some more of you. If it works out, the benefits'll be worth it, trust me."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Nina murmured.

"Speak for yourself, Nina." Sten grinned. "I'm all for that idea."

"Glad to hear it," Sana purred. "Let's give it a try the next time you come back, then, shall we?" She glanced apologetically at Ryu. "I've been meaning to tell you, but I don't think it's going to work out between us. I just can't see myself with a man I can't fuse with, you know?"

"That's quite all right," Ryu replied, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Like I told you, I'm sort of spoken for already, anyways."

"She ain't the only one, either!" Granny continued as if they hadn't spoken. "There's others out there. Three sisters and two cousins. Don't ask me why this generation's all girls. I've got no idea where they are right now-they're like stray cats, I swear-but if you run into any of 'em, tell 'em Granny's calling them home and let 'em know where I'm living now, and they'll head back here so we can fuse them with you folks too."

"Wait, wait, wait." Rand held up a hand, eyes widening. "Are you saying we might end up with _six_ girls like _her_ living next door?"

"Exactly what kind of 'benefits' are we talking here?" Katt asked skeptically.

"Depends on how well the fusion works." Granny shrugged. "It could be anything from enhanced strength, agility, durability or intelligence to a complete physical transformation. Sana here's a fire-elemental; the other five all have different ones, so they'll all match up better with different people. It never makes you weaker, though; the worst that could happen is the fusion not working. For folks in your line of work, this sort of thing'll help."

"I hate to say it, but she does have a point," Nina conceded. "Perhaps we should keep an eye out for the rest of these girls after all."

"They shouldn't be hard to miss, if they're anything like her," Ryu pointed out.

"Hey, I was sold from the start." Sten raised his hands, still grinning.

"I noticed," Katt commented dryly.

"I noticed you noticing."

"Are we done here?" Ray was looking even more awkward than the rest of them, despite the fact that Sana hadn't come near him. "We should really be getting back to Capitan. You have your business, as do I."

"Aww, you're not a member of this group?" Sana pouted, glancing at him. "Darn. I was looking forward to trying to fuse with you most of all. You smell almost as good as Ryu did, and you're even cuter, too."

"Down, girl!" Granny snapped, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her back out of the room into their building.

"Wow." Bow shook his head. "Just... wow."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed, and everybody else nodded as well.

The meeting broke up after that, and once they'd had breakfast, Ray warped them back to Capitan once more. After some quick deliberation, they decided to split up into teams to hunt down all three carpenters as quickly as possible. Ryu and Ray took the first name on the list, Katt and Nina the second, and Rand and Sten the third.

"Any particular reason you wanted this guy?" Ryu asked once they'd set off. "You seemed like you were insisting on him."

"The name is familiar," Ray replied, smiling slightly. "The Rivab child was the boy we saved from the creons, and I'm already familiar with the home. It's this way."

"Pretty slick," Ryu complimented him.

"I do my best," Ray replied, smile fading. "Listen, Ryu. I'll be leaving you once we're done with this, so this will be our last chance to talk for a while. I wanted you to know that I won't be informing the Church of St. Eva of your Clan heritage."

"Thanks, man," Ryu said quietly as they navigated the streets. "It's not the Church, it's just... I'd like to keep that secret as limited as possible."

"I understand, and agree." Ray hesitated a moment before continuing. "Honesty compels me to admit that there are many members of the church who would not react well to this knowledge. Some churchmen are... sensitive about the worship of Ladon that once dominated the world, and they have opinions regarding the disappearance of the Dragon Clan that I find unpleasant. It would not be the act of a friend to risk your identity becoming known to them."

"I've heard rumors," Ryu admitted. "I try not to listen to them, though. I won't ask you for details, though."

"Thank you." Ray nodded, but his eyes were still oddly intent. "Be very cautious, Ryu. The Church of St. Eva is not the only place in the world where such people will be found. Avoid revealing yourself unless absolutely necessary. Your life, and the lives of your friends, may depend on it."

"I wasn't planning on flying around belching fire all day anyway," Ryu assured him. "I'll be careful."

"Good." Ray stopped in front of a pleasant-looking two-story stone house with a slate roof. "Here we are." He knocked on the door, and a moment later, a young woman with curly red hair opened it.

"Oh, Mr. Braddoc!" She exclaimed. "And is this Mr. Bateson?"

"That's me." Ryu nodded. "Mind if we come in? We'd like to talk to your husband about something."

"Of course, of course." She turned and called up the staircase. "Dear, Mr. Braddoc and Mr. Bateson are here! They'd like to talk to you!"

"What?" A man's voice called down, and a moment later the father of the child they'd saved in the well descended, sliding down the rail. Landing perfectly, he seized their hands and shook them warmly. "I've been trying to find you all week so I could thank you myself, Bateson! You saved our boy's life, and probably mine too! Hell, you saved this entire town! Dear, would you mind getting us some drinks?"

"Way ahead of you, dear." She was already in the kitchen, and returned a moment later with three mugs of ale. "Here you go. Let me know how it is; it's a new batch."

"You brew your own?" Ryu asked, impressed.

"Anything you can eat or drink, my wife can do!" Mr. Rivab boasted. "Now then, what can I do for you?"

"We actually need a favor." Ray confessed. "You see-"

"Whatever it is, I'll do it!" Rivab cut him off. "Anything!"

"Glad to hear it." Ryu took a sip of his ale before continuing. "Hey, this _is_ good. Anyways... does the name Niro Mani ring a bell?"

In the kitchen, they heard a glass break.

"Niro Mani," Mr. Rivab muttered, eyes distant. "Been a long time since I heard that name. Is that old codger still alive? What's he up to?"

"Believe it or not, he's actually joined up with my group," Ryu explained. "We're operating out of some old ruins in southern Auria, west of Mt. Fubi. He's keeping an eye on the place. We've refurbished a couple of the buildings down there, but one of them needs some work that's beyond our capabilities. We need a specialist."

"I think I know the ruins you're talking about." Mr. Rivab nodded slowly. "That's a hell of a long ways away, but if Niro sent you... and then there's everything I owe you..." He turned towards the kitchen. "Dear, I'm afraid I'm going to be taking a little trip."

"I heard." Mrs. Rivab was standing in the doorway now. "You have to, dear. If it's Mr. Mani and these gentlemen..."

"I won't even charge them," Mr. Rivab decided. "On the house!"

"Whoa, whoa." Ryu blinked. "That's going a little too far. Of course we're going to pay you for the work."

"Nonsense!" Mr. Rivab boomed. "I won't hear another word of it! As a matter of fact, I'm going up to pack my bags right now!" Draining his mug, he shook their hands forcibly again, then turned and ran up the stairs.

"Well, he's energetic," Ryu noted.

"He always has been," Mrs. Rivab agreed wryly. "He's right, though. Back when Mr. Mani still lived here, he gave my husband and his two friends their starts in this career. We never would have been able to afford this house if it hadn't been for his help. Shameful what this city did to him, shameful." She shook her head. "I'm just glad we can pay him back for everything, and you as well."

"Well then, we're happy too." Ryu finished his mug, as did Ray. "We'll be on our way now; we need to get over to the harbor. Have a nice day."

"You too." She saw them out. "Good luck, and watch yourselves out there, you hear?"

"That went well," Ray said as they walked north, to the harbor, where they'd agreed to meet with the others.

"A little too well," Ryu corrected him. "Something's wrong here. It can't be this easy. It's _never_ this easy with us."

"I thought you were an optimist," Ray remarked.

"I am." Ryu chuckled. "I'm optimistic about our luck being terrible. Always has been so far. Don't see it changing now."

Ray rolled his eyes at that, but didn't say anything more as they made their way towards the docks.

"Hey, guys!" Katt called as they walked up. She and Nina were there waiting for them, leaning against a rail. "Good news! I don't know _what_ that guy owed Niro, but he took off like his ass was on fire. Didn't even ask for any cash!"

"Wait." Ryu froze, looking at Ray, whose eyes were widening. "He did?"

"Well, yes." Nina frowned. "Is that a problem?"

"Aw man, we're the last ones back?" Sten interrupted as he and Rand joined them. "Well, at least we did it. Found the guy, and he said he'd do it! Hell, he said he'd do it for _free!_ He's already heading off!"

"Hold it." Katt's face was contorting. "Your guy's already gone too?"

"Too?" Rand repeated. "Then yours as well...?"

"Yes," Nina admitted, glancing at Ryu and Ray. "Don't tell me-"

"I'm afraid so." Ray winced.

"So basically..." Ryu sighed. "We've got_ three_ different carpenters heading all the way to our hideout, to work on a single room. We _really_ should have thought this plan out better."

"Looks like that's what it comes down to," Katt muttered. "So, what do we do about this?" They all thought it over for a few moments.

"Let Granny explain it to them?" Rand suggested, as evil smiles grew on all of their faces. "It's her house, after all."

"She's definitely the perfect one to explain it," Sten agreed, and the others all nodded. "Good idea."

"We'll leave that to her, then," Ryu decided. "We've got a thief to catch."

"And I, my own business to see to," Ray added. "It seems the time has come to say farewell once more." The ships were already starting to come in, some of them unloading cargo, others passengers.

"Make sure and stop by some time, huh?" Ryu told him, shaking his hand. "You know where we live now, and we don't plan on relocating any time soon."

"What he said," Katt agreed, doing the same. "Don't be a stranger, or I'll have to kick your ass for it, and neither of us wants that."

"Good luck," Rand said simply, his huge mitt enveloping the smaller man's hand even in its gauntlet. "Stay safe."

"Gotta admit, I was never the most religious guy in the world, but you're okay, Ray." Sten grinned, taking his turn. "Watch your ass out there."

"We'll try to contact you if we find out anything more on our demon problem," Nina promised, taking his hand last but not shaking it. She simply held it for a moment, eyes a mystery, and irrationally, Ryu found himself glad for once that Ray was a paladin, with a paladin's vows. "As they said, keep in touch... and be careful."

"So long as you do the same," Ray replied, raising her hand so he could kiss her wrist, a strangely old-fashioned gesture. "Until we meet again, my friends." He turned away, long strawberry-blond hair blowing in the sea wind and violet eyes glinting in the sun, and they all watched him until he found a ship and disappeared within to speak with the captain.

"Guess we should go talk to the harbormaster or something," Ryu suggested. "See if he knows any ships that'll be headed across the Gulf of Gust."

"Already ahead of you there, chief." Sten grinned. "Keep your eyes open for the _Pride of Prima._"

"We stopped by on our way here," Rand explained.

"Good enough." Ryu nodded. "Think I see it over there." It was an expensive-looking merchantman swarming with yelling Maniros, hauling cargo around. Walking up, he spotted the one who looked like he was giving the orders, and raised his voice. "Morning! Heard you're heading across the Gulf! Think we could talk you into taking on a few passengers?"

"Passengers, huh?" The Maniro glanced down, adjusting a tricorn hat as he narrowed his eyes speculatively. "I think we can arrange that. For a price. Five of you across the Gulf? That'll be a hundred zenny each."

"That's outrageous!" Sten sputtered.

"It's fine," Ryu told him, although his own eyes had widened at the price. "We can afford it."

"No chance in hell," the Highlander growled. "For that much cash, we could pay anybody else here to just detour."

"Suit yourself." The captain shrugged. "Feel free to try that, then."

"Oh, we will," Sten agreed. "Right after we stop by the Ruling Council and tell them about the asshole who tried to rip off the guys who saved this entire city from the bug monsters."

"_Ouch_," Rand commented under his breath.

"That was you guys?" The captain asked skeptically. "You don't look all that tough to me. Not sure I believe that."

Without a word, Katt ripped a chunk of the rail next to her out with one hand and pulverized it simply by gripping it tighter, then dropped the mass of shredded wood into the ocean.

"Yeah, okay." The captain scowled. "Seventy-five each, and that's the best I'm going to give you. Take it or leave it."

"Why don't we knock it down to seventy, just to keep things friendly?" Sten suggested. "We're all friends here, right? And it's not like we'll be taking up cargo space. It's a nice day; we'll just keep out of the way on the deck."

"Fine!" The captain snapped. "Get on board already. We're casting off as soon as we've got all this secured. And the zenny comes up front!"

"Half up front," Ryu corrected him as they climbed aboard. He knew _that_ much about negotiation. "Half when we get there." Opening his zenny pouch, he pulled a hundred seventy-five out and tossed it to the captain, who snatched the coins out of the air deftly. Glaring at them for a moment more, he turned away and began to chew out one of the sailors.

"I don't know if I've told you this before, but I'm glad we decided to hire you on after all, Sten," Nina told him.

"Thanks!" He grinned. "I think. Come on, let's go up to the prow. If you're going to be seasick, though, head downwind. Trust me."

"Hoping that's not a problem," Katt said as the maniros began casting off. "Don't _think_ any of us have weak stomachs."  
"No comment," Rand muttered.

The trip across the bay was fairly enjoyable for most of them; Rand disagreed, but made sure to follow Sten's advice, so the unpleasantness was kept to a minimum. Despite that unfortunate incident, there was a general feeling of optimism for once; it actually seemed, for the first time, that they were actually finally closing in on their target. The sky was blue, the sun was bright, and despite Rand's opinion the ocean was nice and calm. For once, it was a good day, and none of them were going to question that.

The harbor town on the other side of the bay was almost the polar opposite of Capitan; it was little more than the buildings necessary for running the docks, staffed by the unfortunately-named froglike Creeper clansmen. A quick chat with the harbor boss produced the information that a girl with black wings had passed through, as they'd hoped, and gone west through the nearby Marshwoods, the fastest route to the center of the country, where its capital was located.

"There's something I've been thinking about," Nina said as they walked through the trees, following the path. "What are we going to do if the trail leads us to Simafort itself? It's not exactly as easily accessible as most capitals."

"You've been wondering about that too, huh?" Rand agreed, and Sten nodded. "I've been trying to come up with an answer myself when I wasn't puking my guts out, but so far nothing's really presented itself."

"Mind sharing, for those of us who aren't experts on geo... geogra..." Katt struggled with it before snarling and kicking a tree. "Where shit is on a map?"

"Geography," Sten provided helpfully.

"Oh, like I know how to say _that_."

"The capital of Sima is Simafort," Nina explained before the fight could get worse. "It's a massive fortress that's located in the middle of Lake Sima, and they're not too fond of visitors. Entry is by invitation only, unless you can find some way to sneak in, which... isn't very likely. Our thief might have managed to do so, though, if she's as talented as she seems. We'd have much more difficulty."

"Let's hope that's not the case, then." Ryu shrugged. "But if we _do_ find a way in there, let's take it. It _is_ the most obvious target, after all. Simafort's supposed to be one of the richest cities in the world. Guess that's why they're so paranoid."

"Most of the country is rock-bottom when it comes to military strength, but Simafort itself's one hell of an exception," Sten grunted. "I wouldn't attack that place if I had the entire strength of Highland behind me." His face twitched oddly, and he shook himself before continuing. "Anyways, we'll figure something out. I'm more worried about the alcohol situation. We forgot to bring some with us when we left Capitan.

"Knew we forgot something," Katt muttered. "Oh well, they've still got good ale over here, right?"

"I have some bad news for you," Ryu started to say, then paused as his ears picked something up. "Hey. You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Rand asked, frowning. Nina and Sten both shrugged as well.

"Sounded like somebody talking," Katt explained, ears twitching. She raised her voice. "Hey! Anybody else around here?"

"Hello?" A male voice with a Siman accent replied. "Is there somebody there? Oh, please, let it be so!"

"Need some help, buddy?" Ryu called as they ran down the path; it was coming from up ahead of them. Rounding a corner, they all screeched to a halt in front of a muddy pond, eyes widening. "Whoa."

"Yes, 'whoa' is a good word to describe my, how you say... problem," the gigantic frog poking its head out of the muddy pond replied. All that was visible were its bulging red eyes and mouth, flanked by a pair of ear fins, but that much alone was larger than Rand's entire body. "Bonjour, travelers! You must be surprised to see me like this, yes?"

"Yeah, 'surprised' is a good word for it," Rand muttered as they all began to edge away from the pond.

"No, no, no, no, no, wait!" The frog pleaded. "I am not a suspicious character, not at all! Call me Jean! Please, I require your assistance!"

"Yeah, that's not suspicious at all," Katt began to say, then paused, as they all saw Nina go pale. "Hey, what's up? You know this guy?"

"Jean?" Nina whispered. "That voice... no, it couldn't be. Not _Prince_ Jean?"

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Sten yelled, the others all responding similarly.

"Forgive me, miss, but have we...?" The frog began to ask, then trailed off, huge red eyes widening. "Ah... I don't believe it! Are you... are you Nina? But you... you died so many years ago! When I heard, I was... what happened to you, _mademoiselle_?"

"It's a long story," Nina murmured, then shook her head. "But more importantly, what happened to _you? _You look... different from when last we met."

"Ah, I am glad that you asked!" Jean recovered quickly. "The witch, Nimufu, who lives in a tower in northern Sima, placed a spell on me transforming me into this awful shape! I have been waiting here ever since for a group of brave adventurers such as yourselves who would dare to brave the tower and persuade her to remove the spell! You will accept my request, will you not? S_il'vous plait!_"

"I don't know," Ryu muttered uncertainly, still trying to catch up with the conversation. "We're kind of here on business looking for something already, and we're not really the charitable do-gooder sort of organization..."

"Now hold on a moment here," Rand objected. "We were just talking about this little problem we had with Simafort, right? This could be just what we needed, and we can ask around about our thief on our way to this tower anyways."

"A problem with Simafort?" The frog replied. "Do you require entry? Transform me back, and you will be my honored guests!"

"Sounds like you're a man who knows how to appreciate some help," Sten said with a wink to Ryu. "I say we take him up on it, boss."

"Looks like the vote's pretty obvious," Katt agreed, glancing at Nina.

"Okay, okay, I can take a hint," Ryu gave in. "We'll go talk to this witch for you, your highness."

"Ah, wonderful!" Jean croaked happily. "I will await your return here, then! _Bon voyage_, my brave heroes!"

"Yeah, sure." Ryu coughed. "We'll be back."

"Is this guy for real?" Katt muttered under her breath to Nina as they continued south, towards the edge of the Marshwoods.

"I'm afraid so," she replied quietly, still looking slightly shocked. "I'd almost forgotten... his father and mine were-are-political allies, so we met several times when we were children. I even spent a month living in Simafort one summer, and he a month in Windia." She smiled slightly. "He was always a silly boy. Romantic, excitable, and not particularly intelligent, but honest and caring. If he was more responsible, he'd make a very good king eventually, but..." She sighed. "From what I've heard, he tends to land himself in predicaments like this fairly often."

"Just as long as we don't have to bail him out of any more after this one," Ryu commented. "This time might be worth it, but I'd prefer we didn't get into the habit of things like this on a regular basis, you know?"

"Actually, considering the kinds of messes we _do_ tend to get into regularly, this might actually be a step _up_," Sten pointed out. "I'll take witches over demons any day."

"I was afraid somebody was going to say that."

The next week was spent traveling first west, then north, across the country of Sima. Brief stopovers at towns and villages along the way confirmed their suspicions that the thief was headed straight towards Lake Sima, at the center of the country. It took every scrap of willpower Ryu had to force himself to intentionally break off from the trail and turn north instead, towards the mountains where the witch Nimufu apparently lived, according to the townspeople. She seemed to have quite a reputation, particularly with young human men, many of whom had yet to return.

Sima was a rather unpleasant country to travel through on foot, due mostly to the massive amount of rainfall it received all year round. History claimed that it had once been an arid wasteland known as Gramor, home to the now-vanished Mole Clan, but anybody who'd been to Sima personally found that hard to believe. After only a few days spent trudging through the rain, Ryu and his friends agreed wholeheartedly. Katt took the downpours particularly badly, growing even more short-tempered than usual as the wet days continued.

The humidity led to an abundance of plantlife, both passive and hostile, as well as to a high animal population. They ate well, at least, although they were seldom able to make it through an entire meal without taking a break to fend off monsters. Reaching the northern mountains actually came as a relief, since it meant they were able to find caverns in order to take refuge at night, both from the local predators and from the persistent rain.

"This entire country can just go to hell," Katt snarled one morning as they stalked up a mountain trail under another downpour. "Are we friggin' there yet?"

"Almost, according to the last village we passed through," Sten assured her. "Think we'd have any luck persuading her to give us something we could dry ourselves off with before we had that little discussion about her business practices with her?"

"Not too likely, I'm afraid," Rand told him, rounding a corner and glancing up. "Hey, check it out. Pretty sure this is the place." As he spoke, the rain trickled off, and the clouds began to part, allowing the sun to shine down on their destination. Joining Rand, they all stared up the trail at it. A perfectly cylindrical tower rose straight up from the mountain's peak, at least a hundred feet of some strange pink stone covered in balconies, windows, pillars and statues. The top of it had a slightly rounded peak.

"You know, if this was a wizard instead of a witch, I'd start to wonder about the architectural intent here," Sten commented after a moment.

"You never know with some witches," Katt added. "Maybe that _is_ the idea."

"Interesting statuary, though," Nina said in a slightly strained voice. "Are they supposed to be doing what I think they are?"

"Oh, yeah." Ryu's eye twitched. "Not exactly subtle, is it?"

"Nope." Rand sighed heavily. "One of _those_ places. That's _just_ what our month needed. And what's worse, check out the guys standing guard." The two humanoids in front of the door were fat but muscular, with reddish-pink skin. Their heads were piglike, with flat snouts, tusks, and tiny eyes. Both were wearing spiked helmets and mixed scraps of plate mail, but nothing else, and were leaning on the hilts of a pair of ugly-looking hand axes.

"Can't say I've ever seen _that_ Clan before." Katt frowned. "What are they?"

"Ogre Clansmen." Nina glanced at Rand. "They're native to your homeland, aren't they?"

"Yep, and they're nasty customers." He grimaced. "An unrecognized Clan, and for good reason. Bandits, the lot of 'em, just like the Kimoto in Windia. Heard that the weak ones who can't cut it with the outlaw gangs tend to hire themselves out to unpleasant customers in other parts of the world."

"So these guys are the rejects, huh?" Ryu narrowed his eyes. "We should be able to handle them, then. Any point in trying to talk them into letting us through?"

"Doubtful," Rand replied. "Unless they've got some really _weird_ standing orders, they'll pick a fight out of sheer stupidity."

"I like the way that sounds, actually." Katt knocked the mud off one end of her staff and approached, the others behind her. "Oy, assholes! Feel like opening the doors, or are we gonna have to persuade you?"

"Huh?" They glanced at her, then at each other. "Well, well, lookie what we got here. Bunch o' mountaineers looking for some shelter."

"Isn't that cute." The other one chuckled nastily. "Unless you got _business_ with the boss, which ain't too likely. She likes to pick 'em out herself."

"Idunno, she might like this batch." The first one's brow ridge wrinkled. "Farmboy ain't much to look at, but then they never are. He's got the body for it, though, so she might let that pass. The Highlander... depends on what she's feeling like today. And then there's the prettyboy."

"She'd be all _over_ the prettyboy," his partner agreed.

"Am I a prettyboy?" Ryu asked Katt under his breath. "I don't _think_ I'm a prettyboy."

"Keep in mind who's talking here," she whispered back. "Pretty sure it's relative. At least I _hope_ that's why they're calling you that."

"Oh, _hell_ no."

"Exactly."

"Not trying to tempt fate here, but I thought they'd be commenting on _you_ two, not the three of us," Sten remarked to Nina less quietly. "Am I missing something?"

"It is somewhat puzzling," she agreed thoughtfully. "As well as a deviation from the usual script."

"We were gettin' to that!" The first Ogre protested. "We were about to say, you two are pretty smokin' hot too, but that ain't gonna get you too far in there. The boss ain't into girls, if you know what I mean."

"That ain't true," the other one protested. "There was that one time, you know?"

"Oh yeah, her," his partner admitted. "Good point. But that _was_ just the one time. Don't think she'd be too keen on trying it again."

"This conversation is getting a little weird," Katt said dryly. "Can we just skip to the part where you say the two of us should stick around here with the two of you, we say no, and we have to kick your asses before heading in?"

"It's no fun if you know what we're going to say before we say it!" The second Ogre protested. "Now we're gonna have to ad-lib!"

"Yeah," the first one groaned. "I _hate_ ad-libbing."

"You could just refuse all of us entry," Rand suggested. "It'd end up in a fight anyways, wouldn't it?"

"Check out the brain on the farmboy!" The first one sneered. "Nice try! You know what the boss would do to us if we _didn't_ let a prettyboy in? Even if he came looking for her instead of the other way around? No way!"

"Matter of fact, we're gonna do just the opposite!" The other Ogre told them, as he and his partner each took hold of the handles on one of the huge double doors and swung them open. "All of you, go right on in! Make yourselves at home, heh heh heh!"

"Thanks," Ryu told them as they all walked in. "I think." The doors swung shut behind them as soon as they were past. "So... what just happened here?"

"Try not to think about it," Nina advised him, frowning. "There are other issues at hand." The hallway before them was plain gray stone, and it stretched ahead about ten feet before ending abruptly. There was no visible way onward. "What exactly are we supposed to do here?"

"You wait for me to open the way, of course, silly girl," a female voice replied, apparently out of thin air. "The boys weren't supposed to let you in that easily. I'll have to punish them for that once I'm done with you."

"Nimufu, the witch, I presume?" Ryu asked. "We're here to talk with you."

"So I see," she replied, voice lowering. "Hmm. Not bad at all. Quite a good variety, aren't you? The question is, are you nothing but looks, or do you have it where it counts?" A hole in the ceiling opened, and a wizened blob of bandages with hand floated down, one of them clutching a wand. A ridiculous pointed hat decorated the top of it, and its front boasted a hideous face with sunken, glowing eyes and a rot-toothed grin.

"Get down!" Nina yelled as it raised its staff. Before it could cast whatever spell it was working on, however, she threw out a fireball of her own, blowing it away. "If we see any more of those things, watch out. They're magic-users."

"Not bad," Nimufu grudgingly conceded. "But how will you handle a more... physical threat?" The hole remained open, and out from it, three purple, furry spheres rolled, uncurling as they hit the floor. They were bizarre, with leathery green skin; two brawny arms curled out from their sides without shoulders, ending in claws, and they hopped on a single broad foot. Their faces were set in their chests, one eye above a jutting, tusked jaw, and a spiked horn rose from their tops.

"What the hell are these?" Rand muttered.

"Like it matters?" Katt launched herself at one. "So long as they go crunch, that's good enough for me! Whoa!" She sidestepped a swing from one massive paw, whirled around and swept at its foot with her staff, only for it to hop over the blow, spin and strike again. "Hey, they're better than I thought they'd be!"

"Good for you," Sten grunted, stalking another with a dagger in each hand. Diving under its swipe, he sliced it open across the underside, then scowled as it failed to die. "Thought so. These aren't natural. Some kind of construct." A glancing blow knocked him into a wall; bouncing off, he whirled and drove his dagger through the beast's eye and into its brain. Roaring, it tried to charge him again, but fell over and died.

"Looks like they can still be killed, though," Ryu noted as he deflected his opponent's attack with his sword. "Good enough for us, right?" Seeing an opening, he kicked it in the face, then ran it through before it could recover.

"Damn straight!" Katt agreed, driving her staff through the roof of its mouth. Kicking the twitching corpse off, she glanced up at the ceiling. "How's _that?_ Good enough?"

"I suppose so, yes," Nimufu's voice conceded. "I should point out, though, that I really don't go for women most of the time. Feel free to accompany your friends up to see me, though... I _might_ change my mind."

"Why does everybody here keep bringing that up?" Nina murmured as the wall opposite the door began to slide down into the floor, revealing another hall behind it.

"I'm sure I wouldn't know," Rand told her, looking slightly embarrassed, as they walked onwards. "Hey, what the-!" As they'd reached a side passage, a frantic-looking young man had suddenly lunged out, grabbing his arm. He was classically handsome, with curly blond hair, and was wearing only a _very_ brief green pair of shorts and a vest.

"The door!" The man yelled. "Is the door still there?"

"Huh?" Ryu turned his head around. "Yeah, sure it..." He paused. The door had been replaced by another blank wall. "Huh. When'd _that_ happen?"

"Oh, no." Releasing Rand, the man sank down to the floor, holding his head. "That was my last hope." He raised his head suddenly, staring at them. "You don't understand, do you? You're trapped, too, now! Nimufu... she's crazy! When she gets tired of us, she-" Before he could continue, a bolt of magical energy blasted down from the ceiling and struck him, transforming him into a stone statue in the blink of an eye.

"Shit!" Ryu yelled, all of them leaping back. "What the hell was _that_?"

"Some people talk too much for their own good," Nimufu replied, still unseen. "He was growing boring anyways. You look _much_ more interesting. Come, come, I'm up here at the top. Don't keep me waiting."

"This is starting to look like a _real_ bad scene, people," Sten muttered. "How do we fight something like that, if it comes down to it?"

"Those sorts of curses can't just be cast from the wrist," Nina said thoughtfully. "They need a longer build-up. If we actually get up to her, I'll be able to see it coming, and we can disrupt her concentration before she gets it off."

"Good enough." Ryu nodded. "Let's hurry and get up there, then. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

"No kidding," Katt muttered.

They proceeded up the tower, making their way through halls and up stairs as straightforwardly as they could, avoiding side passages and rooms. Several times, they ran into more of the monopedal goons, undead mages, and once even a swarm of the Siman hellflies that had apparently gotten in through a window. Even more common were the statues of handsome young men, which seemed to lie around nearly every corner.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beginning to think this lady has something of a one-track mind," Rand said dryly as they passed yet another statue and headed up more stairs.

"One-track something, at any rate," Sten added.

"Could we talk about something else, please?" Nina asked somewhat plaintively, then paused. At the top was the only female statue they'd seen so far, a pretty young woman wearing minimal clothing and a great deal of strange jewelry. "That's not quite what I meant."

"She looks kind of like Sana, doesn't she?" Sten pointed out. "You don't think..."

"I suppose we could always ask." Rand shrugged. "Looks like this is it." Just beyond the statue was a particularly fancy-looking door, carved in much the same way the outside of the tower had been, with a gold frame and knob.

"Looks like," Ryu agreed. "Everybody ready?" They all nodded, so he opened the door. "Miss Nimufu? We're here to talk."

"So I see," the witch purred, glancing over the top of the book she was reading from atop a huge, four-poster bed. She was beautiful, with a wealth of bright pink hair and lush features, but there was something off-putting about the open, unrepentant desire in her eyes as she looked them over. The fact that she was wearing only a very short, _very_ tight blue dress wasn't helping. "I'm glad you all made it here. I thought you would. You looked like the kind who would." Flipping off of the bed, she began walking around them. "Cute... experienced... and of course..." She reached up to feel Rand's bicep. "Strong."

"Miss, _please,_" the big man muttered, face darkening.

"Are you actually blushing?" She asked, laughing. "How delightful! Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you... unless you'd like me to, that is." Releasing him, she walked back to the front of the bed and sat on the edge, apparently unconscious of the growing scowls on both Katt's and Nina's faces. "Now then, what _can_ I do for you, hmmm?"

"We're here on the behalf of a friend of ours," Ryu said as calmly as possible. "A friend who happens to be a frog at the moment."

"Frog?" Nimufu blinked, then frowned. "Oh, _that_ frog! Is _that_ why you're here? How disappointing." After a moment's thought, she smiled again. "You want me to turn him back or something, right? Why don't we make a deal? I'll tell you how to break the curse, if you... play with me first, hmmm?"

"Nothing personal, miss, but that doesn't seem like a healthy occupation to have," Sten pointed out. "All the guys we met on the way up didn't think so, anyways."

"They were boring," Nimufu brushed it off. "I'm sure you'll keep me interested for _much_ longer than they did. At _least_ for a whole month."

"That wasn't my point, actually." Sten coughed.

"Oh?" She raised a delicate eyebrow. "Well then, what was..." She trailed off, smile fading. "Wait. You don't mean to say... is this because I'm a witch?" She got off the bed again, stalking forward. "You're not _afraid_ of me, are you?"

"Who wouldn't be?" Katt muttered.

"Ix-nay!" Ryu hissed, but it was too late.

"I knew it!" Nimufu shouted, collapsing on her bed and burying her head in her arms, actually starting to sob. "Nobody ever likes me! Not once they know who I am!"

"Is this... normal?" Rand asked hesitantly.

"How should we know?" Nina replied somewhat snappishly.

"Fine, then," Nimufu snarled, the sounds of crying ending abruptly. She raised her head, and there was nothing but hatred in her eyes now. "If that's how you feel, I'll just kill you first... and _then_ I'll have some fun with you!"

"I don't really think it's supposed to work that way!" Sten yelped. "Boss, what do we do?"

"Let me handle it," Ryu told them, walking forward. "Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way. Might as well try something out."  
"You mean..." Katt blinked, then grinned nastily. "Oh, yeah! Do it, do it, do it!"

"I couldn't agree more." Nina smiled as well. "By all means."

"Yap, yap, yap, shut your traps!" Nimufu yelled, producing a long staff from the air and raising it above her head. It began to glow, and a fireball sprung from its tip, blasting towards Ryu. "Just die, already!"

"Playing with fire's dangerous, miss," Ryu told her as he watched the blast come at him. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, trying to remember exactly how it had felt when he had transformed before, and willing himself to do so again. As the fireball hit, flames burning into his chest, he felt more fire rushing through his body, changing it.

His form changed, but not his size; though he remained the same height, he could feel his bones shifting as his skin became scales, stubby wings sprouting from his back and neck lengthening. His face became a beaklike snout, claws sprouted from his hands and feet, and tiny horns extended from the back of his head. The transformation complete, the dragon whelp glared at the stunned witch before him, reared back its head and belched a fireblast that made her spell look like a lit match, blowing her across the room and into the back wall.

"Now then, are you going to calm down and tell us what we want to know?" He asked as she shrieked, quickly casting more magic on herself to douse the flames covering her body. "Or do I have to give you another shot?"

"No!" She begged, falling to her knees. "Please, don't! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She began to cry again.

"Well... good," Ryu said after a moment. "Glad we can be reasonable about this." A moment later, the world _twitched_ around him, and then he was back in his normal form, drop-dead exhausted, as if he'd been running all day. Before he knew what was going on, he was falling to the floor, only for Katt to catch him before he could hit it.

"Not bad at all," she said, grinning. "Didn't think it would be so cute, though."

"Cute?" He protested weakly, trying to move and failing.

"_Definitely_ cute," Nina agreed. "Wouldn't you say, boys?"

"No comment," Rand muttered, and Sten nodded in agreement. "Now then, about that curse..."

"It's not fair!" Nimufu was still blubbering. "I'm so beautiful, but the only man who ever loved me was a frog! So I turned him into one! What's wrong with that?"

"Hey, hey." Katt scowled, along with the others. "Watch your mouth, sister. That's going a little far." Even in the rougher elements of society, Clan slurs were taboo; anybody who was stupid enough to use them was likely to come down with a bad case of falling down a flight of stairs several times over. "You got something against the Creeper Clan, or do you just have a problem with anybody who's not a human?"

"You don't understand!" Nimufu protested. "He said he loved me, but... but he's a _frog!_ Why doesn't anybody else get this but me?" She stared at Sten. "And you... I thought you weren't bad, but... you're a _monkey!_ What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _everybody_?"

"Prince Jean was a very handsome boy, as I remember," Nina told her coldly. "If you can't look past one's Clan, then that's your problem. We couldn't care less, just so long as you give us what we came here for. The cure, now, before we lose our tempers further."

"Fine." Nimufu smiled suddenly. "If you think he's so handsome, _you_ cure him. A kiss on the lips from a young girl, if you know what I mean, is the cure for the transformation. _I_ certainly wouldn't be able to do it."

"Oh." Nina paused, then blushed. "I _see._"

"I don't," Katt muttered.

"I'll explain later," Sten whispered to her.

"Now, if that's all you came here for, I'd like to be alone." Nimufu stood and turned away from them. They all looked at her for a moment more, then turned as well and left the room the way they'd come in.

"Excuse me?" It was the girl who had been a statue at the top of the stairs; she was no longer stone, but flesh and blood again. Her hair and clothes were both a deep blue, as were her eyes, large and cute. She was clearly younger than Sana, and seemed much more innocent as well, despite her body and apparent lack of modesty about it. "Did something happen in there?"

"Hey, you're not a statue any more!" Sten pointed out the obvious.

"We must have completely shattered the witch's mental confidence," Nina said thoughtfully. "If the spell used to petrify everybody within the tower was a continual rather than a one-shot, then that would have disrupted it, returning everybody to normal."

"Uh, sure." Rand nodded slowly. "What you said."

"That must be it!" The girl smiled, eyes bright. "You're a black magician, aren't you? How smart! My name's Seso; it's nice to meet you all. I hope you didn't hurt Nimufu _too_ badly, even if she _did_ deserve it for turning me into a statue like that after our fight."

"Let's just say I think she'll get over it," Ryu told her. "Listen, I don't suppose you happen to know somebody named Sana, do you?"

"You know my big sister?" Seso blinked. "Oh, no. Don't tell me she and granny pulled you into one of their experiments? I'm so sorry about that! Trust me, the rest of us aren't nearly that..." She groped for a word.

"Eccentric?" Sten suggested.

"Exactly." She nodded. "How are they doing these days, anyways?"

"They've relocated, actually," Ryu explained. "They're living at some ruins south of Hometown, over in Auria, now. West of Mt. Fubi. Granny actually wanted us to tell you she was calling you home if we saw you, actually."

"Oh!" Seso's eyes widened. "I should go there right away, then! Thank you again!" Before any of them could say anything more, she flickered and vanished, as if she'd been a mirage.

"We done here?" Katt asked after a moment.

"Yeah." Ryu shook his head. "Let's get out of here before something _else_ happens."

"I can't argue with _that_," Nina murmured. Nobody else could, either, and they descended the tower as quickly as possible. The door was back when they reached the ground floor again, fortunately, and they walked back out.

"Huh?" One of the Ogres grunted, both of them glancing over. "Hey, you're not supposed to be able to-"

Without replying, Katt whirled and kicked him in the head hard enough that he rebounded off of the tower's outer wall before falling to the ground. At the same time, Nina pummeled his partner with ice, knocking him out as well.

"Hey, I got an idea," Sten whispered as the girls stalked off down the mountain trail. "Let's behave ourselves around them for the rest of the day."

"Good idea," Rand muttered, and Ryu nodded as well. "Let's hope the day doesn't get any worse."

On cue, it started to rain again.

_THERE'S A CURSE BETWEEN US _


	12. Chapter 11: The Castle In The Lake

_**Chapter 11: The Castle In The Lake**_

The trip back to the Marshwoods took slightly less time than making their way to Nimufu's tower had, since they were descending the mountains and had a better knowledge of the terrain on their second trip. All the same, it was just as wet, and thus unpleasant, as their previous journey had been, and they were all in relatively poor moods by the time they finally reached their destination and walked back inside to meet Jean.

"Ah, _mon amis!_" The giant frog cried as they approached. "Please, please, tell me you have the cure for this curse?"

"We do, Jean," Nina told him. "We should have figured it out ourselves. One of us is going to have to kiss you."

"Ah?" The frog blinked, then smiled. "Ah, of course! Such a simple thing! By all means, then, kiss me as much as you like!"

"You want to do this, or should I?" Katt asked her; the men, wisely, all chose to remain silent for the moment.

"He's one of my oldest friends," Nina said, sounding as if she was about to put her hand into a fire. "It's to help him. I'll do it. I can definitely do this. If everybody would just... look away for a moment, please?"

"Yeah." Ryu nodded quickly, as did the others. "Right, of course." They all turned their backs, Katt included, and waited. A few moments of silence passed, and then they heard Jean speak again.

"Ah, _mademoiselle_ Nina, you are-ooooh!" The giant frog started to say, then broke off, ribbiting repeatedly. There was a sudden explosion, and they all whirled around to see Nina stumbling out of a cloud of smoke, coughing. She wasn't alone; a young, green-scaled Creeper clansman followed her out, choking as well. He was overweight, but not grossly, and taller than any of them save for Rand, like most of his Clan. Fortunately, it seemed his clothes had transformed with him; he wore an expensive-looking doublet in white and blue with gold trim and matching boots with green hose. A red scarf was wrapped around his neck, the same color as his cheerful eyes, and a rapier hung at his waist.

"Prince Jean, I presume?" Ryu asked, offering him his hand.

"Indeed, indeed!" The Prince seized his hand and shook it warmly. "_Bonjour_, everybody! My name is Ekaru Hoppe de pe Tapeta, but please, just call me Jean! _Merci beaucoup_ for saving me!" His voice was surprisingly deep, and the accent odd, but melodious. "Yourself especially, _mademoiselle_ Nina, yes?"

"You'd have done the same for me, Jean," Nina told him. "It's good to see you again. You've become quite handsome, haven't you?"

"Ah, you are too kind, _mon ami!_" He put a hand to his chest. "True, but kind, though I pale in comparison to your own beauty, and that of this charming young lady as well! Will you not introduce me to... ah, but wait!" He blinked. "I seem to recall a necessity to travel to Simafort, my dear home, do I not?"

"Yeah," Sten agreed. "We're chasing down a thief, and that's where the trail leads."

"A thief?" Jean's eyes glittered. "Then we must make haste! Introductions can wait! Tonight, we dine in Simafort! Follow me, _mon amis!_" Without waiting for a response, he dashed out of the Marshwoods.

"Does he actually think we can make it to Lake Sima in one day?" Rand asked in the silence that followed.

"I get the feeling that thinking isn't really his strong suit," Ryu pointed out. "Come on, let's follow him. We don't want him to get lost."

"Depends on how much he keeps up the sweet-talking," Katt commented as they started after him. "Only so much of that I can take before I start punching, you know? And I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that to royalty."

"Only pretty sure?" Rand muttered.

"You'd be hard-pressed to do worse to him than his sister has, from the stories I've heard," Nina told her.

"Sounds like the kind of girl I'd get along with," Katt replied, glancing around as they emerged from the Marshwoods. "Now where did he go?"

"Yo." Sten pointed to the west, where Jean was hopping up and down, waving his hand. "Looks like he's found something he wants to show us."

"It had better not be a pretty flower," Ryu muttered. "Let's go check it out." As they approached, they saw that he'd found a river, and was standing on the bank. Before they could reach him, however, there was a splash behind the Prince, and a gigantic catfish with muscular arms and legs pulled itself out of the water. "Hey, look out! Behind you, man!"

"Ah?" Jean turned his head as the catfish lunged for him. "Oh, no! _Mon ami_, you are making a terrible mistake! I implore you to reconsider!"

"Shit and double shit!" Sten snapped as they ran towards the Prince, then blinked, noticing that Nina was hanging back and smiling. "Huh? Wait a second here..." The catfish had taken another swipe at him, and missed just like it had the first time, webbed hands brushing past the Prince without drawing blood.

"No? Ah well, I warned you!" Jean said, drawing a thin rapier from his belt. Sliding the catfish's next attack away from him with a delicate flick of his blade, he lunged and took it through the heart. Pulling the rapier back out, he leaned back and gently pushed it back into the river with the toe of his boot as it died. "May you be wiser in your next life, yes?"

"Can't say I expected that," Rand commented as they all slowed down to a halt around Jean, their assistance clearly not required.

"You've been keeping up your practice, I see," Nina said as she joined them at a more sedate pace.  
"It pays to be able to defend yourself, yes?" Jean daintily cleaned his blade before sheathing it with a flourish. "I may not be quite up to the same standards of such experienced professionals as yourselves-any of you would have executed that poor creature before it could even attack, yes?-but neither am I helpless."

"Pretty slick," Ryu conceded, hastily reevaluating his initial opinion of the Creeper Prince; by the looks on the others' faces, he wasn't the only one doing so. "I hope that wasn't what had you so excited that you called us over to see it, though."

"Ah?" Jean blinked, then chuckled. "Ah, no! No, this is our way back to my home! This river connects with Lake Sima!"

"Can't say I'm all that great a swimmer," Katt told him, eyeing the river skeptically; it wasn't exactly raging, but neither was it still.

"I do a great anchor impersonation," Rand agreed, and Sten nodded as well.

"I can manage in a lake, but this looks a bit out of my depth."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Jean corrected them. "That will not be necessary! Observe, _mon amis_!" He closed his eyes, and in a puff of smoke, transformed back into the shape of the gigantic frog they had first seen him as. "Simply climb onto my back, grab hold of my ears to steady yourselves, and we shall be off!"

"The Breath of Rivers." Ryu snapped his fingers. "I get it. The witch didn't transform you into that. She just froze you in that form so you couldn't turn back." He glanced at the others. "Well, people? I don't know about the rest of you, but making Simafort in one day sounds like a good idea to me."

"Yeah, can't argue with that one," Rand agreed, clambering on; even his massive frame was dwarfed by the huge frog's size. The others followed him, Ryu with more difficulty than Sten and Katt; Nina, of course, simply flew over and landed on his back.

"We're all ready, Jean," she told him once they'd all grabbed hold of the ear fins.

"Most excellent!" The frog replied, leaping into the river with a hop that rattled them all and a splash which doused the land where they'd been standing. He began swimming south, keeping his back and head above water, at a pace that had trees and bushes whipping past them as if blown by a ridiculously strong wind.

"Fast," Sten commented after a few minutes.

"Yep," Katt agreed. There really wasn't much more to say aside from that, and so none of them bothered. After the back-and-forth of the previous weeks, it was nice to just relax, hold on and enjoy the ride down the river. The speed was fast, but not so much as to be uncomfortable, and Jean seemed experienced at carrying passengers, enough to keep from disturbing them as he made his way back to his home.

Eventually, the river opened up into Lake Sima, the colossal body of water at the center of the kingdom. Jean's pace slowed then, without the water currents to assist his swimming speed, but he still moved at a fast clip, and it wasn't long before the shoreline was no longer visible behind them. Being surrounded by water as far as the eye could see on the back of a giant frog was slightly disconcerting, but for obvious reasons, Ryu didn't actually say so.

Soon after that, a speck in the distance rising from the water began to grow larger and larger as they approached, becoming clearly visible; it was Simafort, the capital of the country and the only city in the world to be built _on_ water. Steep, moss-covered gray walls loomed forebodingly overhead, impregnable and unscalable, with towertops inside peeping over the edges. The only entrance above the water was a single, solitary dock protruding from the south end; it was this that Jean homed in on like a magically guided arrow, hopping on as soon as he reached it.

"And here we are!" He announced happily as they climbed off, transforming back into his normal form once they were clear. "Come, come! All the pleasures of Simafort await us!" He took off, running across the unguarded dock towards the main entrance, and the others followed in his wake more sedately.

"Something occurs to me," Nina murmured.

"Yeah?" Ryu glanced at her. "What's that?"

"This is going too well," she explained. "It's too easy. Considering our track record, what are the odds that we'd suddenly wrap this up this quickly and cleanly?"

"Not too likely," Sten agreed, stretching his arms out a ridiculous length in front of him. "We'd better get ready for something bad happening."

"Come on, guys, cheer up!" Katt grabbed him around the shoulders and knuckled his head fur. "We finally get our lucky break, and all you do is complain about it?"

"She's got a point." Rand smiled briefly. "And it's not like we didn't earn this, after everything we had to do to turn him back to normal."

"What they said." Ryu grinned. "I'm looking forward to this."

Sten and Nina exchanged a glance, but didn't argue the point further.

"Welcome, welcome to Simafort!" Jean crowed, throwing the double doors open as he ran inside. Stopping in the front hall, he whirled around to face them again, spreading his arms. "This is my home! Lovely, no? All that you see is at your service!" He seemed unaware of the way startled courtiers in blue doublets and golden gowns were backing away from him, or of the pair of guards who had taken one look at him and taken off immediately.

"Not bad at all," Ryu had to admit, looking around with feigned casualness. The castle's halls were both elegant and intimidating, a warren of passageways and balconies spreading out in every direction possible. Everything was the same grim gray stone as the exterior, but tapestries, lush carpets and stained glass windows lent the surroundings a more polished touch. The overall effect was like an old soldier who'd taken up butlering in his retirement; smooth and cultured, but with an intimidating presence still visible behind it all.

"Ah, my people!" Jean had finally noticed the courtiers, whose scales displayed a wide variety of colors, though the men seemed to tend towards the same green as his own while most of the women were a vibrant pink. "Come, come, your beloved Prince has returned! Shower me with love and affection!" He paused, frowning for a moment as they all backed away further, muttering to each other under their breaths. "What is wrong? Do not be shy!"

"I knew it," Sten and Nina muttered in unison as the two guards who had left before returned, accompanied by a dozen more.

"This is the one, all right," the apparent leader said, nodding at the first two. "Good job, men." They were all wearing a somewhat archaic style of gold-painted armor that looked more ornamental than functional, with crested, open-faced helmets. Vests and skirts of plate mail were worn over crimson shirts and leggings, and their shoes were pointed. Despite that, the swords they all wore at their waists were still very real, and they all drew them in unison as they surrounded Jean, ignoring the rest of them.

"This isn't looking too good," Sten muttered under his breath. "I'm out of touch with the political situation in Sima, but this doesn't look like a coup, in any case. They'd be reacting differently if that was it."

"Sir, could you come with us?" The leader asked, advancing on Jean with his hands held out cautiously; he was the only one without a blade. He moved like a snake, suddenly pulling Jean's head down and pinning him.

"No no no no no!" Jean protested, struggling. "Ow ow ow ow ow! Do not put me into a headlock! This is no way to treat your prince!"

"That's right, that's right," the guard captain kept saying in a soothing voice as he forced Jean to the floor. "You're a good boy. Just take it easy." A nod from him prompted two of the guards to sheath their swords again and grab him by his arms and legs, hoisting him into the air, and they carried him off down a side passage.

"Hey hey hey hey hey!" Jean continued to yelp. "It is fun to be carried, yes? But this is most embarrassing! Everybody is staring at me! As your prince, I must protest! I insist that you release me at once, or I shall become cross!"

"Why do all the weirdos come out in the summertime?" The guard captain muttered as they left. "I'd better get hazard pay for this."

"Well," Ryu said once they were gone. "That sure was something." Deprived of the main event, the courtiers were all staring at them now, whispering to themselves.

"You're _sure_ he was the prince?" Rand muttered to Nina.

"Positive." She nodded. "It's been a long time, but not that long. Something very wrong is going on here." Another group of soldiers was approaching them, and the courtiers were departing the hall, some of them very quickly.

"Kuwadora, Kuwadora!" A voice said from the center of the group, rich and resonant; the accent they all had made him sound cultured and refined rather than silly. The soldiers parted, revealing a tall, brawny Creeper Clansman with bright blue scales. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and cheekbones, and muscular without being massive; the white and gold vest he wore with matching leggings showed off his well-built arms to maximum effect. He wore a red cape down to the backs of his knees, and a thin, light gold crown as well. Despite his good looks, his eyes were cold and emotionless as he looked them over. "You are the ones who brought... that man... to us, yes?"

"That's correct, your highness." Ryu met his gaze, and noted a small smirk pass the man's lips for a moment. "He told us that he was Prince Jean of Simafort."

"As he tells many others." The man shrugged. "He is a well-known imposter, with a history of mental illness. In short, he believes he is me. _I_ am Prince Ekaru Hoppe De Tapeta, you see. We keep him in custody to prevent him from harming himself and others with his delusions, but he recently escaped."

"Really?" Nina's gaze was openly hostile. "How strange. It's been some time since we last met, your highness. Do you remember me?"

"Should I?" The Prince met her eyes, a challenging gleam coming into his. "While you are a beautiful young lady, of course, I must confess you have me at a disadvantage. When was this, and under what circumstances?"

"I..." Nina started to say, then hesitated, and the tiny smirk crossed his face for only a moment once again as she looked downward, clenching her fists. "It was many years ago, while you were visiting Windia. It's unimportant. Forgive my rudeness."

"Of course, of course." The Prince turned his gaze back to Ryu. "I suppose I should express my gratitude to you for returning the madman to us, even if you were gullible enough to believe his foolishness."

"It was no problem, your highness," Ryu said, eyes narrowing, as Rand put a cautious hand on Katt's arm. "We're Rangers. We're used to doing public services."

"Is that so?" He raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Good, good. Then we can simply brush this entire matter under the table, yes? Say, perhaps, that I hired you to recover an escaped lunatic, and then, say that you did so, and I paid you for your troubles. By some coincidence, I believe a boat will be waiting at the dock outside to return you to the mainland, and that a sizable sum of money has been carelessly left in said boat."

"You're a generous man, your highness," Ryu replied calmly. "That sounds logical enough to me, I suppose."

"Excellent." He nodded. "Forgive the rudeness, then, but I must ask you to be on your way. We are not... fond... of casual visitors, here at Simafort, you see. Oh, I know we must seem to be nothing but luxury and elegance to such people as yourselves, but many of the people here are not quite as pleasant as they appear." His face assumed an expression of tragic regret. "In particular, there is a faction of court which is not in favor of cultivating relationships with other Clans. I am afraid I could not guarantee your safety if you were to remain."

"We'll be on our way immediately," Ryu told him. "If we could only ask for a moment more of your time first? We're searching for a female thief with-"

"My time is valuable, Mr. Bateson," the Prince interrupted him, and the last part of the puzzle clicked into place in Ryu's mind; he hadn't given his name. "I cannot waste it on such nonsense. I know nothing of any thieves, female or otherwise. We do not have such things here at Simafort. Conduct your search elsewhere."

"Your highness." One of the guards stepped forward. "What about the..." He trailed off as the Prince turned his gaze on him.

"Was there something, soldier?"

"Ah... no, your highness." The guard backed off, pale and sweating suddenly. "I was mistaken. Forgive me."

"Perhaps." The Prince turned back to Ryu. "Now then, I must insist that you leave immediately. A storm is coming, you see, very soon, and if you were to be caught over open water in a boat... it does not bear thinking about, no?"

"I suppose not," Ryu agreed, nodding slowly. "We'll be off, then."

"_Merci!_ Thank you for your understanding." The Prince turned away, and Ryu's group did so as well, only to freeze when he spoke again. "Ah, one last thing. Should your business take you to the land of Tantar sometime soon, please convey my regards to my good friends, Augus Conte and Joker Heart, yes?"

When they turned their heads back to stare in disbelief, he was gone, leaving the guards to glare at them.

"We'd better get out of here, boss," Sten hissed under his breath. "Otherwise, this is going to turn real ugly, real fast."

"I'm aware." Ryu turned on his heel and began walking towards the front door, fists clenched. "Let's go."

"Ryu," Katt muttered as they walked with him. "That guy's-"

"I know," he snapped. "And it's not our problem. Not unless we're getting paid for it, which as far as I'm aware, wer'e not. We'll talk about it once we're out of here."

"What about Jean?" Rand asked. "I don't think I have to tell you-"

"_I know._" Ryu shoved the doors open and walked out onto the dock. "I _said_ we'll talk about it once-now what the hell is _this_?"

In the short time they'd been inside, a young Creeper woman had apparently arrived on the dock by some means other than the door. Her gown was golden, and she wore a heavier crown than the Prince's on her head, with a wimple attached to it. Her scales were pink, and more vibrant than most of the other women inside; in a flash of insight, Ryu realized that they were her natural color, and the other ladies had painted theirs, likely for fashion. More importantly, she was lugging a rock somewhat larger than her own head across the dock with impressive strength.

"Not bad at all," Katt commented quietly, watching her go. "I'd always thought courtiers would be useless, but she's pretty good."

"Don't think courtiers wear crowns," Sten pointed out. "You said Prince Jean has a sister, right, Nina?"

"Yes, Princess Petape," Nina replied; they'd all paused to watch. "I've never met her, though."

"Come on, come on..." The Princess was muttering to herself as she trudged across the dock, arms shaking. "Only a little bit more... you can do it, Petape!"

"Hey, wait a second!" Rand yelped as they all looked at her apparent target, a small rowboat. "That's our ticket out of here!"

"Shit!" Ryu yelled. "Hey, wait!"

"Heave ho!" Petape cried, ignoring them, and dumped the rock into the boat as they all rushed up. The massive stone smashed through the bottom of the boat like it was made of paper, and the vessel filled with water instantly. All five of them and the princess stood side-by-side on the edge of the dock, watching the broken remnants sink out of sight in silence.

"So much for our boat," Rand said eventually.

"And our money," Sten added with a sigh. "Why does this place keep making me think we've walked into a comedic play?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Ryu turned on the princess, growling. "If you don't mind, an explanation would be nice, your Highness. Have we met?"

"Of course not!" She snapped, then paused, seeing the angry looks on all of their faces. Before any of them could say anything, she'd thrown herself on Rand, burying her face in his chest and starting to sob. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I really had no other choice! Forgive me!"

"Uh... ma'am?" Rand asked, looking uncomfortable. "Could you, uh..." He glanced around. "Guys? A little help here?"

"And what, exactly, do you want us to do?" Nina asked archly.

"You are the ones who came in with my brother, yes?" Petape asked, pulling away from Rand suddenly; her face bore no traces of the crying fit. "Then you are my only hope, and his, and all of Simafort's! Please, let me explain!"

"That's what we just asked you to do," Ryu pointed out, but the princess had turned her head to stare at the front door.

"Somebody's coming!" She hissed. "They can't know you're still here! Quickly, into the water!"

"Wait, what, whoa!" Katt protested as she began shoving them off the dock. Rand was first, and his flailing knocked both Nina and Sten in as well; before Ryu or Katt could respond, the princess had shoved them in the drink too before jumping off herself. The big man sank immediately, and with a significant glance, Petape dove under as well.

"What was that noise?" A male voice from the dock said as the other four followed them down, Katt and Sten diving after Rand, who was paddling frantically. Something was wrong about how heavy he felt, but Ryu wasn't sure what it was.

"Those people who were here must have dropped something when they were leaving," another man replied, their voices sounding strange through the water. Rand was still sinking, despite Katt's and Sten's efforts to help him. With a glance at Nina, Ryu swam over as well, as did she. "Funny, I can't see their boat."

"Never mind that, what do we do, Tata?" The first one demanded. "Who would have thought the real Prince would have returned? We all thought he was gone for good!"

"Don't be a fool, Pepe!" The second one snapped. "The Prince returned here months ago. That man is the imposter, not the first one! Isn't that right?"

"Of course, of course," Pepe agreed quickly. "I'm not stupid, Tata. I'm just saying, if _other_ people decide there would be some gain in supporting this new imposter, things could get very ugly at court soon. You know as well as I do that the first prince doesn't look anything like his Highness used to, while this second one..."

"I know, I know," Tata growled. Ryu began looking frantically around for Petape; they weren't having any luck getting Rand to the surface, and his lungs were killing him. "Something's going to have to happen to him, then, before anybody gets any ideas."

"You two!" A third voice suddenly yelled. "Stop slacking off! You're both on guard duty for the Prince imposter!" A short silence followed that, during which Ryu suddenly remembered he'd been wearing chain mail, before one of them spoke again.

"Do you mean the first one, or the second one?" Pepe asked hesitantly.

"Idiots!" The third man shouted. "I mean the one in the cells! How many imposters do you think we have around here? Get going!" There was the sound of a door slamming.

"He can't possibly be that stupid, you know," Tata scoffed. "He's just pretending to be, because he's _smart_. And if we're smart, we'll do the same. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah." Pepe muttered. "I'm just saying, even for Simafort, letting this happen to our own prince is..."

"Fine, fine!" Tata said sharply. "Look, if we're watching him, that means we can make sure nothing _happens_ to him, right? Right! And if we sneak him a little extra food and water, nobody'll be able to stop us, right? Right! Now come on, let's go before he comes back!"

"Hey, hey, I was just talking!" Pepe protested, voice fading away as they left. "I don't want to stick my neck out!"

If Tata said anything more, Ryu didn't hear it. His breath was gone, and he couldn't rise to the surface; none of them could. As darkness filled his eyes and his mind, the last thing he saw was a gigantic pink frog swimming towards them, and then he was gone.

_ Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power... _

Ryu's eyes shot open, and he threw himself from the bed, rushing past his startled friend and the princess to the open door he'd seen out of the corner of his eye. He made it to the toilet just in time to violently throw up an astonishing amount of water. Once he was done, he glanced wearily at what seemed to be an indoor waterfall before shrugging and using it to clean himself off, noticing in passing that he was thankfully still fully dressed.

"Don't know about you guys, but I think that beats all of _our_ wake-ups, hands down," Sten commented drily from the doorway.

"Shut up," Ryu growled, turning around. They were all there, looking soaked and miserable but still alive, save for Petape, who was watching him curiously as if nothing at all amiss had happened recently. "Everybody okay?"

"Define 'okay,'" Katt replied irritably. "We're still alive, at least."

"Probably the best we're going to get, under the circumstance,." Ryu muttered, then glared at Petape as he walked back out. They were in what looked like a guards' bedroom, with multiple bunks lining the walls. "Well?"

"Well yourself!" The princess replied testily. "If you couldn't swim very well, why didn't you say so? And wearing armor while doing so! How silly can you get?"

"That does it!" Katt yelled. "I'm gonna-"

"Easy." Rand put a hand on her shoulder. "No pummeling princesses. It'll give us all a bad reputation."

"Aw, come on!" Katt struggled to break free of his grip. "Come on, Ryu! Let me punch her just once!"

"Rand's right, I'm afraid," Ryu said reluctantly before turning back to Petape. "We're professionals, your Highness. A certain amount of equipment is sort of requisite. I'm sure this has all been very amusing for you, but I believe we're done here, so if you'll excuse me, we'll be on our way now."

"No, wait!" She protested as he walked past her. "You have to help me!"

"Bet?" Sten asked as they began putting their armor back on.

"You seem to be under some misconceptions, your Highness," Nina told her as she watched the others reclaim their gear. "We're not heroes. We're hired adventurers, and we're under no obligation to assist you."

"Not unless you're paying us," Katt added. "And after what you just put us through, sister, I don't think even _you_ have _that_ much money."

"What I..." Petape started to shout, then paused. With a great deal of effort, she kept her voice calm as she continued. "Didn't anything seem odd to you about how easily that boat broke? You _saw_ it, didn't you?"

"She's got a point," Rand admitted, stopping in his tracks. "I'm no sailor, but I know wood, and that was weird, even with how heavy that rock was."

"You saying that it was rigged?" Sten asked, eyes narrowing.

"Exactly." Petape nodded firmly. "You never would have made it back to the other side of the lake before it sank. The imposter was trying to kill you, and I saved your lives, so at least hear me out, will you?"

"If he wanted to do that, he could have just had those guards take care of us," Ryu replied, but he hesitated as well.

"That's not the way they do things here," Nina told him. "Outright shows of force are... frowned upon, at Simafort."

"Ha!" Petape snorted. "That's a polite way of putting it. I'd have said it would be the same as admitting to the court you didn't have the finesse to do it subtly. _Nobody_ gets 'taken care of' here at Simafort. They just... disappear. That's why I need your help, all of you. If somebody doesn't save him, soon, my _real_ brother will be next." She was acting completely differently from her previous show of hysterics now; sitting down in a chair, she continued. "You heard those two on the dock, right? Everybody here's the same."

"They all know he's an imposter, then?" Katt frowned, still trying to keep up. "So then why don't they do anything about it?"

"Exactly!" Petape pounded a fist on the arm of the chair. "They should all be crying, 'kill the imposter,' and forming a mob! But no, this is an _opportunity_. The moment he showed up here, they all started thinking about how they could play the situation to their advantage." She sneered. "The imposter has established that he's very generous to his friends, you see. He's a smart one, I'll give him that. He's playing the entire court like a lute."

"So why don't you do the same thing?" Nina asked mildly. "You can't tell me you don't have any power at court yourself. You're the princess, after all."

"I don't play their games," Petape said firmly. "I never have, any more than my _real_ brother did. That's part of why he spends so much time out in the countryside adventuring; he's always hated all of the corruption here. Even if I was to start playing politics now, nobody would risk themselves by taking my side. They all think I'm a hysterical, spoiled, self-centered, melodramatic adolescent."

"I wonder why," Sten muttered under his breath.

"Shh." Rand hushed him.

"I guess I can see why you wouldn't want to get involved in that," Ryu admitted, and Katt nodded as well. "Sounds like a dirty business. There's still your father, right? The King? You can't tell me _he_ doesn't know his own son."

"My father is about to have his seventy-fifth birthday," Petape replied quietly. "I'm afraid I _can_ tell you that. His mind is barely there on a _good_ day."

"I was afraid of that." Nina sighed. "I'd heard the rumors, of course, but... well then, that just leaves one question. Why us?"

"You're my brother's friends, aren't you?" Petape demanded. "If this goes on, you know what will happen to him." She paused, then narrowed her eyes. "Or is it about the money? The coins the imposter put in the boat with you were false. I checked them while I was waiting for you all to wake up. I don't have much zenny on me right now, but I'll access the treasury as soon as possible. Would 4,000 zenny be sufficient?"

"We'd, uh... we'd appreciate that." Ryu coughed, trying to keep from reacting visibly to the amount. "Normally, we'd ask for half up front for a job like this, but you're right about one thing. Jean's an okay guy, so we'll make an exception. The money can wait until later. We'll take this job for you if you'll be willing to officially hire us as Princess of Simafort... and if you tell us everything you know about the fake, and about a young female thief with black wings who we've heard is in the area. That's what we're here for, you see. We chased her all the way from Auria."

"I see," Petape murmured. "You're smarter than you look, aren't you? Very well. We have a deal. I don't know how you heard about it, but that description does indeed match a thief who attempted to steal the royal sword of Simafort a week ago."  
"Is she still here?" Katt asked quickly.

"She is." Petape nodded. "We caught her, and she's been imprisoned."

"_Yes!_" Ryu pumped his fist in the air. "Finally! We did it!" He whooped as the others all cheered as well, raising their own fists up to bump his. "Of course, we'll have to clear things up here first, but once we do, I take it you won't mind if we haul her back to Auria to account for some crimes there?"

"By all means," Petape agreed, smiling slightly. "If you came all this way chasing her, it must be something significant. Now, as for the imposter, I have no idea who he is. He just came in one day, pretending to be my brother, and several members of the nobility backed him up. Paid for, of course. Whoever he is, he's independently wealthy, very well-connected, and a deadly fighter. I'd think he was just a puppet for some faction of court trying to seize control, but looking at him... I can't believe that he'd let anybody else tell him what to do easily. He's probably been planning this for years."

"This isn't going to be easy," Nina murmured. "We'll have to either prove beyond a doubt that he's an imposter, in a way the court will accept, or we'll have to discredit him politically. Either one will be highly difficult."

"We can work on that later," Katt chimed in. "The first thing we've got to do is make sure he doesn't have any 'accidents.' Even I know that much. We've got to bust him out of that cell he's in before the imposter gets rid of him."

"Oh, here!" Standing up, Petape crossed to a chest and opened it, rummaging around inside. "I know I hid them in here somewhere... aha!" Turning back around, she produced them with some strange devices; glass tubes that looked like they were meant to rest around the neck, with vented apparatus for breathing through and mechanical boxes on the rear ends. "Here. You'll need these if you want to operate around here."

"Mind if I ask what they are?" Ryu asked skeptically, then glanced at Sten, whose eyes had widened. "Sten? You recognize these things?"

"Those are artificial gills, aren't they?" The Highlander asked, staring at the devices. "Do you have any idea how much the Maniro clan charge for those things?"

"Why do you think the Creeper Clan has been trying to build our own models?" Petape replied, smirking. "I'm afraid we haven't been completely successful yet; these only work in fresh water, not salt water. But they should be perfect here."

"Wait, wait, wait." Rand blinked. "Artificial gills? As in, these things will let us breath underwater?"

"Oh, _hell_ yes." Katt grabbed one quickly, and the others all followed suit. "All right, you're forgiven for that whole mess."

"I'm glad to hear it," Petape said dryly. "You'll need those; obviously, you won't be able to just walk around the castle openly. With these gills, you can take the underwater back passageways. That's how I got you here." Walking over to a corner of the room, she lifted a hatch, revealing the waters of the lake. "Climb down here, turn right, and take the second left to reach the dungeons. If you need to leave Simafort, by the way, it's the third right from here to return to the docks; I've already had one of my personal guards leave another small boat hidden by the tunnel where this comes out. One that won't sink on you, this time."

"We'll know how soon we're going to need that once we get into Jean's cell." Ryu settled the gills around his neck. "The sooner we get down to that, the better, then. Especially since we're already wet."

"Man's got a point," Katt agreed. "You use it like this, right?" She fitted the breathing apparatus over her face, and Petape nodded. "Okay, cool. We're pretty lucky you had all the right sizes."

"No kidding," Rand muttered, adjusting his uncomfortably. "Shall we, then?"

"Right." Ryu glanced at Petape. "Stand back and let us handle the rough business, your highness." He led the way down a ladder into the underwater tunnel; the gills worked perfectly, as if he was breathing from a supply of air. Once he was at the bottom of the passageway, he walked slowly forward through the water, following Petape's instructions. At the end of the side tunnel she'd directed them to, another ladder brought them up into a hallway lined on both sides with barred cells, most of which seemed to be empty.

"Hold it right there," a Creeper clansman in a full suit of plate armor told them, covered head to toe in solid steel. Standing up from the chair he'd been sitting in, he loomed over them, casually holding a spear in one hand. "You're the guys who came in with this idiot, right? Don't tell me you're here to visit him."

"Maybe we are," Ryu replied casually as the others formed ranks around him. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Afraid so, seeing as how I've been instructed not to allow visitors," the guard explained unsympathetically. "Ever. Which means the only way you're going to get into his cell is by going through me. And you guys would be pretty stupid to try that."

"All right." Ryu shrugged, glancing over his shoulder as Petape climbed off of the ladder. "Hey, your highness! How much to kill this guy?"

"Wait, what?" The jailer blinked.

"If he's standing guard here, the imposter's paid him off," Petape said angrily. "How does adding another thousand to your bill sound?"

"Good enough!" Ryu decided, drawing his sword and blocking the jailer's first startled jab. "Take him down, people!"

"All _right!_" Katt darted forward and swept her staff at the back of his legs; though the wood completely failed to penetrated, it _did_ bring the armored man crashing down to the floor, and she was able to sidestep the thrust he made at her with his spear as he fell.

"Not good enough, chump-whoa!" Sten yelped as his own charge was interrupted by a fireball that caught him in the chest, blasting him back into the water.

"It's not going to be that easy, _mon ami_s!" The jailer taunted them, then howled as Nina and Rand both struck out with twin bolts of lightning, the electricity roaring through his steel armor like a living being. "_Merde_..." Smoking and hissing, he raised a hand once the spells were done, and an avalanche of healing magic poured over him, at least three times as powerful as any spell Bow or Rand had ever cast before.  
"Oh, no you don't," Ryu grunted, kicking him onto his back and stomping on his spear. Katt pinned his other hand down with the butt of her staff, and then Sten was back, climbing over him to pull his helmet up and cut his throat with one clean slash.

"End of the line," the Highlander said bluntly, jumping off of him. The jailer tried to croak something out, but failed, and died with a sigh.

"Wow," Petape whispered, eyes wide. "You really..." She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"Killed him?" Katt shrugged. "Sure we did. We're mercs, aren't we? It's how we make a living." She examined her wooden battlestaff distastefully. "Of course, if we're gonna be going up against assholes like that on a regular basis, I really need to get a better weapon. This one won't cut it against plate mail."

"Jean always told me that armory here was very diverse," Nina told her. "Perhaps once we've taken care of this problem, they'll have one."

"Jean?" Petape glanced at her. "You know my brother, young lady?"

"Er." Nina's face went pale. "Yes, we've met before."

"Hmmmm." Petape looked her over slowly. "I _see_. Well, it's none of my business, really. Let's get him out of that cell, shall we?" She walked past her down the hall, leaving her still trying to work out what she'd meant.

"Wait," Nina sputtered. "Does she... I mean... that's not..."

"Seems our wandering Prince has quite the reputation," Sten said, whistling. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Oh, stop," Rand told him firmly before glancing at Nina. "Don't worry. She _says_ it's none of her business, but I'm pretty sure she won't be able to go five minutes without asking Jean about it, and he's not the kind of guy to let her keep making that kind of misconception."

"So then she'll know who Nina is," Sten pointed out. "Hardly preferable. Thought we were trying to keep that under wraps."

"We can always explain employee confidentiality to her," Ryu replied. "Vigorously, if necessary."

"I'd be cool with that," Katt agreed. "Paying our bill or no paying our bill, she still kind of pisses me off, you know?"

"_Jean!_" The Creeper Princess shrieked from the now-open cell at the end of the hall, and they all sighed.

"All right, what's the problem now?" Ryu asked as they peeked around the corner. Jean was standing with his back to them, looking no worse for wear, and he was painting at an easel, delicately dabbing at the parchment with a brush. In the harsh cell, it was a spectacularly bizarre sight. Petape was standing next to him, looking frustrated.

"Huh," Rand said after a moment. Nobody else could add anything to that.

"Oh, my friends!" Jean glanced over his shoulder at them. "Tell me honestly, was my sketch a bit off?" It was actually an impressive landscape of a house by the shore of a lake; the grass looked almost real enough to touch, and the sky practically more of a vibrant blue than the real thing. Admittedly, it was the first time Ryu had ever seen a house that was solid red, but there were stranger things in the world.

"Looks pretty good to me," Rand said after a moment, and Ryu and Katt both nodded in agreement.

"Maybe a little, with the house's east wall," Sten said after a moment.

"Yes, but it's not noticeable unless you're intentionally looking for it," Nina added. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"I don't believe this!" Petape shouted. "You're encouraging him! There are more important things to do right now than paint!"

"Ah, but of course, little sister!" Jean cried, slapping his forehead. "Where are my manners? I am ashamed!" He put the brush down, turned and bowed to them. "Monsieurs and mademoiselles, please, come in! I regret that I cannot entertain you at this time, for as you can see, my current domicile is hardly hospitable. Still, anything that is mine is yours!"

"No, no, this is plenty entertaining, actually," Sten commented as Petape's face darkened. Katt kicked him.

"We need to _escape_, you fool!" Petape shrieked. "We went to all the trouble of sneaking in here and killing that jailer to get you out of here, and you just stand around _painting_? What's wrong with you!"

"Who's 'we'?" Rand muttered under his breath.

"You... came here to save me?" Jean asked slowly, the light of comprehension appearing in his eyes. A smile suddenly crossed his face. "Oh, and you must have gone to such trouble! All out of the goodness of your hearts! I have made such wonderful friends, have I not, sister?" He grinned at Petape, who was looking as awkward as they were.

"Uh, yes, brother," she eventually managed to reply. "But we really should be leaving now. We wouldn't want to waste all their effort, would we?"

"But of course!" Jean agreed. "We can depart as soon as I have finished my painting! And yet..." He turned back to it, frowning. "Perhaps it would be best to start again from scratch. That east wall, as you said..." He smiled again. "I know! I shall give you the painting once it is finished, as a token of my appreciation! Yes, I must try again; anything less than perfection simply will not do!"

Petape began banging her head against the wall.

"This keeps up for much longer, I'm gonna be joining her," Katt predicted quietly.

"Ditto," Sten added.

"Yo."

"Me too."

"It's a definite possibility."

"This isn't the time for... for... for _this!_" Petape shouted, turning back to Jean. Making a visible effort to control herself, she spoke again with enforced calm. "Listen, doesn't it bother you to be treated like an imposter?"

"Why would it?" Jean asked, baffled. "If nobody wants me to be prince any more, than that is fine! As you've always told me, I was never any good at it anyways, yes? Now I can simply be plain old Jean, instead of Prince Ekaru, and that will be best for all, I think. I appreciate your concern, as always, dear sister, but really, I don't mind."

"You... you..." Petape started to snarl, but couldn't get the words out. Instead, she hurled herself on him and began sobbing hysterically again. "I was so worried about you, and you don't even care at all?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Jean hugged her. "Don't cry, dear sister! You should save your tears for the man you love!" He grunted. "Um, sister, as pleased as I am to see that you have grown so strong while I've been away, I am having... difficulty... breathing..."

"You realize this is probably going to go on all day if we let it, right?" Katt pointed out to Ryu. "And getting caught like this isn't really my idea of a good time."

"Right." Ryu glanced around. "Any ideas?"

"There is one..." Nina murmured, watching Petape continue to strangle her brother. "Prince Jean?"

"Ah, yes, your highness?" He asked politely, even though his face was turning dark. "Ah, forgive me, I meant _mademo_-"

"Your _what?_" Petape demanded, releasing him and whirling on Nina.

"So much for _that_ secret," Sten muttered.

"We'll explain later," Nina told Petape before turning back to Jean, who was wheezing. "Jean, this might be what's best for you, but what about Sima? If this goes on, the country will be left in the hands of an imposter. A man who impersonated you in order to gain control of your kingdom. We've met him, and trust me, Sima would suffer horribly under his leadership. Our responsibilities might be unpleasant, but they still bind us, all the same."

"Ah..." Jean frowned, a look coming into his eyes they hadn't seen before. "I had not thought of it in quite that light before. You make a very good point, _mademoiselle_ Nina, albeit a distressing one to consider."

"That's not all," Sten added darkly. "This guy's the kind who won't stop at anything to achieve his goals. Your father... he's not in the best of health, isn't he? If this guy gets his feet under him, he might decide to speed up his ascension."

"Oh, _no_." Petape put a hand to her mouth, horrified. "I hadn't even thought of that! He _would_, wouldn't he? Oh, father..."

"This cannot be tolerated, then," Jean said decisively. "Of course, you are all correct. We must establish the truth and discredit the imposter immediately, before it is too late! But how?" He thought for a moment, then brightened up. "Ah, of course! The royal ring! Only members of our family possess one!"

"That's right!" Petape's eyes widened. "Of course, why didn't I think of that! I'm such a fool!" She began slapping herself. "Fool, fool, fool, fool, fool!"

"Ah, no, sister!" Jean tried to stop her. "You will spoil your beautiful face!"

"This _is_ like a play," Rand grumbled. "A bad one."

"I take it this ring is difficult to replicate?" Sten asked. "Those sorts of things usually are, as far as I know."

"Extremely." Petape put a hand into a pocket of her dress, and withdrew it a moment later, holding the hugest, gaudiest piece of jewelry Ryu had ever seen. Topped by a topaz the size of a cherry, it was a massive hunk of gold carved to resembled a frog holding the jewel on its back with its front legs, the hind legs forming the band. Two smaller rubies were set in the eyes, and a third in the mouth. "I can't bring myself to wear it except on state occasions."

"I can see why," Ryu replied, both amazed and horrified. "There's certainly no way anybody could mistake _that_ for anything else."

"Exactly!" Petape slipped it onto her finger. "Put yours on, Jean, and let's go! We can settle this before dinner tonight!"

"Ah..." Jean coughed. "There is one tiny little problem, yes? You see... I gave the ring to a charming young lady of my acquaintance, as a token of my regard for her. I am afraid she was not much impressed, however..."

"You _gave_ the royal ring to one of your girlfriends?" Petape yowled. "I don't believe this! You, you..."

"It's okay, it's okay," Ryu said quickly. "We can go find this girl, whoever she is, and get the ring back. Just tell us how to find..." He paused as a horrible suspicion entered his mind. "Wait. Don't tell me..."

"You are already acquainted with her, _monsieur_ Ryu!" Jean replied cheerfully. "The beautiful witch Nimufu, whose curse you so generously freed me from! I know it is quite an imposition, asking you to go see her again, but you will help me again, yes? _Sil vous plait?_"

"A witch?" Petape kept yelling. "Of all people, you gave it to a _witch_? Why on earth would you do that?"

"But she is not such a bad witch, sister!" Jean replied. "She was so lonely, my heart wept for her! I could not help myself!"

"I'll show you weeping!" She snarled. "Come here!"

"It's fine, it's fine." Ryu held up his hands placatingly. "We'll, uh... we'll go back up to her tower again, I guess."

"Not _again_." Katt groaned.

"Ah, wait!" Jean's eyes brightened. "The summer is almost over, yes? And the Autumn Equinox approaches?"

"Well... yeah," Rand confirmed. "It's in a week. What's that have to do with anything?"

"I recall something she said to me while we were playing in her tower," Jean explained. "On the day of the Autumn Equinox, her old schoolmates will be having a class reunion, at the Wildcat Cafe. Perhaps you will find it more convenient to catch her there."

"The Wildcat Cafe?" Sten frowned. "Rings a bell, but I don't know where from."

"I've heard of it," Nina said grimly. "It has a nasty reputation."

"Nasty reputation's an understatement." Katt spat on the floor. "Every Woren in the world knows about that place. The assholes running it have been giving our entire Clan a bad name for generations now."

"It's run by Woren Clansmen, then?" Ryu guessed.

"Only if we're talking spec... spec..." She struggled with it, then threw up her hands. "Whatever! Point is, the family running the joint were kicked out of the Clan decades ago."

"I didn't even know you could do that," Rand said, eyes wide. "What the hell did these guys _do_?"

"It caters to a rather... specific kind of patron," Petape explained, looking ill. "Unrecognized clansmen such as the Kimoto and Ogres form most of its clientele. You see, the menu consists almost entirely of _intelligent_ life."

"They eat _people?_" Ryu yelled, and Katt nodded.

"And serve them to their customers," she continued. "You see why the Woren Clan kicked the Wildcat family out. They're a stain on all our names. The only reason the Council of Prima hasn't hunted them down and executed them is because they cut some sort of deal with the royal family of Sima for protection."

"Our grandfather was... not the most pleasant individual," Jean admitted, looking embarrassed. "Fortunately, our father shares almost nothing with him, but he holds to treaties and arrangements his ancestors made, like a good king."

"We can at least show you where it is." Petape produced a map from somewhere in her dress, unrolled it, and pointed at a spot on the west coast. "It's right there, in a cave. They couldn't exactly set up shop in a town, of course."

"Of course," Ryu echoed weakly. "All right, we'll... we'll go stop by there and have another little talk with Nimufu. If we set out today, we should get there right on time to meet her there."

"And I shall continue with my painting, so that I may present it to you upon your return!" Jean turned back to his easel with a flourish. "Until then, _mon amis_!"

"We've already gone over this!" Petape shouted. "We need to get out of here, before something happens to you!"

"Let them figure this part out?" Sten suggested as the siblings continued to bicker.

"Oh, yes." Ryu nodded. "Hey, your highness! Where's that thief?"

"Hm?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, she's not down here. They're keeping her working in the kitchens to pay off her debt to Simafort, or something like that. Just take the passageway across from this one. The cooks won't bother you."

"Now she tells us," Katt grumbled as Petape returned to yelling at Jean and the five of them turned back around to head back down the hallway. Going straight across, they rose out of a staircase into a kitchen storage room similar to every other one Ryu had ever seen, save for the cages and pens full of huge, live insects.

"Hey, what are you guys doing down here?" A passing cook asked suspiciously. "You're outsiders. Don't see many of those around here."

"Rangers, from Auria," Ryu explained, showing his badge. "Princess Petape said there was a dark-winged thief down here?"

"Oh, _her_." The cook looked amused as he pointed towards a pit in the floor covered with a steel grate. "They've got her working as a cockroach herder. She's pretty good at it, since she doesn't snitch any of them. You'll probably need her highness to talk the guards into letting her out, but you can go look at her all you want." Turning away, he ran off.

"Um... ew?" Nina murmured.

"Definitely ew," Katt agreed as they walked over.

The pit was ten feet deep, and crawling with hand-sized cockroaches. Most of them were clustered on one side; in the other corner was the thief Ryu had run into that night in Hometown several months ago. She was huddled down, arms around her knees, but as she saw them she leaped up, startling the roaches. Now that he could see her more clearly, it was obvious that she wasn't of the Wing Clan at all; her wings were black as night, but they weren't feathered, resembling those of a bat or flying lizard more.

"Ack!" She yelped, kicking the roaches away. "Get back! I hate bugs! Yah!" Once they were cleared off, she looked up at them and put on a charming smile. The effect was somewhat spoiled by her week-old makeup; she'd ladled on far too much of it as well, probably in an effort to make herself look older than she really was. "Hi there! Listen, I don't know who you are, but if you can get me out of here when these guys aren't looking, I'll make it worth your while! What do you say, huh? Help a girl out?"

The five of them exchanged amused glances.

"Oh, we'll get you out of there, all right," Sten agreed, smirking. "Maybe not right away, but hey, you're tough, right? You can wait a little longer."

"No, please!" She tried to jump and grab the bars overhead, and failed miserably. "Look, I've got a lot of money hidden near here. Get me out of here and I'll show you where some of it is. What do you say?"

"Well, that's very nice of you." Rand chuckled. "But what we'd really appreciate is if you took a little trip with us once we spring you. All the way back to Auria."

"Auria?" The girl frowned. "I can't go back there yet, they might still be looking... for... me..." She trailed off as the light dawned. "Oh, crap. You're not here to rescue me at all, are you."

"Sorry, nope." Ryu raised his badge again. "Ranger, here to haul you in for stealing Count Trout's magic hood."

"Dammit!" She kicked the wall next to her. "You chased me all the way here for _that_? That was months ago! What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, it's not about you," Katt explained cheerfully. "You see, because you were so slick, a buddy of ours caught the rap on that one instead. We just want to clear his name, and it's your bad luck that we have to bring you in to do it."

"Great," the girl muttered, slumping down in her corner again. "From one prison straight into another."

"It's nothing personal," Nina told her. "Strictly business. Now be a good girl, and we'll be back to fetch you soon enough." They all waved mockingly before walking towards the underwater tunnel. "You know, that actually made me feel a little bit better."

"I know _I_ do," Sten agreed.

The return trip through the water-filled back hallways went as smoothly as their first one had; following Petape's directions brought them back up onto the dock again, as she'd told them. The small boat she'd mentioned was quickly located, and after a little fumbling with the oars, they were able to maneuver it out onto the lake again. With Nina watching for monsters, the other four took turns manhandling the oars as they slowly crossed over to the west side of the lake, under the bright red sunset.

"All right, let's just get this out in the open so we can stop pretending we don't all know," Katt said eventually. "That imposter's a demon, and one with some serious balls, too. He practically told us he was. He _wanted_ us to know."

"Ray said that one of their leaders was probably located here in Sima," Sten reminded them. "And this guy's not like Augus or Joker. He's a mystery man, with no past and no name. Total question mark. In other words, not too likely to be a sucker like they were. No, this guy's definitely one of their higher-ups."

"He's certainly set himself an impressive task," Nina murmured. "Gaining control of the entire country of Sima... that makes Augus and Joker look like, well, like jokes. What's worse, he might be able to pull it off. As good as this plan is, I doubt that simply proving him false will be enough to stop him. He's a cunning one; I can tell already."

"So what do we do about it?" Rand asked simply.

"We do what we're being paid to do," Ryu replied. "Prove that Jean's the real prince. We'll figure the rest out when the time comes. Until then, we're just a bunch of guys doing the job we were hired for."

Nobody had any objections to that.

_DON'T LOOK TO A STRANGER_


	13. Chapter 12: The Depraved Cafe

_**Chapter 12: The Depraved Cafe**_

"Morning, sunshine," Katt greeted Ryu cheerfully as he pried himself off the ground, yawned and stretched. As usual, she was the first one up, and already had coffee brewing over the campfire while she did her morning exercises. "We're probably going to need this."

"Probably," Ryu agreed, walking over to sit down next to her. The sun was still in the process of rising, and birds were chirping, but there wasn't a monster to be seen. "No breakfast?"

"Knowing what we're going into?" Katt made a face and held her stomach. "Best to skip it today. Better to go hungry than to waste good food if we're not going to be able to keep it for long."

"You didn't need to put it that way." Ryu winced. "Suppose you've got a point, though. Let's just hope that's as bad as it gets."

"What could be worse than that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and sitting down to start doing some crunches.

"Easy," Sten told her as he joined them. "It's _not_ as bad as we're afraid it'll be, we _don't_ feel sick, and the food there _smells_ really good."

"You _wouldn't,_" Ryu said, half-joking.

"Hell no." Sten snorted. "But I'd be tempted. So would you, I'd bet. And _she'd_ be the worst out of all of us. You've seen the way she attacks dinner after a long day on the road. How the hell do you stay in shape like that after eating that much?"

"Did you think I do all this any time we're not busy with something else because it's fun?" Katt pointed out, finishing her crunches and standing back up. "And I'd kick you for that comment, but it's too early. I'll just put it on your tab."

"Why am I the only one who gets a tab?" Sten complained, sniffing the air. "Sounds like the coffee's just about done."

"Who says you are?" She shot back, pulling some battered tin cups out of their packs.

"I don't know what you're all talking about, and I don't want to," Rand grumbled, half-dragging himself over to join them. "I smell coffee, though. Gimme."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going, I'm going," Katt muttered, pouring for all of them and handing the cups out. "Hey, Nina! Coffee's up!"

"That's all I needed to hear," the Wing Clanswoman said sleepily, stirring from the ground. As she started to float over towards them, she paused suddenly, glancing to the west, before continuing over to sit with them. Taking a cup from Katt, she sipped at it before speaking again. "Not that it's cause for concern, but we're not the only ones out here. There's a Maniro Clansman about fifty feet that way. Orange scales, elderly, looks like a traveling salesman."

"Probably is, then." Sten shrugged. "There's plenty of 'em swimming around the world, after all. So long as they can take care of themselves against the ocean monsters, no reason not to if they don't feel like settling down somewhere. We should probably just ignore him unless anybody wants to buy something."

"At the kinds of prices those guys tend to run?" Rand snorted. "Not likely."

"Maybe." Ryu frowned thoughtfully, looking east; there, on the coastline, a Maniro Clansman was indeed seated, watching the waves. A familiar-looking one. "Or maybe not. Hey, Gobi! Gobi, that you over there?"

"Huh?" The fishman glanced over at them, and after a moment, he grinned. "Hey, you're that kid I met over near Coursair! The ranger! Ryu, right? Good to see you again! Who're these mugs? Wait, wait..." He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he walked over towards them, then pointed at Katt. "I'll be damned! You really did hook up with that fighting girl!"

"Wrong," Katt drawled. "At the moment, anyways. Things got a little too hot in Coursair for my tastes, so when this guy offered me a new line of work, I took him up on it. As you can see, he's not the only one. Take it you two have met before?"

"Sold me this on my way north," Ryu explained, tapping the helmet resting on top of his pile of gear at the moment; he'd suit up after the coffee had kicked in. Catching Katt's eye, he nodded very slightly, and she produced a cup for their guest. "Gave me some pretty good advice on what was going on in Coursair, too."

"When I heard about what went down around there, I figured I got out _just_ in time," Gobi grunted. "Sounds like I was right."

"You have no idea," Rand agreed. "The authorities didn't get _too_ excited, did they?"

"Way I heard it, there's a couple folks down under 'wanted for questioning,' but that's nothing in Coursair." Gobi shrugged. "If they _really_ wanted them, it'd be a lot more than that. Year from now, nobody'll even remember it." He winked. "I won't ask why you guys wanted to know."

"Appreciated," Sten deadpanned.

"No charge," he shot back. "If I didn't know better, I'd suggest you guys were a pro outfit instead of a bunch of folks helping a friendly neighborhood Ranger out. Usually not the best idea to piss people like that off."

"We prefer the term 'adventurers,' actually," Ryu said lightly. "And it's starting to look like this one's going to be my last assignment for the Guild. A lot's changed while I've been on this job."

"Same one you were on back at Coursair?" Gobi raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like one hell of a long job, kid."

"We've almost got it wrapped up now." Katt glanced at Nina. "You feeling okay? You're awful quiet this morning. More than usual, I mean."

"I was about to say," she replied coolly. "I'm still waking up, is all."

"I'll save the sales pitch until you're finished with that, then," Gobi joked; at least, Ryu thought he was joking.

"No, no, by all means, feel free." Nina shook her head. "Might as well get it out of the way, right?"

"Ouch!" Gobi clutched his chest. "You wound me, madam. And after I was getting ready to inform you of these marvelous enchanted robes I have in stock, perfect for those with rough lines of work but find too much armor a little _too_ rough! They're the standard for witches! Only 3,000 zenny each!"

"Witches, huh?" Sten asked calmly as the others all coughed at the price. "Let me guess, you laid in a stock because you heard about that class reunion and figured you'd be able to make a killing at it."

"You heard about that too, huh?" Gobi chuckled. "Yeah, okay, guilty as charged. I didn't do as well as I thought I would with those, so I've still got some stock I need to sell off. They're up north, at the Wildcat Cafe; that's the only reason I'm out here in the ass end of nowhere, Sima. Bit of a risky place to do business, but the profit's usually worth it. Not this time, though." He sighed heavily. "Oh well, them's the breaks."

"Nobody ever promised us easy, right?" Rand nodded sympathetically. "Story of our lives too, buddy."

"You can say that again," Ryu agreed. "Tell you what, Gobi. Those robes sound a little out of our price range, but I'm sure you've got something we'd be interested in... if you could maybe give us some information on that Wildcat Cafe. As it just so happens, that's the reason _we're_ all the way out here, too."

The look Gobi gave him was indescribable.

"Not like _that_," Katt said quickly. "We need to have a little _talk_ with one of those witches at that reunion."

"Ohhhhhhh." Gobi slowly nodded. "Okay, that makes a little more sense. Didn't _think_ you looked like the kinds of guys who... well, never mind that."

"Nooooooo," Nina murmured. "What else do you have?"

"Well, I've got a couple bastard swords." Gobi scratched his chin. "Personally speaking, I figure they might suit you better than that huge thing, but that's just me, kid. 2,200 zenny each, if you want to check them out. Got some more helmets, too, even better than the Windian army standard I sold you last time. Don't ask me how, but I actually managed to find a seller for _Highlander_ army surplus, and believe me, those folks are ahead of the game when it comes to military equipment. 1,800 each for those babies."

"Highlander nation helmets?" Sten repeated, looking intrigued. "And they're the real thing? Not some knock-offs?"

"See for yourself, buddy." Gobi rummaged through the packs on his back and produced a rounded helmet with a frontal plate in lieu of direct facial protection and a spike on its crown. "Does this look like a knock-off to you?"

"Can't say that it does," Sten admitted, tapping it with one long finger. "All right, buddy. I'll take one."

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Gobi handed over the helmet in exchange for some of Sten's zenny, which he quickly pocketed. "Now then, about the Wildcat Cafe. Won't be able to help you much with that class reunion-I just went in to sell and then got out-but there's three things to keep in mind about the establishment itself."

"Let's hear 'em, then," Ryu said, then frowned. "Wait, wait. The reunion's been going on for a while now already? It's not over, is it?"

"Nah, I left an hour ago and they were still going at it _real_ strong." Gobi chuckled. "The Wildcat Cafe doesn't exactly keep normal hours. Anyways! Rule number one, don't piss off the bouncers. You'll lose, no matter how good you are. Rule number two, the rest of the staff are a different story; just be polite to them, and you would not _believe_ how much shit they'll forgive you for. And rule number three... when they ask you how you want your food cooked, tell them you want it 'rare.' Trust me on this one."

"Sounds like good advice all around to me," Rand grunted. "Thanks, buddy."

"Any time." Gobi finished his coffee and stood up. "Well, nice selling to you again, but I've got to get going. Need to meet a guy down at Whale Cape in a couple of days, and it's a long swim. Where are you guys going to be operating out of, anyways? I'll recommend you if I run into anybody who needs to hire some folks."

"Southern Auria, west of Mt. Fubi," Ryu told him, smiling. "And thanks. We appreciate the good word."

"Anything for a valued customer!" Gobi winked, waving as he walked off.

"All right, what's _really_ bothering you?" Katt asked Nina again once he was gone. "Nice try, but you wake up faster than any of us once you _get_ up."

"Something just struck me as curious, is all," Nina murmured, looking thoughtful. "Gobi... that's not a very common name."

"Wasn't he some hero from the Second Dragon War?" Sten recalled. "One of your... namesake's..." He slowly trailed off. "Oh."

"Indeed." Nina nodded. "A Maniro clansman, with orange scales. That's one of the rarest colors for them to have, you know."

"It couldn't actually _be_ him," Rand scoffed. "Yeah, he's obviously been around for a while, but a _thousand_ years? _Nobody_ lives that long, except for the Legendary Sorceress herself. Somehow, I doubt that's something even _she_ could just teach a friend of hers."

"I know, I know," she conceded. "I didn't say he was. It's just one of those things that's... curious, I suppose. A strange feeling about him... remnant traces of some very unusual magic. I wish I was able to tell what exactly it was."

"That's a bit weird, yeah," Ryu admitted. "Or at least I imagine. Just something to keep in mind, then?"

"More or less." She finished her own cup. "Were we going to get this rather unpleasant task over with, then?"

"Oh, hell yes," Katt agreed. "The sooner the better."

"Can't argue with that," Sten said, starting to clean up.

The Wildcat Cafe was, as Petape had told them, located in a cliffside cave on the west coast of Sima, near the Siman Falls that poured down towards the lake. There were no doors, but a brass plate had been installed over the cave mouth advertising its contents. Ryu and the others didn't even glance at it as they walked inside.

The bouncer sitting behind a nice wooden desk flanked by five wooden doors at the end of the tunnel, however, was another story. He was almost as big as Rand, and carried enough muscle for an entire sports team, made obvious by the fact that he was wearing only a green, extremely brief and tight swimsuit and a matching bow-tie. His head was bald, and his grin sparkling white. To Ryu, it was an unfortunately familiar sight, one he'd hoped he'd never have to see again.

"Good evening!" The bouncer boomed cheerfully. "For five, then?"

"Uh, yes." Ryu nodded.

"Hey, check it out." Katt was whispering to Rand. "Remember Andre, back at the coliseum in Coursair?"

"I know, right?" Rand muttered back. "Small world."

"I'm afraid we're rather busy at the moment," the bouncer continued, looking apologetic. "A class of witches is having a reunion right now. We'll still be able to serve you, of course, but our staff is a little swamped."

"We understand," Ryu replied, trying to keep a straight face. "We'll be fine."

"Good!" He beamed. "Now then, we here at the Wildcat Restaurant have no objections to violence, but we do require that it be kept at a reasonable level. I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you to leave your equipment here at the desk; it will be returned to you when you leave."

"Excuse me?" Katt growled, the others looking similarly irritated. "Just what kind of idiots do you take us for, buddy?"

"I'm sorry, but rules are rules." The bouncer rang a bell on his desk, and all of the doors but one opened, revealing four identical brutes who approached. "If you can't follow protocol, we'll have to ask you to leave the premises."

"Uh, guys?" Sten suggested quietly. "I vote we do what the nice gentlemen are asking. Don't think we're gonna win this one."

"Yeah, okay." Ryu gave in. "Come on, it's the only way we're getting in here." Muttering and grumbling, the group removed their armor, keeping only the clothes they wore under it, and placed it all in a box the lead bouncer indicated, along with their weapons.

"Excellent!" The man behind the desk grinned again, as if the dispute had never taken place at all. "Now then, one last thing. How would you like your meat cooked?"

"Rare all around?" Ryu asked, trying to make it sound casual, prompting nods. "Thought so. Rare it is."

"Ah." The bouncer's smile didn't fade, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you, by any chance, eaten here before?"

"First time," Ryu said quickly, cutting off what he knew would be an angry retort by Katt. "Why? Can we not get it rare here?"

"No, no, that's not a problem at all," the bouncer assured him. "It's simply... well, it's probably not a concern. Go right in, please, and seat yourselves. Last door on the right." He nodded at the only one that hadn't produced an additional bouncer.

"Thought you said this place was run by guys who'd been kicked out of your clan," Sten commented to Katt as they walked past.

"It's only one family." She shrugged. "Guess they hire help for the rough stuff."

To absolutely nobody's surprise, walking through the door brought them to a gigantic cooking grill suspended over a pit. Shooting weary glances amongst themselves, they walked out to the center of it, watched the doors on both ends slam and lock, and waited.

"Here we go," Katt grunted as burners on the sides of the room activated, raising the temperature to a painful amount almost immediately. "About time."

"Try flying above the metal," Ryu suggested to Nina as they began dancing around painfully. "Might spare yourself."

"No good," she pointed out, wincing as she shuffled her feet. "There's flames up on the ceiling, too. I can't fly without touching those."

"Remind me again why we couldn't just wait for the witch to come back home and go back there again?" Rand complained before stumbling and falling back onto his ass. "_Yeow!_"

"Because that would be too _easy!_" Sten snarled, rolling around to keep his fur from catching fire. "We _never_ get easy! Tail! Tail!"

"Huh?" Katt blinked, then yelped and began slapping at hers. "Ack!"

"I'm about ten seconds away from summoning up some wild ice magic, and to _hell_ with what happens," Nina said darkly. "Nine, eight..."

"Wait, wait," Sten told her quickly. "It's cooling off! Anybody else feel that?"

"Oh, yeah." Ryu sighed, then winced. "Owwww, that hurts. Rand?"

"Five healing spells coming right up," Rand agreed, and one by one, glowing magic covered them.

"_Much_ better." Nina smiled, but there was no joy in it. "Now then, who do we discuss this with?"

"Time to see if the cooking is done yet!" A voice called from the other side of the far door on cue, speaking in an obviously affected Siman accent. A moment later, the door opened, revealing a decidedly stout Woren clansman. Unlike Katt, his entire body was covered in golden fur, but he kept it trimmed very short, likely in order to be able to comfortably wear a white chef's outfit over it, complete with apron and belt full of kitchen knives. He was grinning cheerfully, and he wore a long, wire-thin, elaborately curled mustache dyed black. Seeing them, he blinked. "Hey, what's this? This isn't cooked at all!"

"You the proprietor of this establishment?" Ryu asked ominously, cracking his knuckles. "We have a few issues with your service." The others flanked him, and they advanced slowly.

"Ah... ah..." The Wildcat began to slowly back away, then brandished a huge meat cleaver. "Well then, I'll just cut up some sushi, and..." He grunted as Nina's ice magic projectiles slammed into his gut, dropping the blade. Before he could recover it or draw another, Katt drew back and laid a right hook right on his mouth that spun him around backwards. Vaulting over them both, Sten twisted in the air and kicked him back around to receive another punch, this one from Rand, that pounded him down so hard he actually bounced off of the grill.

"You want heat?" Ryu growled, starting to will himself into dragon form. Unfortunately, the Wildcat had other ideas; digging into his apron, he produced a handful of black powder that he blew into the air, stinging their eyes and forcing them to cough and choke.

"Wildcat family, secret art!" The chef crowed. "Blinding pepper! _Au revoir!_"

"He's-hack-gone, isn't-ugh-he?" Ryu asked as they all bent over.

"Yeah, but he'll still be in there," Sten pointed out. "Let's-guh-get out of here." Rubbing at their eyes, they walked out of the cooking room and on into the restaurant proper.

Now that they were actually inside, it looked much more like any other eatery they'd seen; it wasn't even a dive, but instead had all the appearance of a high-class restaurant. Everything was hardwood, with pleasant décor on and around the tables and booths, which were cushioned in red; chandeliers hung overhead, and candles burned on tabletop as well. There were even flowers growing out of jars, and tapestries and paintings hung on the walls.

All of this made the clientele seem even more bizarre. As they'd expected, the majority of them were witches, all of them pink-haired and beautiful like Nimufu; rather than being alluring, however, the sheer number of them made their identicality seem disturbing instead. There were Kimoto and Ogres, along with other outcast Clans, scattered here and there. A group of unsavory-looking Creeper clansmen had a booth in a corner, and a pair of equally nasty Wing Clansmen sat at the bar. A scattering of humans, male and female, filled out the population.

"Easy," Ryu murmured to Nina, seeing her eyes flash. "We're not here to pick any more fights than we have to. Let's just find Nimufu and get out."

"Hey, that chef's coming back over here," Rand pointed out. The Wildcat they'd encountered was indeed approaching them from behind the counter somewhat hesitantly, flanked by two more, who looked just as concerned. "Guess he wants to talk to us."

"You guys go ahead," Sten muttered, slipping away before they could object. "I'll ask around about Nimufu."

"Excuse me, _monsieur_," the lead chef said quietly. "I hope we have not given offense. You all seemed, well... very angry back there. I assure you, it was nothing personal. Simply the way we operate here. You understand, yes?"

"Just the way..." Ryu started to growl, then paused, taking a deep breath, remembering Gobi's advice about being polite. "Let me guess. Cook the weak people, serve the strong people, right? Have to prove you're tough to get in here or else you're _on_ the menu?"

"Our policy in simplified form, yes." The Wildcat nodded quickly. "You're very understanding people, aren't you? Most would take this kind of thing badly, no matter the circumstances, but you're professionals, yes? You don't hold grudges over business, right?" They all smiled nervously, so worried that it was almost pitiful.

"We'll get over it," Rand said after an awkward moment. "It's not going to happen again, right?"

"Of course!" They all nodded. "You've proven yourselves, and our bouncers have excellent memories! They'll wave you through in the future!"

"Then we're square," Ryu gave in. "We were just making a point ourselves, when you get right down to it. Business is like that, you know?"

"Ah, of course!" The Wildcat's eyes widened in understanding. "A reputation to uphold, yes? This explains everything! Good, good! I'm so glad we were able to work this out amicably! There must be something more we can do, to make this all up to you..." He paused, glancing at Katt. "Ah, a young lady of the Clan our family once belonged to!"

"Yeah?" Katt growled, clearly not feeling as forgiving as the others but doing her best to keep it under control. "So what?"

"There is a secret technique our family knows," the Wildcat said in a low, conspiratorial voice. "You may have heard of it, yes?"

"Wait." Katt blinked. "You mean... the Chopchop style?"

"Chopchop?" Ryu muttered under his breath. "Seriously?" Nina hushed him.

"Indeed!" The Wildcat continued. "Only those who possess the Breath of Spirit can perform it, which is a shame, since we are very proud of it! Here, come with me, and I will show you the trick!" The three of them turned and walked towards the bar. Once they'd reached it, the head chef pulled a live Beak out of a crate, bound with rope, and laid it on a cutting board before producing his cleaver again. "Watch closely now!"

What happened next was difficult to describe. The Wildcat held his knife over the monster, motionless for a second, and then it seemed to _blur_, vibrating strangely as if it was moving in every direction at once while remaining absolutely motionless at the same time. There was a flash of movement towards the Beak, and then it fell apart into thin, even slices, blood draining neatly without even a splash. The Wildcat's knife was completely clean.

"Holy _shit,_" Ryu managed to say after a moment. Nina and Rand both nodded in agreement.

"I get it," Katt said slowly. "At least... I _think_ I do. I never would have thought of doing that myself, but... yeah, I think I know what it was. How many cuts was that?"

"Forty-seven is my best record," the Wildcat replied modestly. "They're all light, of course, so there are limits to its usability in combat, but in certain situations..."

"Yeah, no kidding." Katt slowly grinned. "Yeah... I'm gonna have to practice it, of course, but I'll be able to get it down. Thanks. You guys are okay."

"Glad to oblige!" The Wildcat flourished his knife. "Drinks, then? Let me guess, ale all around?" He winked.

"Wine for me, thanks," Nina corrected him.

"Of course!" The Wildcat nodded. "Coming right up!"

"Drinks should be fine, right?" Katt muttered, rejoining them.

"Yeah, but we'll want to slip out before they ask us what we want to order," Ryu murmured back. "Let's just sit at the bar and wait for Sten to come back."

"Right here, chief," Sten chimed in from his left. "Bad news. Seems Nimufu's been worshiping the porcelain goddess for the last hour. She's still in there, and even in this place, _we_ ain't getting in."

Nina and Katt exchanged a long glance.

"We'll be back," the princess told them as they turned towards the rear. "Keep our drinks for us. We'll likely need them."

"Sucks to be them," Ryu muttered, and the other three all nodded sympathetically. Taking their mugs when they came, the leaned back on the barstools and looked around the restaurant casually, trying not to let their gaze linger.

As bizarre as it was on appearance, the Wildcat Cafe did have a certain anarchic charm once one relaxed a little. There was clearly no species bias whatsoever; anything and anybody would be welcome so long as they upheld the strange rules present. At one booth, an Ogre Clansman had his arms around two witches, all of them laughing; to their left, two Kimoto were languidly sipping at their ale, forked tongues dipping into it. More witches had approached the two Wing Clansmen, and were apparently charming them into a semblance of a good mood. Some musicians had started playing a catchy tune, mainly based on horn instruments.

"We need to get out of here once we're done," Ryu muttered under his breath as four mugs and a wineglass were handed over. "Something about this place is messing with my head."

"What, starting to think it's not so bad?" Sten joked, elbow on the bar as he surveyed the clientele.

"Yeah," Rand grunted, taking a big swig of his ale. "And considering what I know about this place, I'd rather not."

"At least they're honest about it." Sten shrugged. "I've seen worse, trust me. As far as supposed cesspools go, this one is our speed, I'd say."

"Maybe that's what's getting to me," Ryu agreed dubiously, paying the bartender. "The fact that we don't look out of place here at all. We fit right in. And if we got drunk enough to be stupid about it, I can't honestly say _some_ of us wouldn't try ordering, just out of curiosity. I'm not sure I like what that says about us."

"That we're hardly pillars of society?" Sten shrugged. "Call it what you like, boss, but in the end, we're mercs. Other people pay us to go do violent things. It's the life we chose, and as long as we're living it, tidy little eateries near the schools and formal parties with all the hob-nobs in town aren't gonna look right if we're there. The issue of what exactly _is _on the menu aside, this _is_ where mugs like us belong."

"With the Ogres and the Kimoto, huh?" Rand frowned.

"With the motley crew who don't fit in anywhere else," Sten corrected him. "I'm no fan of either Clan either, but looking at it logically? The ones who come around here to socialize with folks like us probably aren't the worst of the worst. If it was just the food, they could get it themselves."

"And usually do, from what I've heard," Rand grumbled.

"There used to be an entire city like this, actually," Ryu said thoughtfully. "Named Bleak, way up in the mountains of Auria. City of thieves, outcasts and vagabonds. Some people actually think that those ruins we're operating out of used to be it."

"Really?" Sten scratched his chin. "I've heard of Bleak too. Wasn't it supposed to be _east_ of Hometown?"

"With how often some earthquake's rearranged the world map, that doesn't mean all that much," Rand pointed out. "I have to admit, though, that actually sounds like an interesting idea. Wouldn't want it to catch on _everywhere_, but one lawless city that doesn't give a shit about the Three Laws and just looks after its own... well, maybe the world could use someplace like that."

"Shame the world doesn't seem to be that kind of place any more." Ryu sighed, and the other two nodded.

"Oh, I don't know about that," another man said, sitting down next to Ryu and accepting a tankard of ale from the cook. It was another Woren, but one who looked far different from the Wildcat family. His fur was golden and shaggy, and his facial features more obviously feline than either Katt's or the staff's. He wore only a blue vest; thankfully, like Katt, the fur on his body was long and thick enough to keep him decent. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've actually heard there's a place like that being started up down in southern Auria. Your homeland, right, blue-hair?" He gestured at Ryu with his mug. "You've got the accent."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "Hadn't heard about that, myself, but it's been a while since I've been back there."

"Well, it's apparently just a recent thing," the Woren continued. "West of Mt. Fubi. I've been meaning to take the boys down there and see what it's like, myself, for a while now. Figured I might as well give some fellows in the same line of business the heads-up in case you'd be interested. Professional courtesy, you know?"

"Merc?" Ryu guessed, ignoring the strange looks on Rand's and Sten's faces, and the Woren nodded. "Should have known somebody else in the business would be hanging around here. Is it that obvious?"

"Maybe not to normal folks, but to somebody who's been doing it for a whole?" The Woren winked one bright yellow eye. "You might as well have a sign on your heads." Putting his mug down for a moment, he offered a hand. "Tiga Lee."

"Ryu Bateson," he replied, shaking his hand. "How's business around here? We're not regulars; just came to hunt down a target."

"Me either." Tiga shrugged. "I'm only here to meet up with a client. This is a good place to arrange a head-to-head if it's the kind of business you want to be even more careful than usual about. One nice thing about this place; nobody's gonna care what you're up to." He chuckled. "If you're as hungry as you guys look, you can always just order a salad, you know."

"We're heading off as soon as the girls get back," Ryu explained.

"Fair enough." Tiga leaned back, arms on the bar. "We tend to run out of the Isle of Guntz most of the time. It's nice and relaxed, but the only trouble is you don't get too many visitors, so clients are a bit tricky to come by. If this new place really is all that, we might relocate down there. You guys?"

"Some ruins west of Mt. Fubi." Sten shrugged. "Bit of a fixer-upper, but you can't beat the price."

They all waited as the light slowly dawned on Tiga's face.

"Yeah, I don't know _what _that rumor's about, but _we_ don't know about any town starting up down there." Ryu chuckled. "Pretty sure we'd have noticed."

"Guess so." Tiga grinned cheerfully. "Oh well, scratch that one up to bad gossip. Let me guess, going for the whole 'explorers of the lost' theme? That one usually sells pretty well. We're running the 'reckless, violent savages' look ourselves."

"Might limit your client base a little, but it's worth it for the prices the extra intimidation value gets out of the rest, I take it?" Ryu guessed, not bothering to correct him; the best description he would probably be able to come up with for their look was "punk bum," and that wasn't exactly marketable.

"Got it in one," Tiga agreed. "Pretty sharp. Surprised I haven't heard of you guys before; you seem like you've got a good grip on the business..." He trailed off. "Wait a second. Bateson... that mess up in Capitan a couple weeks back?"

"That was us, all right." Sten made a face. "Pain in the ass, but if it's working for our rep, maybe it was almost worth it."

"You guys are the talk of the trade right now, man." Tiga whistled. "That story's everywhere. Some bunch of newcomers nobody's ever heard of mop the floor with a bunch of freaks most guys charge top price for."

"We're just getting off the ground," Ryu admitted. "Can't really run that until we're established. It's going pretty well so far, though... hey, wait." He blinked. "Tiga Lee... are you with the _Renegades_?"

"Word's even getting out as far as Auria?" Tiga laughed appreciatively. "Hope it's all good. Yeah, that's us, all right."

"I've heard a few things," Ryu replied, then slowly grinned. "Story about the Isle of Tunlan, for one."

"Oh, shit." Tiga covered his eyes. "Come on, man, don't bring that one up. We're trying to put it behind us."

"I smell something good," Sten said, grinning wickedly. "Come on, boss, what's this all about?"

"Maybe I shouldn't," Ryu joked. "Professional courtesy, and all. What do you think, Rand... huh?" Glancing over at the big man, he frowned; an extremely drunk-looking witch appeared to be accosting him, which explained why he hadn't been taking much part in the conversation.

"Come on, baby," the witch slurred. "I'm havin' fun. Aren't you? And nothing makes it more fun than a good fight... wheee..."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I'm really not that kind of guy." Rand attempted to shove her away gently, and failed. "Please, just... go away."

"What if I don't want to go away, huh?" She pouted theatrically. "You gonna make me? I'd be down with that."

"Hey hey, what's all this?" Tiga leaned out and looked the witch over, then smiled. "Don't see too many girls who don't mind playing rough like that. I think I like what I'm hearing."

"Glad to see somebody's a real man around here," she purred, giving Rand a dismissive glance before wobbling around to Tiga. "You like a little rumble after a few too, big guy?"

"Nothing like it!" Tiga finished his ale and set the mug down. "A little crowded in here, though, don't you think? Why don't we step outside for a moment and have some fun?"

"Hmmm..." She smiled. "Sounds good to me. You're pretty cute, you know. Maybe after that, we can have a little _more_ fun."

"Why don't we talk about that?" Tiga suggested, getting up. Wrapping their arms around each other, the two of them moved towards the exit, and he looked over his shoulder. "See you around again some day, guys! Good luck!"

"Thanks, man," Ryu called. "You too!"

"Owe you one!" Rand shouted, then dropped his voice. "Sheesh. Boy, am I glad the girls weren't here to see _that_ one. I'd never live it down."

"Speak of the devil," Sten glanced towards the back. "Here they come." Katt and Nina were indeed threading their way through the crowd now, both of them looking disgusted; for some reason, they were wet, as if they'd just showered without getting undressed. Most of the other patrons wisely moved out of their way, but one drunken human male made the mistake of making a grab for Katt's arm. Instead, he received her fist in his face, and fell back onto his table, much to the amusement of his friends.

"Do _not_ ask us what just happened in there," she growled warningly as they joined them. Both girls regarded their drinks for a moment, then drained them in one go.

"Bad?" Rand guessed.

"She said not to ask," Nina replied coldly. "She meant it."

"You got the ring, though, right?" Sten pressed.

"Yes, we got the ring," Katt snarled with biting sarcasm, handing Ryu a piece of hideously gaudy jewelry identical to Petape's; it was wet as well, and he wisely chose not to ask why. "And now that we have the ring, we are going to get one more refill on our drinks, because we both _need_ it, and then we're getting out of this place before I actually _do_ just say to Infinity with it and order something after all, because if one more thing pisses me off, I might just take a bite out of whoever it is!" On cue, her stomach growled loudly.

"Told you she'd be the first one to crack," Sten pointed out, and received a kick in the back of the head for his opinion.

The bouncers were just as courteous as before when they walked out and retrieved their gear, and didn't ask for any details. They didn't see Tiga or the witch outside, but that was probably for the best, all things considered. They did, however, quickly run into a belligerent bear, which Katt dispatched quickly with somewhat unnecessary violence. Everybody seemed to feel better after they'd eaten, although Nina and Katt still refused to explain just what exactly it was they'd had to do to recover the ring.

The trip back towards Lake Sima was as long and uneventful as their voyage to the Cafe had been. The boat was still tied to the lakeside pier, fortunately, and they made their way back to Simafort without any trouble. Hiding it at the dock where Petape had, they slipped behind some crates and waited to see if anybody came out. Nobody did.

"Guess they didn't see us coming in," Ryu said eventually. "All right, we need to find Jean and Petape. Where would she be hiding him?"

"If she's even gotten him out of the cell by now, you mean," Sten joked.

"Come on, man." Katt elbowed him. "It's been two weeks. She's _got _to have talked him out of there by _now_, right?"

They all thought about it for a moment.

"Let's get going," Rand said with a heavy sigh, and they all nodded. Creeping down the water-filled tunnels back to the prison, they walked over to the last cell and looked inside. It was empty. "Well, hell, we were wrong."

"Psst!" Petape's voice came from another cell. "Over here!" Glancing at it, they saw her open the cell door and wave them inside quickly. The walls inside were covered with Jean's paintings; he appeared to be working on another at the moment. "I managed to talk him into moving to this one since the light's better. Believe it or not, the guards never even thought to check the _other_ cells once they noticed he was 'gone.' We really need to improve our hiring policy."

"Under the circumstances, I can live with it," Ryu told her, producing the ring and tossing it to their friend. "Here you go, Jean. Catch."

"Ah!" Jean snatched it out of the air before even turning to look at them. "_Merci beaucoup_! As my sister said, I have been just fine; a good friend of mine named Salvatore has been bringing me food and water. A most talented artist, by the way, fully as skilled with stone and statue as I with paint and canvas. But at any rate, I owe you all many thanks. Ah, it is so good to see my ring again..." He looked down at it, eyes distant. "But it was the only way I could think of to express my feelings for her. Tell me honestly, did she... take it hard, when you asked for it back?"

"I... think she'll get over it, Jean," Nina said cautiously.

"Say no more, _mademoiselle_." Jean clutched the ring to his heart. "She has found another already, has she not?" Taking a deep breath, he began to sing; to Ryu's surprise, he actually wasn't too bad. "_Ah, the end of an inept love..._"

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Petape yelled at him. "This is no time to be singing! We have to go confront the imposter, right now!"

"Ah, little sister..." Jean paused, turning to her with a calm smile. "It's not good to be so stressed! Here, my singing will help calm you!"

Ryu and his friends all wisely averted their eyes until the violent noises had died down.

"As I was saying, this is no time for singing," Petape continued as if Jean hadn't interrupted. "We have to go confront the imposter, right now!" She marched out past them, towards the stairs.

"You okay, man?" Ryu asked Jean; he had a black eye now, and several lumps on his head.

"I am, how you say... used to it?" He shrugged. "My dear little sister is overly excitable, I think. Ah, but perhaps she has a point. Let us go to see my father!"

"Think we'll have any trouble, boss?" Sten asked quietly as they walked towards Petape, who was waiting for them at the stairs, tapping her feet.

"Not as long as we stick with her, and talk fast." Ryu shrugged. "If we do, handle it, but don't kill anybody. That guard was bad enough; we'll just have to hope nobody puts two and two together and connects us to that."

"Oh, yeah." Katt winced. "Might not look too good, huh?"

"It could be worse," Nina said dryly. "We could have taken the corpse with us to sell to the Wildcat Cafe."

"That's not funny," Rand grumbled.

"Sorry."

The underwater tunnels brought them to a corner of the throne room. Petape was the first to rise from the deep, followed by Jean; the other came after them, Ryu standing at Petape's left while the other four flanked them. Ignoring the startled buzzing of the courtiers, they advanced down the center of the hall towards the fused assemblage of three thrones at the back, the central one set higher than the other two. This was occupied by an elderly Creeper with a long white beard and scales the same bright blue as the imposter Prince's, clad in regal red robes and a heavy-looking golden crown. He appeared to be asleep.

"Kuwadora, Kuwadora!" The Prince growled from his seat on the King's left. He looked the same as he had when they'd met him before, but there was something subtly different in his eyes now. "What is this, dear sister? Explain yourself, immediately."

"I'm no sister of yours, villain," Petape replied coldly, obviously aware of every eye in the room on her. "My brother stands here at my side."

"Ah, Petape..." The Prince sighed deeply. "Another of your games? I'm sure you're very amused, but this is no matter for play. Can't you see how it saddens me to see you so behaving in such a manner? Let alone what you're doing to this poor wretch, by perpetuating his madness..." His eyes turned to Ryu. "And you... what business have you here, in Simafort? I thought you wiser men, than to defy my request so."

"We got hired for a job, your highness." Ryu shrugged. "By the Princess. And we don't tell our employers what to tell us to do."

"Understandable, if a bit disappointing," the Prince said coolly. "Then the blame for this... disturbance... lies solely on the shoulders of this imposter, who has somehow deceived my dear sister." He stared at Jean, who met his gaze with a shrug and a smile. "Foolishness alone, I could forgive, but for this... I will see you dealt with in a more permanent fashion."

"Bring it on, imposter!" Petape yelled. "Let's see if you've got the balls to face the _real_ Prince with your sword! Jean will tear you apart and throw the pieces into the lake!"

"Ah, sister..." Jean protested mildly. "There is no need for such language, especially from a maiden such as yourself."

Petape promptly demonstrated her vocabulary at further length, causing every courtier in the room to draw back, eyes wide.

The King snored.

"He's kind of got a point, your highness," Ryu said cautiously; the others stayed quiet, apparently content to let him act as their representative for the moment. "It's up to you, of course, but if you'll take my advice, it might be best to just do this calmly."

"I'm afraid, young man, that 'calm' is hardly my little sister's specialty." The Prince laughed, but there was no humor in the hideous sound; it was like he'd known how to laugh, long ago, but hadn't done so in such a long time that he'd forgotten how entirely. "Why should I face him in combat? Every man and woman in Simafort knows me for Prince Ekaru, whereas this madman only has his own, obviously unreliable word and the whims of a silly young girl to speak for him."

"Oh, does he?" Petape smirked triumphantly. "You won't be so smug for long, you snake. Show them, Jean! Show them the royal ring, of the royal family! The proof that you are the true Prince of Simafort!"

"Ah, _oui_." Jean held his hand up displaying the royal ring, and a gasp ran through the courtiers. "Here, here is my ring."

"Well?" Petape demanded. "Who's the imposter now? What do you say to _that_?"

"Amazing..." The Prince murmured, eyes fixed on the ring. His voice was still calm, and his manner relaxed, and that set all of Ryu's nerves on edge. "I would say... that he has managed to somehow find an amazingly accurate imitation." He removed the glove from his right hand and raised it, and the torchlight glittered off of another ring, identical to Jean's.

"What?" Petape's face crumpled inward. "No! How did you... how could you..." She checked her own hand quickly, then glanced at the sleeping king, whose hand bore a ring as well. "Where did you get that?"

"Petape..." The Prince's voice was artfully tragic. "Please, stop this foolishness. Haven't we all had enough at this point?"

"No!" Petape recovered, turning and pointing at an elderly courtier with moss-green scales. "Your ring is the false one! I call upon the royal jeweler to examine both, and speak the truth! Come here, immediately!"

"Ah..." The old Creeper slowly approached, glancing at the Prince. "Your highness, my apologies, but there does seem to be reasonable doubt..." The courtiers were muttering amongst themselves now, glancing at both Princes, clearly weighing the odds.

"Very well." The Prince threw his ring at him angrily, and the heavy jewelry bounced off the old man's cheek, cutting it. "But don't be all day about it! We have important business to be about. The delegation from Evrai will be arriving within the week, and we must be prepared to come to an agreement with them."

"From... Evrai?" Petape asked, stunned, as the jeweler held out his hand to Jean, who happily handed it over with the cheerful look of somebody who'd stopped following the conversation at some previous point. "Why is the priesthood of St. Eva coming to Simafort? Why was I not informed of this?"

"Ah, sister, you waste all of our time with this foolishness, confuse the court with your silly games, and yet you ask why we do not bring you into the serious business of adults?" The Prince said slyly. "It is long past time that Simafort accepted St. Eva as our lord and savior. We must move with the times, or we will be lost to progress."

"Son of a bitch..." Ryu whispered under his breath, blood running cold, as he realized the imposter's plan.

"Your highness..." The jeweler coughed awkwardly. "I am afraid... I can detect no discrepancy between the two rings. Both appear to be genuine."

"Imbecile!" The Prince roared suddenly, face contorted into a dreadful mask of fury; his accent had completely vanished. "What do we keep you around for, then? One of them _has_ to be false! I should have you flayed and tied to the roof of Simafort under the sun without water!"

"They're... both real?" Petape whispered, shocked again. "That's impossible!"

"Damn," Sten hissed as the Prince quickly composed himself. "If she'd kept her head, we could have taken the advantage there. Looks like buddy boy's got quite a temper under that cold act."

"Forgive me, everybody," the Prince said quietly, speaking with a perfect Siman accent once more. "This foolishness is simply wearing upon my nerves. As I said, we do not have time for these games, Petape. If you continue, I will have no choice but to end this disturbance... permanently." He closed his eyes." I have been merciful so far, due to this man's obvious insanity, but the penalty for impersonating a member of the royal family is death. Please, do not force me to carry that sentence out."

"You wouldn't," Petape whispered.

"Wouldn't I?" The Prince replied, opening his eyes again and meeting her stare, cold and calm.

"Huh?" The King said, stirring, and everybody's gaze turned to him. "What's going on here now? You're all too noisy."

"Father!" Petape dashed past a pair of guards up to the throne and seized his collar lightly. "Wake up! Can't you see what's going on, here? Your own son is suffering before your eyes, and you just sit there!"

"Ah, Petape..." The King murmured. "Inform the head chef that I would like fly pudding for dessert at dinner, will you?"

"Father, you fool!" Petape began to shake. "How can you talk about food, at a time like this? You, you..."

"This could turn ugly, Ryu," Nina warned him quietly.

"I know," he growled back. "Everybody-"

"Petape!" The Prince shouted suddenly. "That's quite enough! Our father is in very ill health. These games are one thing, but I cannot allow you to risk making his condition any worse. Release him!"

"She gets it from her mother, you know," the King leaned over to inform Ryu as Petape grudgingly stepped back. "She was even more scary, but Petape is... who are you all again?" His eyes crossed. "Why are we hiring mercenaries? I'm hungry. Is that fly pudding ready yet? I ordered it hours ago!" Closing his eyes, he began to snore again.

"Fly pudding, fly pudding..." Petape was muttering quietly. Her eyes flew open suddenly, and she smacked a fist into her palm. "That's it! I know how we can prove who is my brother!"

"Petape..." The Prince said warningly, but she kept talking.

"Everybody!" She turned to the courtiers. "You all know that my brother was famous for his cooking ability, yes? His skill was legendary in the kitchen! Especially his world-famous recipe for fly pudding! That is something that cannot be falsified!" Slowly, as if they simply wanted to see how this would play out, the courtiers began to nod and murmur agreement.

"A... cooking competition, then?" The Prince asked slowly. After a long moment, he laughed again, and it was just as horrible as the first time. "Is that all it will take to convince you? My fly pudding? You should have said so sooner, dear sister! I'll be more than happy to cook anything you wish until you're satisfied!"

"Cooking?" Jean brightened up as well, apparently having picked that out of the conversation. "Ah, it has been far too long since I practiced my art in the kitchen! I will be all too glad to prove myself in that manner, yes! What a fantastic idea from my brilliant sister!"

"You can do it, Jean!" Petape ran back over and seized his hands. "This is something you love to do! There's no way you can lose this way!"

"For his sake, he had best hope not," the Prince purred. "My patience is at an end, Petape. Once this farce is finished, he _will_ be put to death. Occupying an entire day of the court's valuable time... there is no more mercy I can give you."

"Hey, listen up, buddy..." Katt growled, then stopped as Rand put a cautious hand on her arm.

"I would watch my tongue, if I were you," the Prince replied, shifting his gaze to them. "I am prince, here in Simafort, and my word is law. You are all clearly complicit in this ridiculousness. The death sentence can easily be extended to accomplices."

"We have no intention of violating the laws of Simafort, your highness," Ryu said with forced calm. "However, I trust you will have no objections to our completing our contract with Princess Petape, so long as we do so legally?"

"If the imposter's cooking is so foul that he requires your assistance simply to pose a chance, then by all means," the Prince shot back. "Let it be a three-course cooking competition, 'with assistants,' then, and may the best man... and his hired help... win. You may have the run of Simafort until tomorrow night, when the results of the contest will be judged at a banquet before the court. I suggest you enjoy it while you can." His voice took on an edge. "And now, if we may return to our actual _business _for the evening, since it seems there will be none tomorrow?"

"Let's get out of here," Ryu advised Petape quietly. "There's nothing more we can do."

"Fine!" She snapped. "And you enjoy what time _you_ have left, imposter! Tomorrow the truth will be revealed!" Turning around with a dramatic flourish of her skirts, she stalked towards the back of the hall, and courtiers melted out of her way. Shrugging, Ryu, Jean and the others followed her out of the throne room.

"On the whole, I thought that went rather well!" Jean remarked happily.

"Jean..." Petape took a deep breath before continuing. "You do understand what you have to do, right? Just cook your best three dishes, and there'll be no way the imposter can match you. It should be easy for you."

"Is he really that good a cook?" Katt asked dubiously.

"Even when he was a young boy," Nina assured her. "He made sure to learn a few Windian dishes on his trip to the castle, and he cooked them all perfectly the very first time. His skill in the kitchen really is legendary."

"Ah, but there is one concern," Jean said thoughtfully. "Will Simafort have the ingredients I require? A fly pudding, in particular... the contents are of the utmost importance. We must make haste, to the kitchens, in order to investigate."

"Hey, if you need some rare ingredients, we could always try running 'em down for you," Katt offered helpfully.

"Here we go." Rand sighed.

"You are so kind to me, _mon amis_!" Jean proclaimed loudly, picking up his pace and running ahead of Petape around a corner. "Ah, here we are! You, my good man!" Leading them into a huge kitchen, he accosted a startled cook. "Quickly, check our food stocks, and see if we have all of these in stock!" He scribbled out a list and handed it to the cook, who nodded, somewhat confusedly, and ran off.

"We going to have to worry about exotic ingredients in _our_ dinner?" Sten asked as they leaned against a wall, ignoring the surprised muttering of the remaining chefs. "Or sharp objects in wherever we sleep tonight?"

"You'll have the best guest bedrooms and cooking, of course," Petape told them. "I wouldn't worry. The imposter's been challenged, and the court is doubtful. He has to prove his strength to them, or they'll drag him under when he's least expecting it. We're not the only threat to him; the court is deadly enough in its own right." She smiled bitterly. "I never thought the day would come that I'd be grateful for that."

"Here you are, your... er... whoever you are!" The cook Jean had enlisted came running back, breathing heavily. "I've marked everything we had!"

"Let me see here..." Jean surveyed the list, and his eyes widened in dismay. "_Non non non non non_, this is not good at all! What of the fresh bull red cockroach meat? You cannot tell me there is none! And the jumbo worm? That as well?"

"We only have the blue at the moment," the cook explained. "And the worm... we've got every size _except_ jumbo."

"What in Infinity is he going to cook?" Katt muttered, and the others shrugged.

"I am glad you asked, _mademoiselle _Katt!" Jean replied, apparently having heard her. "For the appetizer, I shall prepare a delicate cockroach and green onion salad. The main course shall be worm in caramel sauce, and for the dessert, of course, fly pudding."

"At least we have everything we need for the pudding, yes?" Petape asked encouragingly. "That's one thing we don't have to worry about."

"Ah, no, that is the worst of all." Jean clicked his tongue. "A simple bluebottle fly will not do, no, not for this. _Monsieur _Ryu!" He turned to face him, drawing himself up. "I must request your assistance once again. In the castle's waterworks lurk many insect monsters. Please, hunt down three of them and bring their meat to me for the cooking. First, a giant jumbo worm; they are aquatic and predatory. Second, a bull red cockroach; search for a pack of blue cockroaches, as they will be led by a red bull. And third, one of the legendary gold flies."

"Of course!" Petape smacked a fist into her palm. "With a gold fly, your pudding will be irresistible!"

"Uh..." Ryu fought to keep from making a face, and glanced at the others. Katt was holding her stomach again, and Nina looked ill. Sten was putting on a brave face, but it had a decidedly green tinge, and Rand was obviously, deliberately not paying attention. "_We_ aren't going to have to eat this stuff, are we?"

"No, there will be judges." Petape smiled, understanding, and for that alone he almost forgave her for everything. "Sima cuisine is difficult to get used to. I'll make sure the cooks prepare you something you're all comfortable with for your other meals, as well as at the banquet."

"Surely you will try at least a taste, yes?" Jean offered. "I assure you, my cooking is unequalled!"

"We'll get your bugs for you," Katt said hastily, moving past that. "Waterworks, right? We should be able to find that."

"Early tomorrow morning, then," Ryu agreed. "That should give you enough time to cook everything."

"Well, if we're gonna have an early morning..." Sten stroked the neck of a wine bottle speculatively. "Maybe we should enjoy some downtime while we have it."

"Can't argue with that one," Rand agreed.

The evening went well, thanks to Petape's generosity with the wine; after a few cups, even Ryu was willing to admit it wasn't that bad. Their dinner, much to general relief, turned out to mainly consist of excellently cooked fish, which Katt enjoyed almost as much as Nina and Jean did the wine. By the time they were ready to turn in, everybody was in a good humor, even Petape, who seemed greatly cheered by a drink or three. Eventually, servants escorted them to individual guestrooms, and Ryu practically threw himself onto the ridiculously soft bed before falling asleep.

_ Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power... _

When he woke up, a tray had been left in his room with hot coffee and breakfast. A note had been surreptitiously written on his napkin; he read it as he ate.

_Bad news,_ it said. _The cooks are all helping the imposter; they're in his pocket. One of them sneaked Jean's meal plan to him, and he says he'll use the same main ingredients to prove "his" talent beyond a doubt. And because they're "my favorites," gag me with a rapier. He'll have men looking for a gold fly too; watch out for them. With the cooks doing his work for him, this will be closer than I'd like. We _need_ those ingredients. The fate of all Sima rests in your hands. Good luck. -Petape_

"Melodramatic little cuss, ain't she?" Sten commented when he showed them the note after they'd all met up outside their rooms.

"She's got a point, though," Nina said thoughtfully. "Jean will have to give his absolute best in order to win this now."

"So we have to dodge some goons." Katt shrugged. "Hey, even if they find the gold fly first, all we have to do is persuade them to let us have it."

"No point in wasting any more time, then," Rand noted. "Shall we?"

"Yup." Ryu nodded firmly. "Let's go hunt some bugs, people!"

During the previous evening, Petape and Jean had explained how to reach the waterworks. A secret panel behind the portrait of King Maximillion the Psychotic in the hall of paintings led them to a balcony over a huge pit filled with mechanical workings leading up to the windmills atop the roof, with man-sized buckets on chains going down empty on the left before coming back up full of water on the right.

"I don't know about this," Rand said dubiously. "Are we sure this is safe? You guys should be fine, but I'm not exactly a lightweight."

"If they can hold _that_ much water, you'll be fine," Nina assured him. "The water's heavier than you are."

"I don't know..." the big man continued to grumble, but in the end they managed to get him to hop into one of the descending buckets. Ryu was next, followed by Katt and Sten; Nina, of course, simply floated down on her wings. Descending below the castle's ground level, they hopped off onto a maintenance platform before they actually hit the water and lit some lanterns they'd been provided with, then carefully crept past an ivy-covered wall and through a door into the tunnels, keeping their eyes and ears open for company.

"Help!" A Siman-accented voice shrieked, and they all jumped. "_Mon dieu!_ It's-" The scream died off into a horrible croak.

"What the hell?" Ryu growled as they broke into a run. Rounding a corner, they found a scene of hideous carnage. Three dead soldiers were lying on the floor of the tunnel before them, their chests horrible, gory impact craters, and a fourth was flailing with his spear at a tiny blur of golden light that was whizzing around him.

"Hahahahahahaha! Idiots!" A high-pitched voice shrieked. "You thought _you_ could capture _me_? Fools! As if you scum could ever do that in a million years!" Before they could move to stop it, the golden blur ripped through the unfortunate guard's chest, and he collapsed, choking on his own blood. Darting back, the streak of light hovered still in the air, allowing them to finally see it clearly. It was a golden fly, actually glittering in the dim light from their lanterns. "Huh... was that all? Bored now... hey! More schmucks!"

"You wish, creep." Ryu snarled. "Don't care if they were our enemies, you're going down." As the fly blasted towards him, he cut it out of the air, and it slammed into the floor, bouncing off before hovering again.

"You rat!" It taunted him, although it seemed to be wobbling in the air a little. "As if that could hurt me! I'll show you the difference in our stre-whoa!" It dodged back, narrowly avoiding Katt's staff. "Nice try! I'm not that easy to swat-hey!" One of Sten's knives grazed it as it hastily tilted to one side. "Watch it, furball! You could have-oy!" Avoiding a fireball from Nina, followed by Rand's fists, it backed away quickly, but kept chattering. "What's wrong with you guys? You're actually not bad... for a bunch of clowns!"

"We're professionals," Katt explained with a smirk, advancing again. "And _you're_ on the menu tonight."

"Piss off!" The gold fly shot back. "As if I'd ever let idiots like you catch me! Just try and keep up! Hahahahahahaha!" Before they could stop it, it darted away down the tunnel.

"After it!" Sten called.

"Wait!" Rand bent down next to the last of the soldiers. "This guy's still alive. If I can just heal him..."

"Don't bother," Nina advised him quietly as the soldier coughed up more blood. "It won't take. He's too far gone for magic to save him now."

"The prince..." the soldier choked out, grasping the front of Rand's toga. "He sent us down here to look for the gold fly, but he never told us... what kind of a monster it was... please, you have to stop him. He threatened our families... if he learns that we've failed him..."

"He's not going to last the night," Ryu promised him, bending down to clasp the man's hand. "One way or another. He's gone before the sun rises tomorrow."

"Thank you..." The soldier said quietly, and died. Releasing his hand, Ryu closed his eyes, and both he and Rand stood up.

"That thing is _dead,_" the big man growled, and nobody disagreed. Continuing down the tunnel, they emerged onto a long wooden walkway over a massive underground lake. From far across it, a glimmer of gold sparkled.

"Hey, the dummies are falling me!" The gold fly shouted across the cavern. "Over here, suckers! This way! Come on, come and get me! Hahahahahahaha!"

"Anybody else have a bad feeling about this?" Sten muttered as they walked across the lake cautiously.

"Of course we do," Rand told him. "What else are we _gonna_ do, though?"

"Did anybody else here something splash?" Ryu asked, frowning. "Something big?"

"You too?" Katt looked over the side. "I don't _see_ anything, though..."

"It's not magical, whatever it is," Nina murmured. "I don't sense anything."

"Now!" The gold fly shrieked suddenly. "Perfect! Go get 'em, Sheyod!"

"Sheyod?" Everybody asked in worried unison before the water exploded, and the gigantic worm attacked.

It was a horror even larger than the terrapin had been, twenty feet of length rearing out of the water in fleshy, spherical brown segments with their backs covered in thick pink chitin, like natural spiked armor. Its head was an eyeless abomination, three body segments joined together by weblike pink tissue, each tipped with a pincer around the hideous maw. Bent like a snake about to strike, it observed them sightlessly before attacking, spraying jets of steam from behind its head to propel it into Rand with incredible force.

"Guh!" The big man grunted, bracing it with his arms for a moment before they were shoved aside and the head rammed into his chest, smashing him to the floor.

"Get _off_ him, asswipe!" Katt yelled, flipping into the air and bringing her staff down on the joint behind the beast's head, between plates of carapace. With the hissing sound of steam, it retreated slightly, then pulled back further as Ryu scored a hit with his sword at the same point. Raising itself back out of their reach, it prepared for another strike, then thrashed wildly in pain as Nina lashed at both it and the water below with lightning.

"Shit, look at this thing!" Sten growled, hands pressed together as he cast a fireball, which sank into the monster's flesh with a horrible burning smell, although the worm itself didn't even seem to notice. "This is not good!"

"Nah, we can take this ugly mug." Katt grinned savagely. "At least we don't have to eat-shit." The worm lunged again with just as much power, crushing her smaller body brutally; when it pulled back, she was flat on the walkway, unmoving.

"_Katt!_" Ryu roared.

"Ryu!" Nina snapped. "Electricity! The thunder form!"

He didn't waste any time saying anything more, but summoned up the now-familiar power within him, willing it to take the shape of lightning. It came at his command, electricity rushing through his blood and bones with a metallic, tingling sensation that shifted his body, sprouted claws and horns and wings, and grew tail and scales. The transformation seemed almost instantaneous; in only a moment, he stood before the worm as a thunder whelp, and smote it with his rage.

The monstrosity flailed, its steam-like hissing rising to a shriek of agony, as the whelp's breath poured electrical magic into water and worm alike. As his energy died, it fell forward, collapsing onto the walkway. Reverting to human form, he fell forward as well, just as limp and exhausted as when he'd fought Nimufu. To his horror, he saw the worm stir again, rising back up and focusing on him before jettisoning more steam.

"Aw, no," Ryu muttered as he saw the sledgehammer head rush forward.

"No sale!" Katt whooped as she sprang over him, smashing the side of its head joint with her staff. In doing so, she both compounded the previous wound and knocked its aim aside, and it rammed its head harmlessly into the walkway to Ryu's left. Before it could pull back, Sten and Rand had both climbed onto its neck, the former slashing viciously with both knives while hanging on with his legs and the latter simply clutching it, weighing it down so that it couldn't rise again.

Rushing past Ryu, Katt joined them, and Nina hovered overhead, firing non-elemental energy blasts through a focusing ring on her index finger. Groaning, Ryu forced himself to his feet despite the screaming exhaustion and joined in with his sword. It wasn't long before the gigantic beast ceased to move; even then, they didn't stop until the joint had been completely severed, and the corpse of the worm slithered limply back into the depths, leaving the head lying on the walkway in a pool of disgusting goo.

"Remind me never to get a job in a slaughterhouse in this country," Sten muttered, examining hid knives with distaste.

"I don't believe this!" The golden fly yelled from the far end of the cavern. "They beat Big Sheyod?" After a moment, it laughed hysterically again. "Hahahahahahaha! Guess he was just a big wimp! Come on, suckers! You're killing me, here!"

"That thing is really starting to piss me off," Katt growled, resting her staff on her shoulder and glancing that way.

"Starting?" Ryu commented, then held his head; the exhaustion wasn't fading. "Ow..."

"Here, try this," Nina suggested, handing him a small pouch. Opening it, he found a number of dried, dark berries. "I'm guessing it's something like magic depletion. One of these should restore your stores; I think you've told me before that you don't have much."

"I don't," Ryu admitted, eyeing the berries. "These are the same ones Ray used, right?"

"Wise fruit, yes." She nodded. "But only one won't put you in any danger; it'll just taste foul. Any smart mage carries a few in case of emergencies."

"Do they?" Rand asked, sounding slightly awkward. "Guess I'd better get some, then. Ah heh heh."

"Whatever you say," Ryu conceded, trying one of the berries. Foul was an understatement; as soon as it touched his tongue, he felt like he'd just been kicked in the teeth by a mule. Despite the pain, he managed to choke it down, then coughed and blinked as normal feeling quickly returned to his body. "Wow, that stuff really works."

"Did you think I'd carry it if it didn't?" Nina asked archly. "Don't overdo it, though; I'm sure it's unhealthy to transform into a dragon twice without actually resting. I'd rather you not."

"I'll try," Ryu promised. "Hopefully I won't need to again down here. Come on, we can get some meat off of this thing on our way back. Let's nail that fly." As they continued to the end of the walkway, he glanced at Katt. "You had me worried there for a moment. I thought you were really messed up."

"I was," she admitted wryly. "Completely out. Thank Rand for waking me back up."

"Thank Ray, you mean," the big man clarified. "He's the one who taught me that Renew spell. Aw, geez, now where are we?" They'd stepped into a large, dark room with no water for the torchlight to reflect off of.

"Here," Nina murmured, raising her hands. "Let me." A fireball appeared, hovering in the air instead of flying at a target, and lit the cavern up. They all looked forward.

Five man-sized blue roaches stared back, then started making strange eeking noises.

"Ohhhhh nooooo!" The gold fly wailed mockingly from further ahead. "Gotta get away, gotta get away! Hahahahahahaha! As if! Lynousa's gang will show you scum what's up!"

"One each!" Ryu yelled. "Take 'em fast and hard!" As the roaches charged, he met the second one with a slash to the top of its head. His sword buried itself in the bug's carapace, and with a louder "eek," it kept coming, ramming him in the legs and knocking him over. Ignoring a sudden sense of _deja v__u_, he went with the most simple approach, and simply stabbed it over and over until it stopped clawing at him and expired, falling off. Standing back up, he glanced at the others, and saw to his pleasure that they were handling themselves equally well.

Katt had smashed the head of her enemy, and although it seemed that hadn't been enough to kill it, she was stomping on the wriggling remnants, clearly intending to do so until it stopped moving. Rand was crushing his in a mighty bear hug, apparently no longer caring about the cleanliness of his toga after all the worm goo, and Nina had just bisected hers with what looked like the second slice of air blades. Sten, for some reason, was riding his roach like a pony, although the stab wounds on the bug and bright red blood covering his knives proved that he wasn't just horsing around.

"Good work, people," Ryu told them once the last roach had perished. "We're really shaping up recently. Now, Jean said a pack of..." He trailed off as, from a dark corner of the room, a huge red roach scuttled out, even larger than the one he and Bow had saved Niro from. "...Never mind. Not _again_."

"_Monsieur_ Lynousa, I presume?" Sten asked cheerfully.

"Eek eek," the giant roach replied in a bass so deep, it made the noises sound sarcastic. It charged them, then recoiled as Nina and Sten both flung fireballs into its face, burning deep through the carapace. Growling, it recovered and barreled down on Katt, who jumped out of the way at the last moment, dealing it a punishing blow with her staff as she leaped aside that knocked it over. Ryu's sword proved just as effective, ripping into its exposed underside.

The giant cockroach flipped back over, kicking Ryu into a wall, but by then Rand was there. Attacking the big man, it smashed him into his back, but his arms held it regardless, even as it ripped at him. Sensing his plan, the other four all piled onto the momentarily helpless bug, tearing into it with sword and knife and staff and spell until it died.

"Oww..." Rand grunted, healing himself before shoving the dead bug off of him. "Sucker had spunk, I'll give it that." Looking around at them, he frowned. "I need to pay more attention. Looks like most of you needed that more than I did. Hell of a day."

"Why don't you use magic more often?" Nina asked Sten as healing spells showered them all. "You seem fairly talented with it."

"Spark and Bomb are the only spells I know." He shrugged. "And I probably only managed those because Highlanders seem to have a natural affinity for air and fire. I've barely got any magic power, too; two or three more would pretty much wipe me out."

"I see," she murmured. "Have you ever thought about trying to learn higher level offensive magic in those elements, then?"

"Heh." He glanced away. "Who'd teach a bum like me that kind of stuff, huh?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued down the tunnel. "Anyways, we've still got one last bug to catch. We can carve this one up on the way back too. Let's move, people." He froze suddenly then, and glanced back at Ryu. "Er, I mean... if that's okay with you, boss."

"Seems logical to me," Ryu said calmly, ignoring the strange behavior; whatever it was, Sten wouldn't want to talk about it. "The sooner we nab that fly, the sooner we're out of this pit."

"I heard that!" The fly screamed back at them. "You people are real pests, you know that? Bug off and leave me alone, or else I'm going to lose my temper! Then you'll really be-oh, what the hell? A dead end? Bullshit!"

"And that's our cue!" Katt crowed as they all broke into a run. They found the fly waiting for them at the end of the tunnel, hovering in the air. "All right, asshole. Time to pay the piper."

"I pay in pain, chumps!" The fly jeered. "I'll give you credit where it's due, you're the first idiots who ever managed to chase me this far. But a loser is a loser no matter how persistent! Don't forget who you're dealing with! I, the mighty Ganabu XIII, never die! I am invincible!"

"Oh, just shut the hell up already!" Ryu yelled, temper rising. He was suddenly, coldly, sick of everything that had happened down there, and before he knew it he was transforming again, willing himself to become a whelp of ice. The fly, stunned by his metamorphosis, didn't even try to dodge as he spewed freezing breath at it, the blisteringly cold magic freezing it solid. It dropped to the floor, motionless, as he turned back and hit the floor approximately the same way.

"Uh... damn..." The fly whispered. "A Light Dragon? Impossible... to think that I would be slain in the same way as my revered ancestor, Ganbaru I... I never even had the chance to avenge him..."

"Well, that's one way to do that," Katt noted, ignoring the fly. "You okay, Ryu?"

"No, but I'll live," he grunted, accepting a hand from her back to his feet. "Should I take another one of those berries?"

"I wouldn't," Nina advised. "We seem to be done with the unpleasantness for now, and there's time enough to rest before the feast. A nap would be better."

"Maybe just a quick one," he admitted. "Once we get back upstairs. Let's get back there and cut up some, ah, meat."

The roach meat was thick and rich, shiny with fat, while the worm was tough and lean; Ryu and Sten carved huge chunks off of both, and they wrapped them in cloth before heading back up. Closing the lids on descending buckets ensured that they would be empty for passengers on the way back up. Once they were back in the castle proper, they quickly headed to the kitchen and found Jean sitting in a chair, humming, on one side. The other was a maelstrom of frantic Creepers, as the entire kitchen staff and the Prince labored at their own cooking.

"Ah, _tres bien!_" Jean exclaimed as they walked in. "I can smell them already! Well done, _mon amis!_ With these, I can prepare a meal such as Simafort has never seen in a thousand years!"

"Simafort hasn't _been_ here for a thousand years, Jean," Petape remarked as they set the meat down on the table; she'd been pacing back and forth frantically. Turning to them, she smiled. "Thank you all so, so much. Tonight, we'll finish this once and for all!"

"Glad to help, your highness," Ryu said wearily. Gathering his will, he glanced over at the Prince as if he was feeling completely fine. "How about you, 'your highness'? Got everything you need? If you don't, we might be able to scrounge it up for you... for the right price."

"Kuwadora, Kuwadora!" the Prince said tightly, obviously struggling to control his temper. "My ingredients are all fine. If you have some time on your hands, you might do well to help that fool with his cooking. I'd say he could use all that he can get. You!" He whirled on a terrified cook. "The head chef... I mean, I said _thinly_ sliced! Get another one wrong and _you'll_ be the substitute ingredient! _Live!_"

"Temper, temper, your highness," Ryu tsked. "Actually, I'm going to go catch a nap for now. I'll see you at the banquet. Like the princess said... tonight's the night we see who's really got what it takes. I'm looking forward to it."

"As am I." The Prince smiled, but his eyes held murder, and worse, in a boiling maelstrom. "Indeed, tonight we will end this... amusement." His voice dropped, and for just a moment, his accent departed again. "Don't try to escape."

"Escape?" Ryu scoffed. "From what? Have a nice day, everybody. See you tonight, Jean, Petape." The five of them strolled casually out, and made their way back to their rooms, idly listening in on the chatter of the courtiers and servants as they passed by. From what they heard, it seemed that everybody was in agreement.

One way or another, the banquet that night would be the end of it all.

_AT THE OPERA TONIGHT _


	14. Chapter 13: The Demon Lord

_**Chapter 13: The Demon Lord**_

_Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

Ryu woke up.

A glance at a nearby clock told him that it was almost an hour until the beginning of the banquet, which meant his timing was perfect. After a quick bath, he returned to the bedroom he'd been given and blinked; while he'd been gone, a servant had apparently come in to leave a dark green doublet and a pair of light gray leggings on his bed, in the style he'd seen the courtiers wearing. Staring at the clothes for a moment, he shrugged and tried them on, and was unsurprised to find that they fit perfectly.

A small, thin gold ring had been left there as well; after thinking it over, he decided it was probably meant to tie back his hair, and replaced the leather thong he usually wore with it. Despite the implied request for formality, however, he still wore his sword on his back as usual; there was fitting in, and then there was being stupid, after all. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he nodded, then walked out to see how the others were doing.

Sten was sitting in a chair in the hall outside the guest rooms, looking surprisingly natural in his own finery; his brown fur had been brushed, and he wore an outfit similar to Ryu's in blue and gray. Rand was there as well, though the big man looked far more uncomfortable in the dress clothes; where the servants had even found a suit that would fit at all, let alone as if it were tailored personally, was a mystery, although the dark red and white did seem to suit him.

"Look at this," Rand grumbled, plucking at the front of his doublet; like Ryu and his sword, he was still wearing his knuckle guards. "Like anybody's ever going to mistake _me_ for somebody who belongs here, no matter _what_ I'm wearing."

"Did you really think they were going to let us attend a fancy banquet dressed like we usually do?" Sten asked, leaning back with his eyes closed. The Highlander wasn't _visibly_ armed, but that didn't mean much considering his choice in weaponry. "Come on, man."

"He's got a point," Ryu admitted. "That being said, we should probably start thinking about ways to sneak our gear in. We might not have a chance to throw it on when things get ugly, but then again, we might."

"Way ahead of you, chief." Sten opened one eye and smiled. "Friend of Jean's named Salvatore-some artist-is gonna be our guide tonight. Looked him up and talked to him about that, and he's going to bribe a couple servants to grab it out of our rooms once nobody's looking and smuggle it in on one of the dining carts."

"You think of everything, don't you?" Rand commented, sounding impressed.

"Preparation is half the fight, a lot of the time." Sten shrugged. "And speaking of preparation, how long are the girls going to take, huh? Women."

"I heard that," Katt said dryly as she walked out of her room, wearing a fancy gown like the Siman ladies favored, in green and gold, with wrist-length gloves and a gold-and-emerald choker. She seemed decidedly uncomfortable, and hadn't bothered applying any makeup; unsurprisingly, she was casually twirling her battlestaff, as if trying to make it look like an ornamental cane. "You're lucky I probably shouldn't hit you while wearing this thing. How the hell do they go around all day like this? My tail is killing me right now."

"Somehow, I don't think the girls around here need to worry about that," Rand told her. "Just relax. It's only for a few hours."

"Relax?" She made a rude noise. "With everything that's riding on this? Not likely. The chances of this going off without a hitch are about the same as a sudden rain of ale. I'm going to be keeping my eye on that fake the whole time." She made a face. "After all, it's not like _we're_ going to have anything to eat."

"We should be fine, actually," Nina said as she emerged from her own room. Her gown and gloves were a deep purple-black, to match her wings, and she wore it far more naturally than Katt; to her, it was probably just another dress. She wore more jewelry as well, silver with sapphires, but not enough to be gaudy. "Jean's considerate that way. He promised he'll make sure to prepare some cuisine more suited to our tastes."

"Good for Jean." Ryu smiled for only a moment. "At least we won't be going hungry when trouble breaks out." He made a face. "Speaking of trouble, let's not get too comfortable. We should probably ship out as fast as possible, once we'redone. I don't think we're going to want to be here when that delegation from Evrai arrives and finds out there aren't going to be any negotiations after all."

"Ah, noooooooo." Katt winced.

"That's not going to be pretty, boss," Sten warned him. "The Church of St. Eva won't take this kind of 'mistake' lightly. What gets me is why the fraud _wants_ them in here. I'd think they were the last people a demon would want hanging around."

"That's _why_ he's doing it," Nina explained, glancing at Ryu, who nodded. "Who would ever accuse the man who converted the people of Sima to the Church of St. Eva of being a demon? It would be laughable. He'd have the perfect cover to continue his nefarious deeds."

"Exactly," Ryu grunted. "And it almost worked, too. If we'd come along after he'd concluded the deal, he'd have been invincible at court. This entire thing was _way_ too close, which means this guy is _good_. He makes Augus and Joker look like amateurs."

"Well, if he's one of their top men, that only makes sense," Rand pointed out, looking grim. "I get what you're saying, though. We can't let this guy get away. No matter what happens tonight, we gotta take him down."

"Shame adding a little extra flavor to his dinner would probably be a bad idea," Sten said lightly.

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't work." Ryu shook his head. "We'll just have to take things as they come and try to keep up." He glanced at the door. "So, you said we'd have some guide coming by soon?"

"Ah, hello?" A Siman-accented voice asked from a door down the hall before pushing it open. A middle-aged courtier with a ridiculously long and curly false mustache walked in and bowed deeply to them. "My name is Salvatore, the artist, and I will be your guide tonight, as the request of the _true_ prince of Simafort." Looking them over, he frowned thoughtfully. "Ah, the weaponry... it does not really match your dress, no?"

"_My_ dress?" Rand muttered.

"We're aware," Ryu replied, ignoring that. "Unfortunately, it's kind of necessary. If that imposter decides he doesn't like the way the competition is going and tries settling the problem in a more... let's say, _direct_ way... we probably can't count on the guard to take sides, which means it'll come down to us to handle the matter."

"Of course!" Salvatore brightened up. "How foolish of me not to think of that! You are specialists in such matters, of course? Artists of assault, professionals of punishment, experts of extermination!"

All five of them exchanged a glance.

"Yeah, something like that," Sten said eventually.

"I kind of like the sound of 'experts of extermination', actually," Katt commented with a small smile. "Even if I don't know what 'extermination' means."

"Well, then!" Salvatore reached into a nearby cabinet, produced a bottle and six wineglasses, and filled them with surprising speed. "A toast, to the return of the true prince of Simafort, and the humiliating fall of the imposter!"

"Think we can all drink to that," Ryu said, and the others nodded, everybody taking a glass and raising it.

"Unfortunately, as foreign guests without rank or title, our seats will not be the best," Salvatore explained as they turned and began making their way through the palace towards the dining hall. "On the plus side, however, I have examined the seating chart, and we will not be sharing our table with any supporters of the imposter."

"I was going to ask about that," Ryu murmured. "Glad to hear it. Will we have a clear view of the royal family's table, at least? I take it that's where the judging for the cooking competition is going to take place."

"Yes, and yes." Salvatore nodded. "There will be three judges. Princess Petape, King Potopo, and the head chef, Syusyu. Unfortunately, Syusyu _is_ bought and paid for by the imposter, so his vote will be against us."

"And Petape's will balance that out," Katt muttered. "So it's really going to come down to the King. Can't say that thought fills me with confidence."

"I dunno." Rand shrugged. "He's so senile he might just go with what tastes best without actually putting any thought into it. If that's the case, we win."

"Let's hope we get that lucky, then," Ryu grumbled. "I just wish we knew _what_ he's going to try. We know it'll be something, but what..." He shook his head.

"Sometimes we don't get that lucky, boss," Sten reminded him. "Way it goes. We'll just have to try and be prepared for anything."

"And behave," Nina added, frowning slightly. "I hope I don't have to tell anybody this, but tavern manners aren't going to cut it here."

"Might need a little help there," Katt told her, wincing. "I think I can manage what _not_ to do, but there's going to be like... fifteen different forks or whatever, right?"

"It won't be quite _that_ bad," Sten promised. "Me, Nina and Salvatore should be able to keep you guys from embarrassing yourselves _too_ badly."

"Gee, thanks."

"No charge."

"Here we go," Ryu said as they approached the double doors. "No turning back now." A pair of liveried servants opened them with deep bows, and they walked into a hall almost as huge as the throne room. Dozens of tables were spaced evenly around the room, and Siman courtiers drifted around towards their seats, chattering idly. The King was present at the head of the largest table, snoring, and Petape was there as well, on his right. Catching their eyes, she smiled reassuringly, prompting a scowl from the Creeper Clansman seated across from her, an elderly green-scaled man in white and gold finery with small eyes and a narrow snout.

"Take it that guy's the head chef?" Ryu asked Salvatore.

"Correct." Salvatore nodded. "Normally such a seating would be an insult to the nobility, but as judge for the cooking competition, an exception is clearly understandable."

"Right," Katt replied after a moment, eyes blank. "So where are we sitting?"

"Right here." Salvatore indicated a table with eight seats, two of which were already filled. The lady looked like your typical spoiled young noble at first glance, but there was something deeper in her eyes that didn't match her bored expression. The man seated next to her was dressed in a uniform, implying position among the guard, and looked much more nervous; something about his pale, thin appearance seemed to speak of recent hardship.

"You're the real Prince's friends, then?" He asked, glancing among them quickly. "It's good to meet you." The woman nodded slightly.

"Fiolina is one of the artistic community's most popular models," Salvatore explained. "She's stood for both myself and the true Prince numerous times. And Tata here, a promising young man in the palace guard."

"Not so promising if the imposter continues to reign," Fiolina muttered darkly, glancing away. "Perhaps we shall have to run away together, after all."

"Trouble?" Ryu asked cautiously, thinking back; he was pretty sure Tata had been one of the guardsmen they'd overheard discussing the imposter when they'd first arrived, out on the dock. "Nothing personal, but I thought the guardsmen were mostly supporting the imposter."

"You would be correct," Tata admitted. "That is what our superior officers instruct us to do, and thus..." He shrugged. "However, I was supposed to keep you from the lower levels, and was unprepared to involve myself that directly. For my failure, the imposter had me... punished." He looked down.

"No need to say more," Sten advised him as they took their seats, Salvatore sitting next to Fiolina, followed by the Highlander. Next was Rand, then Katt, Ryu and Nina on the other side of Tata. "He plays it suave and calm, but whenever something goes wrong, he loses it, big time. Not a good sign for Simafort if he comes out on top of this."

"Indeed," Fiolina sighed theatrically. "What will become of our poor country?"

"We shall simply have to ensure that it doesn't, then," Nina murmured meaningfully. "One way or another."

"I _like_ one way or another," Katt added, examining the collection of silverware with some distaste. "Especially if it's 'another.'"

"Ah..." Tata looked slightly shocked, as did Salvatore. "Such words from such beautiful ladies. Other lands truly are different."

"We're not truly 'ladies,' in the traditional sense of the word," Nina explained. "Despite appearances, the two of us are both... professionals, just as much as the gentlemen accompanying us. We're accustomed to doing what's necessary, however unpleasant." She glanced at Ryu, who picked up on the cue.

"Remember that gang boss who thought Nina here would be an easy mark to kidnap?" He glanced around at Rand and Sten, who nodded despite not having been present. "There wasn't even enough of him left to bury."

"Really, now," Fiolina murmured, starting to look fascinated now despite her carefully cultivated pose of ennui. "What exactly led the two of you to take up such a career? It seems... interesting enough, at any rate."

"Maybe you should go first." Katt glanced at Nina. "My life story's a bit... well. Yeah." She coughed.

"Perhaps," she agreed. "I was a scholarship student at the Aurian Magic Guild for most of my childhood. I imagine that factored into it somewhat."

"A highly respectable establishment," Salvatore murmured. "Even here, on the other side of the world, we have heard of it."

The girls ended up dominating the conversation on their end, as the three Simans quickly became engrossed in their tales of life on the road. For their part, Ryu, Sten and Rand were content to let Katt and Nina take the lead there, only offering occasional commentary and details. This left them free to keep an eye on things, and Ryu noticed immediately when the waiters began bringing in carts bearing food. The last one in was being pushed by Jean, who appeared to be humming under his breath as he brought it over to the King's table.

"Hey, looks like it's starting," Ryu muttered, and everybody glanced over immediately, just as the Prince entered the room as well.

"Kuwadora, kuwadora!" He said loudly, walking over to stand on the opposite side of the table from Jean. "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's dinner will now commence, along with the end of this farce. The judges shall be my noble father, my sweet sister, and of course, our respected head chef. Each will dine on three courses from both of us, and announce their opinions once the meal has concluded."

"Ah?" The King stirred; in the sudden silence that had fallen over the dining hall, even his weak voice carried. "It's dinner time? Good! What are we having?"

"An excellent question!" The Prince whipped the cloth covering the cart a chef had brought over to him off dramatically. "For an appetizer, I have prepared a platter of delicious fried cockroaches, with fish sauce to taste. The main course shall be the finest worm pasta, in butter, with roasted garlic. And for dessert, of course, fly pudding."

"Ah, it sounds delicious!" Jean complimented him. "However, it cannot compare with my own cuisine." He took the cloth off of his own cart. "The appetizer shall be a delicate cockroach and green onion salad, with bleu cheese, followed up by worm in caramel sauce. And, of course, I will also be serving fly pudding for dessert! All dishes I learned from master Syusyu many years ago!" He bowed to the head chef.

"I'm sorry," the old chef replied diffidently. "I'm afraid I've never met you before in my life, actually."

"Do you expect me to praise your choice of dishes in return?" The Prince sneered. "You are a truly pitiful man. Had you simply left well enough alone, and not continued to insist that you were the Prince, your life would have been spared."

"_Non, non, non, non, non!_" Jean shook his head repeatedly, still smiling foolishly. "My title and position are nothing to me, but I could not force the burden of becoming Petape's older brother upon a stranger!"

"He can't be real," Rand muttered under his breath as a strange expression began to appear on Petape's face.

"You know something?" Sten commented just as quietly. "If a guy was just a _little_ smarter than he pretended to be, having a reputation for being a total and complete idiot would make it pretty easy to get people to underestimate you."

"Ah..." Syusyu coughed. "Your Majesty... would you say a few words?"

"Hm?" The King looked from one Prince to another, eyes distant. "Good luck to both of you, and may the true Prince of Simafort triumph."

"Huh?" Katt blinked. "Is it just me, or did he sound different just then?"

"Probably just a coincidence," Sten told her, then glanced at Ryu. "Might want to check how sentiment's going, boss."

"Right." Ryu agreed, casually fiddling with the Dragon's Tear and sweeping the room with it. Most of the courtiers were an orange-yellow mix, sprinkled with occasional red and green, which was about what he'd expected. The Head Chef was surprisingly a dull yellow; perhaps that wasn't as hopeless as it appeared. Petape, on the other hand, was a yellowish green, and the King a good-natured, muddy green, the same as Jean. Unsurprisingly, the Prince was completely black.

"Is that what that does?" Nina murmured. "I was wondering."  
"What what does?" Katt blinked.

"I'll explain later," Ryu told them, and meant it; despite the fact that Bow had been the only one he'd entrusted knowledge of the jewel's function to for most of his life until Sten had figured it out, everybody else in the company deserved to know. More than that; he _wanted_ to trust them with it. "The crowd's on the fence. It could go either way. Looks like the head chef's got more morals than we thought, though. He's not happy with what he's doing."

"Isn't _that_ interesting?" Sten murmured.

"Very well!" The Prince said loudly as he and Jean took their seats next to Petape and Syusyu. "Let the appetizers be served!"

"Compliments of the true Prince of Simafort," a servant murmured as he placed plates of mixed shrimp, cooked in several different ways, before the five of them. Salvatore, Fiolina and Tata received the same fried cockroach dish as the Prince was serving, along with everybody else present, Ryu noted idly.

"Not particularly subtle, is this guy?" Katt muttered, trying a shrimp. "And this is coming from _me_. Hey, not bad. Jean knows his stuff, all right."

"I would have preferred the true Prince's choice in appetizers, myself," Fiolina sighed. "A salad is so much better than these. I'll never lose the pounds."

"Try exercise," Katt advised her. "Nothing better at keeping you slim than a couple hundred crunches a day."

"I... see," Fiolina murmured weakly.

"Ah, the cockroaches have been deep fried in their own oils," Syusyu was saying loudly. "Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside... _magneficique!_" He glanced around the room, then continued. "This salad, however... a wild cockroach, rather than one farmed in our kitchens, yes? It must have been at least five years old, the best for deliciously tender meat! The combination, though... unthinkable! You should have used leeks, rather than green onions!"

"He's lying through his teeth," Salvatore commented disapprovingly. "Green onions have been preferred for centuries. Even I know that much."

"We'll take your word for it," Sten told him, carefully eating a cold shrimp with salsa. "Sorry, but that's just... not our thing."

"Pretty much," Ryu agreed, and the others nodded as well.

"Well, I prefer the salad!" Petape replied loudly. "Any amateur can fry cockroaches, but this is something only a true artist could cook! And I hate leeks!"

"Ah..." The head chef wilted, then glanced at the Prince, who was staring at him, before quickly turning to the King. "Your Majesty, if you would care to settle this matter?"

"Ah?" The King paused from his eating. "Oh, I never was one for salads much. I like cockroaches better when they're fried."

"Not good," Rand muttered as the dining room buzzed.

"Easy," Sten told him. "This is just the opening act. The real show's still on its way."

"Next, the main course!" The Prince announced, and the servants took their dishes, replacing them with more food. Again, most of the Simans had received the same dish that the imposter had "cooked." Fortunately, the five of them were given a serving of roast duck each, which bore no resemblance at all to the worm pasta.

"It's not bad," Tata said after trying it. "Not great, but not terrible."

"The cooks did all of it for him," Ryu reminded him. "Makes sense. We wouldn't know, of course."

"I'm probably gonna steer clear of pasta for a few months after this just to be on the safe side," Katt whispered to him, and he nodded slightly.

"Ah, this is excellent!" Syusyu was commenting loudly again. "The worms are delightfully chewy, and the harmony with the roasted garlic... simply marvelous! Of the perfect size, as well... mature earthworms are preferable for such a dish. This is, unfortunately, the issue with the other dish. A delicious combination in theory, but it's a bit bland... you see, worms get tough and lose their flavor if they grow too big. A shame, since the other ingredients are all good."

"Hmph!" Petape sniffed. "I might not be the chef my brother is, but I know how highly valued jumbo worm meat is. Why would it be so prized if it didn't taste good? And the worms in this pasta are overdone. I can't even tell them apart from the noodles!"

"I didn't want to say it," Rand muttered, glancing at the pasta dishes on the table. "But she's got a point."

"She has several," Salvatore said quietly. "This 'competition' is a farce, indeed, and the court is noticing."

"Hmmm..." The King murmured. "The caramel sauce is good. Can't say I'm much for garlic, though. I like this one better!"

"Sheesh," Sten muttered as the court buzzed excitedly again. "The old geezer-I mean, his Majesty-is really playing this down to the wire, isn't he?"

"It seems so," Nina murmured, watching the head table carefully.

"And now, the dessert!" The Prince proclaimed as the dishes were swapped out again. "Fly pudding from both! This will show the true difference in our talents, once and for all!"

"Oh, this is priceless!" Katt stifled a laugh suddenly. "He doesn't even know! He thinks Jean made a normal pudding just like him!"

"Well." Nina smiled coldly as they were given an assortment of berries in cream. "I'd say he's in for a surprise."

"Oh, what I wouldn't give for just one bite of that gold fly pudding," Fiolina said wistfully as she started on her own dessert, and the other two Creepers nodded.

"Is it that good?" Ryu asked politely, trying not to look at the tiny dish of maggots on the sides of their plates.

"Legendary." Salvatore sighed.

"Bluebottle flies, yes?" Syusyu was asking the Prince. "I am amazed that your Highness has used such delicacies for a competition with a man such as this! Even alone, it would be delicious, but with the maggot side dish... I can ask for nothing more!"

"Does he have to say the 'm' word?" Katt muttered.

"As for this serving..." Syusyu glanced at Jean's pudding disdainfully. "I suppose I should at least taste it, but I can tell already from a glance that... that..." He trailed off, eyes widening, and his hands began to tremble. Without another word, he took a small bite, and his entire body shook. "Oh, oh... this is..."

"Is what?" The Prince asked quietly, and the head chef froze.

"It is... ah..." He backed his chair away from the table suddenly. "Totally inadequate! You have failed to bring out the flavor of the fly completely! Such a waste... I need no more to tell that the true prince's cooking is superior in every way!"

"That's enough!" Petape shouted, slamming her fists onto the table. "The other two dishes _might_ be a matter of personal opinion... but the fly pudding is inarguable! You know as well as I do the taste of the legendary gold fly!" She paused to let the court react in shock before continuing. "As head chef, there is no way you, of all people, cannot recognize this! If you think there's any comparison to be made at all, let alone in favor of the imposter, you shame the court by flouting your bribe!"

"I, um..." Syusyu muttered, tugging at the collar of his doublet and glancing at the Prince, who was staring silently. "That is to say..."

"Silence!" Petape pointed at Jean, who was happily eating his own pudding. "The true Prince of Simafort sits here, and none of your lies can change that fact! His gold fly pudding is so wonderful, he could have won this competition by serving _sewage_ as the other two dishes if it wasn't for you! You, you..."

"That is quite enough, Petape!" The King said sharply, startling everybody, as he stood up. One of the puddings had been eaten completely; the other was untouched. "Behave yourself. We're done here. The winner is Prince Jean!"

"Which one?" Petape demanded in the shocked silence that followed.

"From where I stand..." The King paused a moment, then turned around theatrically as he continued. "The man on my left. And should there be any doubt, surely there are other judges who can be called in to settle the matter?"

"Other... judges?" Syusyu asked, blinking.

"Ah, of course!" The Prince slowly smiled, turning towards Ryu's table. "Our friends from outside the country. Surely, you will not make a mockery of these proceedings with anything less than honest impartiality. Come, come, a taste alone will do. The testimony of those who have never had Siman cooking before cannot be argued. In fact..." His smile widened. "You may even skip my cooking. Should you dine on my opponent's, and agree to its skill, I will concede."

"A generous offer, your highness," Ryu said, meeting his eyes as he stood up; everybody in the courtroom save the King was watching him now. "We have no choice but to accept."

"Excellent," the Prince murmured.

"Ah, wait!" Jean stood as well. "Come, come, this is not..."

"Quiet, brother!" Petape snapped, getting up and moving over to their table quickly as the other four stood as well. Once she reached them, her voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm so sorry, but please... if three of you each try a different dish, it's only one bite each..."

"Hell with it," Katt said sharply. "I'm still pretty hungry anyways, and I have to admit, that caramel stuff looked pretty good. I'll eat it!"

"You imported all the vegetables for the salad from Carmen, didn't you?" Rand said thoughtfully. "I can tell. It's my homeland. Been a long time since I've had some from there. I kind of miss them."

"Gold fly pudding?" Ryu shook his head. "Man, even back in _Auria_ they talk about that stuff. Like I'm going to pass this chance up!" The entire court watched in silence as the three of them approached the royal family's table.

Katt went first, carving a piece of meat off a plate on one cart and popping it into her mouth, then immediately going for more. Part of the way through, her expression of bravado faltered a little, but she pressed on valiantly all the same, swallowing her mouthful and taking the next one as well. This one took much longer, but eventually she got it down as well, then turned back to the crowd and grinned, giving Jean a thumbs-up, which he returned.

"My turn, then." Rand regarded the salad for a moment, then speared a huge forkful, the meat clearly visible in there. Eating it, he chewed slowly, face taking on a strange expression, but he eventually managed to finish. After a moment, he turned to Jean. "My compliments, but... just a little heavy on the dressing."

"I shall remember that for the next time," Jean replied gravely.

"All right, then." Ryu turned to the pudding, forcing himself to remain calm. It was just a pudding, after all, even if there were strange things in it, strange things he definitely wasn't going to think about. Coolly, carefully, he sliced off a piece of the pudding and popped it into his mouth, focusing on the taste; it was actually quite good, with a vague, undefinable citrus flavor to it. Despite his fears, there was nothing he could discern about the key ingredient at all.

"Ah, _monsieur _Ryu?" The Prince said suddenly, holding up a small bowl. "Don't forget the side dish."

The maggots inside were writhing.

Ryu lost all control. His will wasn't even part of the equation at all. Before he could even think about his reaction, he was falling to his knees, guts rising up in protest, the taste in his mouth suddenly turning foul, the texture disgustingly crunchy. Before the stunned eyes of the court, he leaned over and puked on the floor.

"Oh, no!" Katt yelled, staring for a moment before doing the same, holding her stomach as if trying to keep the food down by sheer force of will and failing. Rand followed suit as well, behind a decorative pillar.

Petape's shriek of horror could have shattered glass.

"Well, well, well," The Prince murmured triumphantly, voice carrying throughout the hall despite its low tone. "It seems that these judges have indeed settled the matter. One bite, and all three of them vomit, nearly in unison? I'd say that speaks more than enough about the quality of the imposter's cooking!" He leaned over Ryu, and spoke even more quietly, without his accent. "Didn't I tell you you didn't have a chance?"

"_Mon amis_..." Jean was staring at them as well, and his voice was weaker. "I am so sorry... what kind of friend am I, to do this to you?"

"A dead one," the Prince said coldly. "Guards! Take all six of them to the dungeons at once, and schedule appointments with the headsman immediately. They have flaunted the dignity of Simafort for long enough. Their time is up!"

"No..." Petape whispered, then screamed again. "No! I won't let our country be conquered like this! If it's all over, then we're as good as dead anyways!" She whirled on the Prince. "Here's something only the true Prince of Simafort would know, villain! This castle has a self-destruct switch hidden in the basement! If you want the castle so badly, then you can have it! Take it with you to Infinity, when I blow it sky high!" Before anybody could stop her, she dashed for the rear of the hall.

"_What?_" The Prince shouted without his accent, staring after her, before turning to Syusyu. "Is this true, worm?"

"Your highness..." The head chef stammered as panic began spreading through the dining hall. "It is, and yet..."

"Silence!" The Prince bellowed, veins standing out in his neck. "After all this effort I've put into gaining control of Sima, even calling upon that bastard Aruhameral to cloud the old fool's mind, you're telling me that little bitch is going to ruin everything that easily? I'll rip her head from her shoulders and stick it on a pike before I let that happen!" He turned to follow Petape, only for a guardsman to step out in front of him.

"Stand down, imposter!" The guardsman snarled. "Enough is enough! We will not allow you to harm the Princess!"

Without a word, the Prince drew his rapier, and tore the guardsman in half at the waist with a single swipe.

"What the _hell?_" Sten yelped. "How the hell do you do _that_ with a freakin' _rapier_?"

"Anybody else?" The Prince roared at the terrified Simans, then darted from the room after Petape, blade trailing blood.

"No!" Jean shouted after him, whipping his own rapier from his belt. "You will not harm my sister! _Monsieur_ Ryu, follow me!" Without waiting for them, he dashed through the same doorway.

"Ryu?" Nina asked, leaning down over him. "Are you all right?"

"I'll live," he grunted, standing up again. Katt and Rand were doing the same, both looking ill but fighting it, while Sten leaned against a pillar, watching and waiting. "Salvatore. Our gear?"

"Here!" The artist whipped a cloth off of a cart, revealing their armor.

"Thanks." Ryu began passing it out, the others lining up to take it without a word; none were necessary. Rand and Sten simply began putting their chain mail and helmets on over their clothing, as did Ryu once it was all handed out. Katt and Nina stepped behind some large potted plants, and there were sounds of fabric tearing and ripping before they came back around, clad in their altered robes and headgear. "Shame about ruining these threads, but we don't have time to change the right way. You, chef." He regarded Syusyu, who flinched. "Where are they going?"

"The bathroom behind this hall, to the left, holds a secret staircase," Syusyu explained, trembling. "The switch to reveal it is behind the toilet." He buried his head in his hands. "Please, forgive me... I have a wife, and children... grandchildren, soon... the things the imposter said he would do to them..."

"I think I know what you mean," Ryu said grimly, surveying the room; everybody had gone quiet again, and all eyes were on the five of them. Sometime during the debacle, the King had apparently vanished. "At least you have an excuse, unlike a lot of people here. I suggest you learn from this, all of you. Because you were playing silly games instead of doing your duty to your country, your princess' life is in the hands of a psychotic madman who came _this_ close to taking over this castle, and everything it represents. You know how people always say there's a point where they draw the line? They do that for a reason. Maybe you should have."

"This, coming from mercenaries?" A particularly drunk and stupid young courtier blustered. "You're just doing this because you're getting paid!"

"Are we?" Ryu glanced back at the other four, and they all shook their heads in unison. "I didn't think so. Maybe that's why we got into this mess in the first place, but this has gone beyond that now. It's not about money any more. Let's go, people. It's time we settled this."

Their pace was quick, but steady; though they walked rather than ran, they crossed the dining hall quickly. The courtiers and guards all melted out of their path as they walked forward, a wide range of emotions visible on their faces; anger, regret, awe, fear, hope, shame, despair, respect. As they passed by the slaughtered guardsman, Ryu took a moment to close his eyes before they walked out of the back of the hall, after the royal family.

The rest of the palace was deserted, save for more dismembered guards, a trail of them that led the same way as Syusyu's instructions. Following, they entered a bathroom, and Ryu quickly found the switch, which caused a wall to drop and reveal stairs leading down. A magical light provided by Nina lit their path as they descended further and further, into the depths of the castle, even deeper than the level where they'd gone bug hunting earlier that day.

A dark hallway awaited them at the bottom of the stairs, twisting and turning. Following it, they soon found Jean, slumped against a wall facing a closed iron door. He had several light rapier wounds, but the only truly dangerous one was a huge burn mark covering his chest; it looked strange, unlike normal fire scarring, and had torn through both his doublet and a chain mail vest he'd been wearing underneath. Despite his injuries, his rapier was still in his hand, and covered with much more blood than was on his body; yet more blood led to the door in a trail.

"The imposter..." He murmured weakly, trying to rise. "Fought him, but... some strange power... and his blood, as cold as ice... what _is_ he? Petape..." His eyes locked on Ryu's. "Please, _mon amis_..."

"Easy," Rand told him, casting a healing spell. "Just relax."

"You did good," Ryu agreed. "We'll take this from here." Turning, he kicked the door open and walked inside, the other four flanking him.

The first thing they saw was the imposter's arm, still holding the rapier, lying severed on the floor before the door, in a pool of blood. The trail led on, towards the back of the room, where strange lights were giving illumination; they seemed to be some kind of glass shapes, attached to incredibly advanced technology that covered the other three walls of the room, metal devices whose function defied comprehension. A square column stood in the center of the room, one side featuring a brightly glowing glass panel above rows of tiny metal squares with letters and numbers on them.

"Kuwadora, Kuwadora..." The imposter murmured, standing before the column and staring down at the fallen body of Petape, who lay unconscious but breathing on the floor. Despite the bleeding stump of his left arm, he seemed unconcerned, speaking entirely without any trace of his accent now. "Welcome to the heart of Simafort. What irony; I spend week after week searching for it in vain, and this little fool leads me to it in her final attempt to ruin my plans. Truly, God has a twisted sense of humor. I rather enjoy it, to be honest."

"Honesty?" Ryu scoffed. "From you? That's a good one." He kept his tone light, casual, almost sympathetic. "It's all gone to hell on you, hasn't it? After that outburst of yours, even the most corrupt courtier will never back you again. No matter which way you turn, the jig's up. Even if you could make it out of here alive, Simafort's lost to you."

"Not quite." The Prince turned towards them, smiling oddly. "You fail to grasp the power within this room. The silly girl only knew of the self-destruct function, but to one such as I, who recognizes this technology, and knows how to use it... from this room, all of Simafort is at my command. Such is the price of building your castle from the fallen ruins of one far greater... the flying fortress of Obelisk, airborne throne of the fallen Goddess Myria. Be honored that you now stand in a shattered fragment of its beauty and grandeur."

"Obelisk?" Nina repeated, eyes narrowing. "Lost technology... _this_ is why you came to Sima?"

"Of course not." The Prince laughed, and it was just as chillingly _wrong_ as it had been before. "As I said, I know this technology all too well. We have it ourselves, in the depths of Infinity. No, I came here for the simplest of reasons. To gain absolute dominion over all of Sima, in the name of he who is both King and God. A goal which still stands within my reach, despite all of these setbacks you've thrown in my path."

"I don't think so, buddy," Katt shot back, giving him a thumbs-down. "So you're a demon. Big whoop. We kicked Augus's ass, and Joker's too, and you know it. You'll just be number three."

"Augus and Joker were fools," he replied, eyes burning with a dreadful intensity as he regarded them. "Pawns and sacrifices, who traded their souls to me for far too little. The Words of Changing, and petty material gain. Bah! View me in the same light as them, and you will regret it, even more than you already shall."

"So you're a _real_ demon, then?" Rand asked skeptically. "What's the difference?"

"The difference, Farm Clansman, is that it has been more than two millennia since I forfeited my mortality," the Prince continued. "I have seen empires rise, and empires fall. I have watched heroes slay villains, and villains murder heroes. Before my eyes, war, plague, and famine have all performed on the great stage of death, before audiences of thousands, over and over and over again. I have seen the surface of the world itself shake and change and move a dozen, dozen times." He drew himself to his full height, and the blood dripping from his wound stopped abruptly. "I am Kuwadora, Demon Lord of Slaughter, and the lives of mortals are but a momentary amusement to me."

"We supposed to be impressed by that, chuck?" Sten raised an eyebrow, testing the point of one dagger on his fingertip. "Because we ain't. Sorry to disappoint you."

"On the contrary." Kuwadora's smile widened. "I would be highly disappointed if the children of prophecy were so easily cowed. We have awaited your coming ever since the death of Myria, and now, finally, the time has come for our rise." He fixed his gaze on Ryu. "I took great pains to avoid killing you, you know. Lord Barubary commanded it. He has plans for you all, oh, such plans, and I would have loved to see them realized myself."

"You too?" Ryu replied with forced weariness. "Augus dropped that name, too. Barubary or barbecue, I don't know what or who you're rambling about, and I don't care."

"You are a skilled liar, boy, but I know better," Kuwadora told him. "And _you_ know all too well of what, and whom, I speak. I bring you salutations from the voice in the dark you hear every time you sleep, and from the depths of Infinity that you shall all one day walk into on your last, final journey of your own free will... at least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, if the choice is between you and Sima... well, Barubary will simply have to come up with another plan. Your destiny would only accelerate the inevitable. With you or without you, God's time is at hand... but none of you will live to see it."

"So we're finally down to the good part, then?" Katt asked a little too quickly, glancing at Ryu once as he stood there, scowling, before turning her eyes back to Kuwadora. "About time. This was starting to get boring. Hope you're not afraid of dying, buddy boy, because it looks like after all those mille-whatever, today's the big day."

"Such unwarranted, ignorant optimism." Kuwadora's smile suddenly exploded into a grotesque expanse of sharp fangs twice as wide as the rest of his head, and from the stump of his arm, a new limb burst out. Rippling with gigantic muscle and purple scales, it ended in a massive, clawed fist with a bizarre patch of bright pink fur on the back and froglike webbing between the fingers. "I love it. By all means, keep it up as long as you can. It's been far, far too long since I had a chance to drown my rage in blood and carnage. Don't disappoint me by dying quickly. I'm going to enjoy this."

"Hooooooooo boy," Sten murmured as Kuwadora continued to transform into a terrifying hulk that dwarfed even Augus and Joker; by the time he finished expanding upward, he was almost as tall as the Terrapin's vertical height had reached. He was hunched over like some great ape, whose body structure he resembled, though the rest of his form was more akin to a terrifying predatory lizard, especially in the shape of the head.

A wild, bright pink mane bristled back from his head, covering his back almost like a cape, crowned by two backwards-sweeping horns as long as spears. Spikes protruded from his shoulders, and tusks from the mass of fangs that filled his maw. Five whiplike tails ending in bone rattles thrashed behind him in a restless mess, as he stared them down with huge, round, glowing red eyes like windows into eternal flames.

He was roughly the size of a wagon, and even a blind man on the moon would have been able to tell that he was very, very angry.

"Oh, this is gonna suck," Katt muttered, echoing Ryu's thoughts.

Kuwadora's response was non-verbal, but his jaws opened wide regardless, and a glow of bright light appeared between them before forming into a blast of energy that flew out towards the group. They scattered, some of them more gracefully than others, and the magic scored a deep trench in the floor before sputtering out.

"Right!" Ryu yelled, calling up the now-familiar power inside him and directing it to take shape, to rise in flames. "I'd better slow him down right off!" Taking the form of the flame whelp, he belched fire over Kuwadora, who simply sat back and took the blast head-on, unconcerned. His energy spent, he reverted to his humanoid form and fell to one knee, then stared up in disbelief as the demon lord advanced, the flames covering his body flickering and fading.

"I'm sorry," Kuwadora said sardonically. "Was that supposed to slow me down?" One tree-trunk arm was raised, and then it came down, crushing Ryu to the floor as the wicked claws stabbed into his back, piercing chain mail and snapping ribs. As Jean had said, there was no trace of body heat in him at all; he was as cold to the touch as a frozen corpse.

"Ryu!" Katt yelled, coming in from overhead with her staff swinging, only for Kuwadora to casually backhand her into a wall.

"Not good enough!" He roared, turning to the others. Nina's magic called up a blade of vacuum that clashed on his scales, only drawing a faint trace of blood, and the demon lord replied with another energy blast, blowing her into a wall. Turning as Sten came in low, knives flashing, he kicked him into the air like a ball, spun, and slapped him bodily into Rand as the big man prepared to cast a spell of his own, then followed it up with a blast. Leaning back on his knuckles, Kuwadora grinned. "Come on, get back up. This isn't nearly enough. I know you can do better! I want you to _break _before I kill you!"

"Break _this_," Ryu growled, rising suddenly and plunging his sword into the back of Kuwadora's hand. It was like his scales were steel mail themselves; it took all of his strength to pierce them.

"Gladly." Kuwadora looked down at the sword and the blood for a moment, then snapped at Ryu, bear-trap jaws latching onto his shoulder. Shaking him like a dog, he threw him away into a wall, and Ryu felt more bones breaking, both from the bite and with his landing. Through a red haze of pain, he looked up and saw the demon lord doing as he'd said; with a snap, he broke Ryu's sword off at the hilt and contemptuously threw the two halves across the floor to him.

"Get up!" Kuwadora growled, advancing towards them, his footsteps like thunderclaps. "This _this_ is all that the children of destiny can do? Laughable! Come, show me your _true_ strength! Fight back! Bleed and scream and curse me as you die!" He opened his mouth to cast another energy bolt, but as it glowed, a knife flew threw the air and down his throat, and he closed his jaws with an involuntary gasp, gagging.

"You talk too much," Sten told him, still sprawled on the floor; he'd thrown the blade without even looking. "Rand, the boss is hurt worst, Katt after him, then Nina. We both got off light."

"Then why do I still feel like I've been run over by a cart?" Rand grumbled as he cast healing magic over them.

"Thanks," Katt muttered, using her staff to lever herself back to her feet as the magic took effect. "All right, now I'm going to-"

"To do what, exactly?" Kuwadora asked, hacking before spitting the knife back out onto the floor, twisted and useless. "I hope you didn't think _that_ would kill me. Not bad, not bad at all, but you'll still have to do much better if you want to stand even a ghost of a chance!"

"Perhaps this will suit you more, then," Nina said coldly, rising back into the air. Raising a hand, she called down six huge lances of lightning, plunging straight down out of the ceiling as if they'd been thrown, straight into Kuwadora's back. That finally drew a reaction from the demon lord; he reared back, howling in pain.

Katt took advantage of the opening to dart forward, faster than ever, and drive the bladed butt of her staff into the wound on his hand. Before he could react, she swept it up towards him while it was still lodged in the hand, ripping the wound back into his wrist, then darted back away from the swipe of his other hand.

"When'd you learn _that_ spell?" Ryu asked Nina as he got back up, his bones knitting as Rand poured more healing magic onto him. "You sure didn't know that one when we first met you."

"I've been studying when I get the chance." She flashed him a quick smile. "I'll need to pull my weight if I'm going to do this professionally, after all."

"Good, good!" Kuwadora growled, unconcerned by his bleeding hand. "That's more like it! It's about time we all got going! Enough of the warm-up, then!" He opened his jaws again, and this time the blast built up longer, the first shape shifting into a ring around a second before both launched out, slamming into Rand's chest and hurling him into the wall behind him hard enough to shake the room. Closing his jaws again, Kuwadora grinned. "Wheeeeeeeeeeee."

"Shit," Sten muttered, tossing a knife to Ryu. "Here, boss, but don't lose it-I've only got two more. Figures he was taking it _easy_ on us before."

"I know, right?" Ryu scowled, mind racing. A plan was beginning to take shape, but it wouldn't work unless Kuwadora was softened up some more first. "Katt, let's take him again, together! Sten, Nina, nail him when he comes after us!"

"Trying to predict my actions now?" Kuwadora laughed. "Futile!" As Ryu and Katt approached, he reared back, spread his hands, and brought both arms around on them in a crushing double slap. Before he could grasp them, however, Katt brought her staff up horizontally, so that his hands came together on either end. The demon lord's strength crushed the wooden weapon a moment later, its entire length exploding into wooden fragments, but by then Ryu had made it forward to slash at Kuwadora's chest; his mane made going for the neck unlikely to succeed.

"Good work!" He said, then groaned as Kuwadora lunged for him with his jaws again. Before he could bite, Katt darted under Ryu's arm, flipped onto her hands, and came off the floor with a rising, double-footed kick that slammed Kuwadora's jaw up into his snout. Taking advantage of the opportunity provided, Ryu slashed at him again, making the chest wound x-shaped. Eyes blazing, the demon lord growled and viciously headbutted them both like a battering ram, slamming them away across the floor before opening his maw once more.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nina shouted, summoning chunks of ice and hurling them down the demon lord's throat.

"Hack!" He coughed and stepped back, shaking his head, then smiled wider. "That may have worked on Joker, little girl, but as I said... he was _nothing!_" Casually swiping Sten out of the air as the Highlander leapt for his back, he fired another double-blast at Nina, and she fell to the ground, unmoving. "_Wheeeeeeeeeeee_! Now we're having fun! Care for some more, Highlander?" With a flick of one finger, he snapped one of Sten's knives off its hilt.

"Gotcha," Sten grunted in response, and Kuwadora blinked, then turned, too late. He'd been looking towards the right side of the room, and Rand had been on the left. While the others had distracted him, the big man had ran up, and now his huge hands grasped Kuwadora by one elbow and knee. Roaring, his titanic muscles straining, Rand lifted the demon lord off of the ground and hurled him across the room onto his back.

"Get Nina back up!" Ryu told him as he ran past, towards Kuwadora. "Then Katt, after her!" As Kuwadora rolled over, he plunged Sten's knife into the demon lord's unwounded wrist, only for him to flip back to his feet and kick Ryu into the air. Growling, Kuwadora swept his fist up as Ryu descended, smacking him upward once more, then hit him again and again, each deathly-cold hit breaking bones. Only when more spears of lightning blasted down did he stop, allowing Katt to catch Ryu as he fell. As darkness filled his eyes, he could only think about how nice it actually felt in her arms, and how ordinarily, he would have enjoyed it.

Before he could hear the voice in his dreams, or anything else, however, his eyes snapped open as white magic rushed through his body. He immediately noticed that his wounds hadn't healed much; despite the pain, he sat up on the floor from where Katt had apparently set him down. She and Rand were both closing in with Kuwadora at the moment; Sten was lying flat on the floor under the demon lord's head, and Nina hanging back, muttering as she waved her right hand frantically, which was smoking.

"Something wrong?" Ryu asked her, standing up and clutching his chest; by the feel of it, several _more_ ribs had been fractured again.

"Aside from the obvious?" She laughed, short and unamused, as Kuwadora smashed Katt into the ground. "He destroyed my focusing ring. I wasn't going to be using it here, but it's still irritating."

"Seems to be a thing of his," Ryu growled, watching Kuwadora close his gigantic hands around Rand's fists, crushing them. The Farm clansman howled in pain, blood spurting from his knuckles, but despite that, he still healed Katt even as he struggled to break free. Rising from his feigned unconsciousness, Sten ripped the lesser of the wounded wrists open back to the hand, and it released Rand's hand involuntarily. Watching them, Ryu felt a sense of pride in their work entirely at odds with how the fight was going, as Katt struggled back to her feet. "I need some more of that wise fruit."

"Do you have a plan?" Nina asked, casting more ice shots onto the demon's other hand, freeing Rand from that one as well.

"Sort of," Ryu admitted as Katt punched Kuwadora in the face and he stumbled back a step. "It's the best we're going to get."

"That'll have to do, then," she said, tossing him a dried berry. "I've been taking these to replenish my magic stores already, and so has Rand. We're almost out, and everybody's wearing down, but _he_ isn't. If we don't do _something_, we're dead."

"Enough is enough!" Kuwadora roared, as if to prove her point, and knocked the three of them back with a spinning of limbs before opening his maw again. This time, his entire body vibrated strangely as the energy built, and as it flew out, it divided into _five_ blasts that flew towards all of the group. It burned into Ryu's chest like a flaming rock the size of his head had been hurled into it, and he fell back, gasping and clutching the wound. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Sten and Katt had managed to dodge theirs, but Rand and Nina hadn't been so lucky; the black mage had been grazed, and she was still conscious, though only barely.

"That does it!" Ryu yelled, running towards Kuwadora. "All right, people, one chance left! Coordinated assaults! Team strikes! Once I knock him down, keep him that way! Don't let up even for a moment! If he gets anything more off, we're done for, so don't let him! Give it everything you've got!" As he drew near, he reached within himself for the power of the dragon once more, channeling his anger into cold, frozen fury.

"As if you could!" Kuwadora sneered, round red eyes gleaming. "Give me your best shot, then-what?" He blinked as Ryu transformed, and the ice whelp roared its wrath, ice magic coating the demon's body, seeping into his bleeding wounds. Despite his obvious fury, Kuwadora hesitated as Ryu transformed back, stumbling with exhaustion but remaining standing through sheer willpower alone. "Damn you!"

"_Monsieur _Ryu!" A voice called from the back of the room. "Catch, _mon ami!_" Looking over his shoulder, Ryu threw Sten's knife back to him and caught Jean's rapier out of the air as it soared past him.

"Go!" Ryu bellowed, and the others moved into action. Before Kuwadora could attack, Katt and Sten had launched themselves into the air, both coming down in dropkicks aimed at his shoulder joints past the spikes, driving his upper body and head down into the ground. As they leaped back, Nina and Rand raised their hands, the weaker lightning whip from the Farm Clansman weaving in between Nina's falling lances, filling the Demon Lord's body with enough electricity to illuminate his skin, showing his skeleton within.

Running forward despite his screaming exhaustion, Ryu joined Katt, and they moved in together. Ryu swept one arm out from under Kuwadora with a swipe at the heavily wounded wrist before Katt flipped back, kicking the limb further upward and ruining his balance. Sten and Nina both saw, and combined air blades with air bomb, ripping the hand off entirely. As the demon lord roared his fury, Ryu realized that it was the same limb Jean had taken off, and felt a sudden surge of hope.

Rushing forward again behind Rand, he ran up the big Farmlander's back and launched himself into the air, then brought his borrowed rapier down onto the demon's head. Though Kuwadora pulled his skull back at the last moment, he still drove it through his snout, and the roof of his mouth, even as Rand laid a mighty uppercut on his jaw, slamming it up further onto the blade. Releasing it, Ryu stepped back as Katt fell from above like the wrath of St. Eva, legs kicking straight down at a frenzied pace along with the ice shots Nina sent to pummel the demon lord around her.

A strange but deadly sight followed next; Rand had grabbed Sten and curled up, shell on his back transforming him into a living cannonball, before launching himself bodily at Kuwadora. Unable to dodge, the demon lord could only stare as Rand rammed into him headlong, and continued over him as he knocked him onto his back. Soaring past, the big man threw Sten down, and the Highlander slammed into Kuwadora's stomach, knives flashing out with deadly intent.

Catching Nina's eye, Ryu grabbed the hilt from his broken sword and ran at Kuwadora, holding it aloft. As he closed in, Nina set a fireball onto the broken blade, heating the metal until it began to melt, before Ryu rammed it into the x-shaped wound in the demon lord's chest with all his might. Grabbing the hilt of Jean's rapier in passing, he pulled it back out as he stepped away, out of Katt's path. Rand had moved back in from the other side, and together the two of them reared back before rattling Kuwadora's skull with a punch from either side, both Farm Clansman and Woren girl putting their entire bodies into the blows.

Sten had made a u-turn after darting away from Kuwadora's legs, and now he and Ryu moved in together once more, both seeing Kuwadora's jaws gaping again. The Highlander threw one knife towards the back of the enemy's throat, even as he and Ryu both swiped at the underside of the demon lord's jaw, but his aim was off, and the thrown dagger sunk into the roof of his mouth instead. Snarling but undeterred, Kuwadora released the wide-spray energy blast even as their blades swiped past, and everybody flew back.

They all fell but Ryu, who somehow managed to stay on his feet and meet Kuwadora's eyes as he loomed over him.

"So close," Kuwadora hissed, obviously in hideous pain. "And so it ends. Farewell, child of... oh, you _must_ be kidding me!" Disgust flickered in his eyes. "Just what do you think _you're_ going to do with-"

Before he could finish the sentence, bomb of air and blade of wind took his other hand off like they had the first, and he screamed, rearing back. Rand and Katt lunged forward, both looking like walking corpses, but still managing to grab a maimed arm each and hold it further back, baring his chest to Ryu and the man behind him. The man who he somehow knew, without even looking, had found the false Prince's rapier.

He didn't think. He simply acted on instinct, running forward, Jean at his side. They both struck at the x-shaped wound on the demon lord's chest together, rapiers flashing out with such force that both snapped off, as the two man ran past in different directions. As they stopped behind Kuwadora, the room was absolutely motionless for just one second, a moment frozen in time.

And then Rand and Katt released him, as Kuwadora's entire body exploded into jet-black flames.

"How?" The demon lord roared as he burned. "I am Kuwadora! Even with the power granted me by our God, I still fall to your hand, before you even come into a fragment of your destiny?" Whirling around, he charged towards the column in the center of the room. "If I must perish this day, than so shall you all! I will not fail my god! Sima _will_ fall!"

"Somebody stop him!" Ryu tried to turn, but paused as Jean grasped his shoulder.

"_Non, non, non_, it is all fine," he assured him. "All is well. Can you not see that we have triumphed?"

"But the self-destruct..." Katt groaned as Kuwadora dragged the burning stump of one arm across the tiny squares of letters and numbers in some sort of pattern, and the room began to shake.

"Hahahaha!" Kuwadora gloated, turning back to them. "Nothing can stop us now! Sima is doomed, as is all of the world! God's time is at hand!" He looked as if he was going to say something more, but then he fell forward with a sigh and spoke no more, collapsing into a heap of burning bones and scattered ashes.

"Damn!" Sten hissed. "Isn't there any way to cancel it?"

"There is no need, _mon amis_," Jean explained, as the back wall of the room slid up, revealing a pedestal with an ancient sword lying atop it. "I do not understand it myself, but our ancestors set up this device so that in order to access Sima's greatest treasure, one would have to activate the self-destruct function. In truth, there is no self-destruct at all. That is simply a story the royal family tells, to keep thieves from stealing the sword. In fact, one such girl did so only recently. She made it all the way to this room before being captured."

"You don't say," Ryu murmured weakly from the floor. "Then why'd Petape come down here? Didn't she know, or..." He trailed off.

"Ah..." Jean shuffled his feet awkwardly. "My dear sister is so serious, she always believed it, and... well, father always seemed to think it funny, as did I..."

"I _really_ need a freaking drink," Rand said loudly. "And a medic. Maybe five medics. And five drinks."

"Yes, I don't think any of us are going to be able to move any time soon except you, Jean," Nina told him. "Could you get somebody down here?"

"Ha!" Sten held up his last knife triumphantly. "I win! I've still got one weapon left that that jerk didn't wreck!" A moment later, the blade snapped off. "Hey! What the hell!"

"Sister?" Jean had walked over to Petape, and was prodding her with one foot. "Dear sister, you are not dead, are you?" His eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, my poor sister! I will sing a song in your memory! _Aaaaah, my strong and adorable sister-_"

"All right, that's enough!" Petape sat up quickly, shaking her head groggily. "Even if I was dead, your singing could bring me out of a grave!" She blinked. "Wait, what happened? Where's the imposter?"

Raising a hand, Ryu gravely pointed at the humongous, blackened skeleton.

"_That_ was the imposter?" Petape stared at it. "You've got to be kidding me! I think we would have noticed if he looked like _that!_"

"It's a long story, and we're all kind of lying here bleeding," Katt told her shortly. "Some of us are bleeding a lot, actually. If you don't mind getting some people down here?"

"Oh, my!" Petape put a hand to her mouth. "Come on, Jean! We need to get some help for them! Don't just stand there, move! Oh, never mind, I'll do it myself!" She ran out of the room, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Help! Medics! Doctors! Healers! Anybody, get down here! _Now!_"

As he sat down on the floor, Jean gave Ryu a sly wink, and the warrior silently reflected that it really wasn't hard at all to be smarter than the prince usually acted.

Doctors came, both professional white mages and those who were skilled in the more mundane healing arts, although nobody was still conscious by the time they arrived. When they woke up the next day, however, only minor aches and pains remained, and the doctors assured them those would only last a few weeks at most. Amazingly, none of them connected the skeleton with the false prince, or at least if they did, they kept their mouths shut. Word spread that Ryu and his group had handled the matter permanently, regardless, and when they left their rooms the entire castle treated them with the utmost respect, and in some cases awe.

Several days after Kuwadora's death, they met with the royal family, in a private audience. Alone with the three of them in the throne room, they related the tale of their adventures, explaining how they'd come together, why they'd come so far searching for the thief, and their previous encounters with demons. The only things they left out was any mention of Ryu's Dragon Clan heritage, and any mention of the "destiny bullshit," both for obvious reasons. If Jean had seen and heard of either during the fight with Kuwadora, he chose to remain silent on the matter.

"I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't seen that skeleton myself," Petape murmured once they were done. "We owe you all an even greater debt than I thought. Don't you agree, father?" She glanced at the King, who didn't respond. "Father?"

"Eh?" The King stirred, then glanced at her. "Ah, yes. Ryu, I am-"

"Father, Ryu is over there!" Petape pointed at him.

"Oh, forgive me," the old man murmured, turning to Jean. "My eyesight has grown worse lately... well, never mind that. Ryu, I am grateful to you and your friends for all that you have done for Sima. Name your reward, and it is yours."

"Father, that's Jean!" Petape snapped as her brother whistled, looking upward. "This is... rrrr." Making an effort to control herself, she turned to Ryu herself. "Ryu... thank you, on behalf of all of Sima. You've done so much for us. I agree with my father; ask for anything."

"We'd appreciate the services of your armory, if that's all right," Ryu explained, speaking for them all. "We're down a lot of weaponry and armor after that fight, and Simafort's smiths are known for their skill. That aside, the deal we made originally with your highness will be fine. Payment, and custody of that thief, so we can take her back to Auria and clear our friend's name."

"5,000 zenny?" Petape blinked. "That's all? You've earned twice that, at least! Ten times that!"

"My friends are humble as well as brave!" Jean cried, apparently not noticing the way Sten's eye had twitched. "Will you be leaving so soon, then? Can you not stay for more celebration?"

"I wish we could," Ryu said, and meant it; he'd actually started to like wine. "But we've kept Bow waiting long enough. That reminds me; if you have any mages who could Warp us back home?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think any of ours have ever been to Auria, but I know some have traveled to Coursair before," Petape explained. "Would that do?"

"As long as we get out fast," Rand muttered. "We're still probably 'wanted for questioning.'"

"My friends are so loyal," Jean murmured quietly, looking strange. For the first time since they'd met him, he seemed as if he was hesitating. "Well then, it seems it is time... you see, _I_ have something I must request of _you_ as well, _mon amis_."

"Jean?" Petape asked, blinking.

"Hush, Petape," the King told her. "I thought this might happen. It will be good for him."

"_Monsieur_ Ryu..." Jean continued awkwardly. "Thanks to you, my kingdom is saved, my enemy slain, and best of all..." He glanced at Petape and smiled. "It seems my dear sister is growing up, faster than I thought. But ah, is that not always the way? I no longer have to fear for her, nor for Sima, with her guiding my father. Which is why... that is to say, I would... perhaps, if you don't mind..."

All five of them shared a glance, then a smirk.

"Come on, Jean," Katt said finally, interrupting him. "You're embarrassing yourself. Of _course_ you're hired, as long as you're ready to go tomorrow with the rest of us."

"He's... what?" Petape blinked. "_Jean_?"

"Then it is settled!" Jean recovered quickly. "As a token of my appreciation, I will accompany you! Long have I dreamed of comrades who would join me on my adventures! You may rejoice!"

"You're going off on _another_ reckless adventure?" Petape started to yell. "The problem with you is..." She trailed off, conscious of everybody watching her. "No... this isn't right. I'm not going to nag you any more. I was always screaming because I wanted you to grow up, and be more responsible... but maybe I was the one who was being childish. Seeing that fake... that's not the kind of brother I want. You're perfect the way you are. Happy and carefree." She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Petape..." Jean murmured.

"And all of you." She turned towards Ryu and his friends. "I should apologize to you as well. I thought I had to be strong, and forceful, and responsible enough for both of us... and I ended up just turning into a rude, pushy girl. Now that I know my brother is fine just the way he is, though... I feel so much calmer already. I'll change, somehow. I promise."

"Speaking as one princess to another, I think you're making a good start already," Nina told her.

"Indeed, _mademoiselle _Nina," Jean agreed. "That's why I feel safe in going out on another adventure. I know that Sima will be in good hands!"

"And by that, you mean that you're just going to leave all the responsibility to me, and go off on your merry way, right?" Petape asked dryly. "You've always been such a smooth talker."

"Uh-oh." Jean raised his hands. "Are you going to get angry again, sister? Please try not to..." He paused, then lowered his hands again. "Actually... you're not, are you? That's very good."  
"You're both growing up, my children," the King murmured. "And I'm only growing old. Nobody even noticed when the imposter's magic scrambled my wits... as if I could mistake an imposter for my own son!" He winked at Ryu. "Isn't that right, Jean?"

"Of course, father," Jean murmured, exchanging a glance with Petape. "That's exactly what happened."

"Exactly!" The King nodded sharply. "I'd appreciate it if you told everybody that. It was the imposter's magic, that's all. I'm not senile yet, not by a long shot! Definitely not!"  
"We'll make sure everybody knows, your majesty," Ryu promised, inwardly reflecting that perhaps Jean's eventual ascension to the throne would go much smoother than Petape had worried about, if he took after his father. "We'll try and send messages here if we find out anything more on this demon problem. I'd like to think this is the end of it, but it's too early to be sure."

"And we'll send word to the Ranger's Guild in Auria if we find anything more ourselves," Petape promised.

"We'd appreciate that." Ryu nodded, then glanced back at the others. "Well then, shall we stop by the armory?"

"One more person we have to see today first, remember, boss?" Sten reminded him.

"Oh, yeah." Ryu snapped his fingers, smiling. "We should probably go see how cooperative she's feeling. By your leave, your majesty, your highness?"

"Of course," Petape replied as the King began to snore again. "Tell the smiths that the throne will cover the costs; if you won't accept more zenny, that's the least we can do. I'll have that for you at dinner tonight, as well. We'll see you there, right?" She winked. "No bugs for you, I promise."

"Sounds like a plan." Ryu forced a chuckle. "Until then, then. Coming, Jean?"

"Of course, _mon ami_!" Jean practically leaped off of his throne. "To the kitchens!" Leaving the hall, they proceeded downstairs. Passing the cooks, who were all just as respectful as everybody else in the castle, they returned to the cockroach pit, and stood around it. The thief was still there, huddled in a corner with her face in her hands, shaking.

"Hi there again," Ryu called down. "How're you feeling?"

"Bleah!" She called back up.

"Now that's just rude," Katt commented. "And here we were going to offer you the chance to take a little trip tomorrow. But if you'd rather stay down there..."

"No, wait!" The thief leaped to her feet and stared up at them. "I'll do anything, just help me! I can't stand these cockroaches any more! Yuck!"  
"Will you be a good girl and let us take you back to Auria in peace?" Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, sure!" She agreed eagerly. "I don't even care if you take me back to Trout's, just get me out of here!"

"Very well, miss..." Nina started to say, then paused. "You know, I don't think we ever got your name, did we?"

"Patty," the thief told them. "Patty Smith."

"First thing tomorrow, then, Patty," Sten said as they all started to walk away. "See you then!"

"Wait!" She howled after them. "No, don't leave me here!"

"You are more fortunate than me, _mademoiselle_!" Jean called back to her. "I was being kept in the cells, you see. At least you have snacks, yes?"

"Think we can trust her word?" Rand asked over the sounds of Patty's retching.

"No chance in hell." Ryu shook his head. "I'm thinking chains, and lots of them, all the way back. Double shifts on watch at night, too. One guy watching for monsters, the other keeping their eye on her. We've got enough people now for it."

"Sounds like a plan." Katt grinned. "Man, I can hardly believe we finally did it after all this time. Wait until we get back to Bow!"

"You know, if Petape really is offering us the run of the armory, perhaps we should bring him some more presents as well," Nina suggested.

"Good thing I know his sizes." Ryu nodded. "All right then, let's go see what they've got."

The armory, as it turned out, more than met expectations. In addition to new helmets, the armorers offered suits of both plate and chain mail; after some deliberation, Ryu and Jean went with the former, while Rand and Katt took the latter, Nina demurring for obvious reasons. The weapons department was covered as well; to Katt's delight, they had a bronze battlestaff for her, along with a new magic focusing ring for Nina, cast iron knuckle guards for Rand, and a full set of silver knives for Sten, enchanted with fire magic.

When asked for a heavier sword than usual by Ryu, the armorers deliberated before presenting him with a saber, which he accepted as the best he was likely to get. Jean, on the other hand, had taken the legendary sword from the depths of the castle and claimed intent to do it honor; Ryu thought it looked too old to be particularly impressive, but there _was_ something about it, so he refrained from commenting. A crossbow, helmet and suit of chain mail for Bow completed their "purchases," and they retired to the dining hall after that, intent on enjoying their last night in Sima.

The night was a good one. As promised, the food was all to their liking; it seemed Jean had shared his recipes from other lands with the cooks, and curiosity among the court had led to a sudden interest in foreign cuisine. The wine flowed freely, and with the trouble cleared up, everybody was free to enjoy it. The six of them were the heroes of the day once more, and they reveled in it, glad to be able to relax and forget their troubles for just a little while.

It was sometime around midnight that Ryu excused himself, desiring some air. Climbing to the top of Simafort, he walked out onto the roof and sat there for a while, among the windmills that pumped water through the castle. Sprawled on the rooftop, looking up at the moon and stars, he almost didn't notice it when somebody else walked out some time later.

"Hey," Katt said, walking over. "Mind some company?"

"Like I ever would?" Ryu glanced up at her, smiling slightly. "Come on, you know better."

"Thanks." She sat down next to him, and they watched the night sky in silence for a while before she spoke again. "Hard to believe we finally did it, huh? Seems like we've been chasing this girl since forever."

"I know, right?" Ryu agreed. "A lot's changed since then."

"You're telling me?" She smiled briefly. "It's like a completely different life, before and after that mess in Coursair. I kind of like it more this way, though. It's nice, having everybody around like this." She glanced at him. "You got a plan as to what we're going to do after we get this cleared up?"

"I'll probably have to hand in my Ranger's license, if we're going independent," Ryu said, sighing. "Bow, too. Shame; they made things easier. At least Elder Allen should take it pretty well. After that..." He shrugged. "Get the word out, and either wait for people to hire us, or go looking for jobs ourselves."

"And this demon thing?" She asked, sounding slightly hesitant.

"Take it as it comes, I guess," he replied after a long moment. "Not much else we can do." Glancing down at the Dragon's Tear, he saw that it was a shade of blue he'd never actually seen in it before, and made up his mind. "Look, Katt. I... haven't been completely honest about something. That guy who smashed me and Bow, when we were kids... Barubary..." He took a deep breath, conscious of her eyes on him, silently listening. "Ever since then, every time I go to sleep... I hear his voice. In my dreams, or through them. Talking about God, and worshiping God, and giving God power... it's like a nightmare that comes every night. I think... that's what Kuwadora was talking about."

"I was afraid of that," she said quietly. "Well, not _that_ that. I'm not psychic. But I thought there was something you weren't telling me. I just didn't want to ask. I thought you'd tell us, when you were ready." Slowly, as if putting her hand into a fire, she reached out to hold his hand, and he grasped hers tightly. "All this destiny bullshit... I hate it, Ryu. I hate it so much it's not even funny. Why can't we just be normal people trying to make a living on the road?"

"I wish I knew." He shook his head. "I hate it too. Maybe that's why I just want to take it as it comes. So I don't have to think about it any more than I have to."

"Guess that makes enough sense," Katt agreed. "Have you tried grilling Ladon?" She made a face, then. "Oh, jeez. Ladon. How are we going to explain _that_ one to Jean?"

"I'm trying real hard not to think about that, too," Ryu admitted. "Yeah, I did. He said if he tells me anything, it'll just be _more_ prophecy, and make things even worse. I think he wants to let us figure it out ourselves without interfering, or trying to control us."

"Yeah, okay," she said after a moment. "Guess that makes enough sense."

"I said the same thing." Now it was his turn to smile, just for a moment. "We really do have a lot in common, don't we?"

"We do," she agreed, tone still somber. "That's what I really wanted to talk to you about."  
"Oh." He held her hand tighter. "That's... complicated."

"You think?" Katt asked wryly. "Up until Nina joined up, I thought... well, let's just say I was doing some thinking. When she did, though..." She made a face. "Crap, I'm garbling this."

"No, I know what you're saying," Ryu assured her. "I was doing some thinking, too. But then, like you said... Nina." He sighed heavily. "Believe me, I wish this wasn't so complicated. The problem is, I really _do_ like both of you. As in, _like_ like."

"It doesn't work that way," she murmured, meeting his eyes.

"I know it doesn't," he replied. "That's why I haven't tried... well, doing anything about it. With either of you. I shouldn't, until I make up my damn mind. I'm not that kind of guy."

"I wouldn't _like_ like you back if you were," she said, tilting her head as if contemplating something. "Well, if you're not going to do anything about it, I guess it's up to me to get a head start on Nina. All's fair in war and that other thing, after all."

Before Ryu could respond, she'd wrapped her arms around him, and then she was kissing him, pressing her lips to his with the same energy she put into everything she did. Strangely, the only thing he could think was that she tasted like ginger; nothing else entered his brain at all as they sat there, although he was dimly aware that he was kissing her back, reacting on instinct. Heat rushed through his body, a blaze that had nothing to do with his dragon blood, and he wanted more, more contact, more energy, more passion.

"There," she said after they finally drew apart. "That's a start. You're right, though. We should probably hold it right there until we've got things figured out between the three of us." Standing, she turned away, winking at him over her shoulder as she walked off. "Not bad, by the way. You don't taste like lizard at all. See you tomorrow." Without another word, she went back down the stairs.

It was a long time before Ryu stopped staring at the night sky and went back to their rooms.

_THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE _


	15. Chapter 14: The Secret Of Hometown

_**Chapter 14: The Secret Of Hometown**_

The trip back from Coursair to Auria was moderately unpleasant. While Jean proved to be a good traveling companion, their "guest" was anything but; as Ryu had suspected, her willingness to turn herself in had faded rapidly the further away from Simafort they traveled. She made an escape attempt at least once a night, sometimes more, slipping out of her bonds no matter how securely they locked the chains around her. It was only through constant vigilance that they were able to keep her from getting away, but they managed it all the same, until the afternoon they crossed Mt. Fubi.

"Now remember, Jean, this might not be up to the standards you're expecting," Ryu cautioned him as they approached the ruins. "We're just starting up, so we kind of had to work with what was available, in terms of places to set up shop."

"Whatever it is, it shall be magnificent to my eyes, _mon ami_!" Jean promised him dramatically. "It is not the price of a home, but the heart, that is important!"

"Probably some rat-infested pit," Patty grumbled, clinking along behind them, wrapped in ropes and chains from shoulders to knees. "With no ceiling, and the walls falling down, and some ancient hobo sleeping on the floor."

"Roach-infested, actually, when we first moved in," Sten told her cheerfully, reaching over with one long arm to give her a light shove. "The big-ass Sima kind. The boss and his buddy cleared them out, but we could probably find some more for you if you really want."

"Ah, the _mademoiselle_ would like to try my cockroach and green onion salad?" Jean asked, oblivious. "You should have requested it before you left! I would have been glad to prepare one for you to try!"

"Ugh!" Patty grimaced.

"Okay, here we... are... now..." Ryu said, trailing off as he stared in shock. What had been two buildings when they'd left was now eleven; three in a row, spreading south of their own home. They were pleasant-looking stone houses, white with blue roofs, but in his current state of mind, Ryu didn't really notice or care.

"Huh," Nina murmured after a moment. "_That's_ different."

"Well, shit," Patty said, as the others remained silent. "_I_ was wrong."

"What the _hell_!" Katt yelled. "What _is_ this? Last time, okay, I understood, but _this_? What's going on here?"

"Suddenly, that guy in the bar's rumor about a town springing up down here makes a lot more sense," Rand recalled, wincing. "That one really should have tipped us off."

"Leave it all to granny, we said," Sten muttered disgustedly. "She'll sort it out, we said. Yeah, _right_."

"Oh, no." Ryu shook his head, marching towards the far side of town with the others in tow. "I don't _think _so. Bow was here too. He knows something about this, and we're going to find out what it is, _right_ now." He glared up at a young man with unruly blonde hair and an absent-minded expression who was doing something on one of the roofs. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm the painter!" The guy yelled back, holding up a brush.

"I do not understand, _mon amis_," Jean said curiously as they continued towards their home. "Is there some sort of problem?"

"There's _going_ to be one, if there isn't a good explanation for this!" Katt vowed, cracking her knuckles.

"You have all of this, and you're bitching about it?" Patty asked dryly. "That settles it. You _are_ all crazy."

"Shut up!"

"All right, I'm going out for a boar," Bow called over one shoulder as he opened the door, just as they approached it. Seeing them, he blinked. "Oh, hey guys! You're back!"

"We are," Ryu agreed, fighting to keep his voice calm. "And unless I'm mistaken, it seems that we now appear to be the proud owners of our own _village_. Possibly even a town, if this keeps up for much longer."

"Yeah, ain't it great?" Bow looked around. "They really did some good work. Did you see Lacquer out there? He's putting the last touches on the paint today. Pretty lucky for us his uncle brought him along."

"Bow..." Ryu took a deep breath before continuing, reminding himself that Bow was his oldest, best friend and that throttling him probably wouldn't go over well. "_Why_ do we have a village, Bow?"

"I think it started with some kind of bet those three carpenters made when they were drunk or something, actually." Bow scratched his head. "Something about seeing who could completely rebuild one of these houses first. Then after that, they just kept going. None of 'em asked us to pay for it, so we didn't stop them. They're each living in one, but the other six aren't occupied right now."

"There are so many things I could say to this, but I won't," Nina said dryly.

"Probably smart," Rand told her.

"Fine." Ryu buried his face in his hands. "Just fine. We're the town council now. Hey, maybe next time we come back here it'll be a freakin' _city_, and then the time after that, an entire freakin' _country_ down here. Why not, right?"

"You feeling okay, buddy?" Bow asked, raising an eyebrow. "You seem a little tense." He seemed to see Patty for the first time, and his eyes lit up. "Hey, that's her! You got her! All _right!_ Finally, I can clear my name!"

"Speaking of names, I do have one, you know." She rolled her eyes, then regarded him coolly; it was the first time she'd looked at any of them that calmly. "So you're the guy who got nailed when I slipped out? Sorry about that, but it's nothing personal. Business, you know?"

"'Course I do," Bow replied just as easily. "So long as you understand me taking you in to get out of this noose is the exact same thing."

"Boy, do I ever." She inclined her head towards them. "These guys wouldn't let me forget it all the way back home. You'd think I stole your life savings or something." She sniffed dismissively. "Besides, Trout's total scum. He had it coming."

"Really?" Nina raised an eyebrow. "I take it you aren't referring to the rumors everybody's heard. You know something more substantial?"

"Forget it." She shook her head in disgust. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"I dunno, we'd believe some pretty crazy shit," Bow told her. "Try us. We'll hear you out."

"Yeah, right!" She glared away from them, pouting.

"Come on," he wheedled, but she remained silent.

"Forget it," Ryu told his partner; he recognized her mood by now after a week on the road with her. "She'll be like this for the rest of the day."

"Well, whatever." Bow shrugged. "Not our problem, anyways. You did get his loot back, right? Not gonna be much good without it."

"We're pretty sure we have the magic hood, at least," Ryu replied. "The guards at Simafort took it off her, and a bunch of gold and jewelry, too. Knowing her, it's probably not _all_ of Trout's stash, but hopefully it'll be enough to convince him to let you off the hook."

"It better be." Bow glanced at Jean. "Guards at Simafort, huh? Take it this has something to do with the new guy?"

"_Bonjour_, _monsieur_ Bow!" Jean bowed deeply, flourishing one hand. "I am Jean, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance at long last! I have heard so much about you! Hopefully we will be good friends, yes?"

"Uh, sure." Bow blinked. "This must be some story."

"You have no freakin' idea." Katt glanced towards the forest. "Let's go find that boar, huh? Think we could all use something to eat. We'll tell the story once we get back."

"Sounds good." Bow nodded. "By the way, would you happen to know anything about some girl who's apparently Sana's little sister? Popped in a while back?"

"Oh, Seso?" Ryu glanced over towards the shorter building. "Yeah, that's part of the story. I guess it's for the best she made it here. Doesn't seem as bad as her sister, but even so, you did have that door bricked up, right?"

"First thing," Bow agreed.

"Good."

"Did I hear my name?" Seso opened the door to their house and looked out, then waved. "Oh, hi! Bow told me you guys lived next door. Nice to see you back again. How've you been..." She trailed off, staring at Jean, then slowly smiled, a heavy blush rising on her pale cheeks. "Oh, my. Who's _this_ gentleman?"

"Oh, no." Nina sighed. "Here it goes."

"Here what goes?" Sana shoved her sister down so she could lean out over her head. "Oh, hey there-oof!" She grunted as Granny did the same to her.

"Well, one out of five isn't bad," the old lady told them. "Keep looking for the rest of 'em, though. Just let me know when you're ready to try uniting again!"

"Ah... uniting?" Jean blinked. "_Monsieur _Ryu... what is this?"

"Patty would also like to know," the thief murmured, looking slightly horrified. "What kind of scene are you people running here, anyways?"

"Don't worry, it's okay." Seso shoved her family off of her and skipped over to Jean, raising a hand to his cheek. "We've been at this for a while now, so we know what we're doing. Just relax, and it'll all be okay... okay?"

Jean made a strangled ribbiting noise.

"Aw, geez." Sten slapped his face.

"Look, it's not as bad as it sounds." Ryu shook his head. "They're Fusion clan, is all. You know about them, right?"

"Who's talking about fusing what?" Rivab, the carpenter, yelled as he burst out of one of the houses. "Hey, Bateson! You're back! These the rest of the guys? We're gonna have to bust out the barrel tonight! Hey, stooges! The boys are back in town!"

"Stooge yourself, Rivab!" Another burly man, strongly resembling Rivab save for his bright red hair, yelled back as he opened the door. "Hey, Marks! Legacy! Good to see you again! Oy, Lacquer! Get your ass down here and meet these guys!"

"Whatever you say, boss!" The young painter yelled back, climbing down from the roof he was on.

"Will you both just shut up already?" A third man, this one with bleached white hair, bellowed as he slammed his door open. "How's a guy supposed to nap with all this noise? Wait a second... Windfree and Chaun? When'd you get back in?"

"This is getting ridiculous," Katt growled. "It's supposed to be a headquarters, not the neighborhood square!"

"Can't you three stop fighting for just one day?" Mrs. Rivab yelled as she emerged from their house with another, younger woman, her son in tow. "I swear, you're more like children than your own son! What's the big... oh! You're back!"

"Mommy, mommy!" The boy pointed at Jean. "That man's green!"

"What's all the ruckus?" Niro hobbled out of their building, then blinked as Ryu walked past him without a word.

"I'll be in my room," he said flatly before slamming the door. As he walked up the stairs, he heard the sounds of the others following him, and once he'd closed the door to his room behind him, they did that as well, some louder than others. Shaking his head, he laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking.

"Hey, Ryu?" Katt's voice came from the other side of the door after several hours. "We've got lunch and ale, and the others are heading downstairs. Want some?"

"Sure." He opened the door and followed her down. The others were already carving slices off of a roast boar and pouring mugs of ale. Once everybody had some, they took their seats around the main table, all but two filled now. Leaning back, he took a deep drink of ale before speaking. "All right, people. This probably isn't what any of us had in mind-I know _I_ sure didn't-but we can deal. After all, we don't exactly legally own this property, so we can't really kick out anybody else who wants to move in here."

"I still fail to understand the problem," Jean said, baffled. "They all seem to be splendid fellows, to me."

"I'll explain later," Sten muttered.

"That's not the only thing we should explain," Nina pointed out. "I think, all things considered, we should fill Jean in on our history."

"And then you gotta tell us what happened over in Sima!" Niro reminded them. "We wanna know!"

"This is gonna take a while, then." Bow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. Where do we start..." Between the two parts, the entire story took several hours. By the time they were done, everybody had finished eating, and Bow and Niro both looked shaken.

"Was this guy really _that_ bad?" The old man asked hesitantly.

"Believe it," Rand said flatly. "My total square footage of scar tissue got doubled in those ten minutes alone, and that's _with_ my white magic. Let's be honest, people. We got _damn_ lucky. We unloaded everything we had on the bastard, and it still didn't _really_ match up. If he came back for a rematch, we'd probably go down, hard."

"No probably about it." Sten shook his head. "He'd demolish us. If that's a demon, then they're out of our league."

"Demon _lord_," Katt corrected him. "That's gotta be important. _Big_ difference between him and the other two, trust me. We can handle _them_, if we have to. It'll suck, but we can do it. Another one like Kuwadora shows up, though..." She made a face.

"All the more reason to stay out of this mess from now on," Ryu said firmly. "We'll send a report to Ray and tell him the source of the infection's been stamped out in Sima, and hope that's an end to our involvement." Looking at their faces, he could tell that not a single one of them believed that, not even Niro, but he pressed on anyways. "At any rate, we made it, and we've got another man on the team now. I'm not going to complain about that."

"Indeed," Jean murmured; after a certain point in the story, he'd been badly rattled for entirely different reasons than Bow and Niro. "_Monsieur_ Ryu, you did not tell me that you were of the Light Dragons. I must confess, I am somewhat at a loss."

"We try not to spread it around," Ryu explained. "I trust you understand why."

"Of course, and yet..." Jean ran a hand over the top of his bald head. "Well, you see... this may sound strange, but... you all know of the statues of Ladon, yes?"

"You too, huh?" Sten leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, we all hear them talking. Ever since we joined up with the boss."

"Only then?" Jean blinked. "The spirit of the statues first spoke to me some months back. Quite a pleasant fellow, for a statue."

"Wait a second." Bow frowned thoughtfully. "Niro, you said he started talking to you before you met us too, right?"

"Yup." Niro nodded. "Not for long, though. Only about a week or so, maybe a little less."

"So, right around when he first started talking to _us_." Ryu drummed his fingers on the desk. "Maybe a month before I met Katt and Rand, month and a half before Nina, and two months for Sten, roughly."

"There weren't any statues in Coursair, so we didn't see one for a while before we met you," Katt said, and Rand nodded in agreement. "At least a month, sure, maybe more."

"And I didn't leave the Magic School much before Joker," Nina admitted.

"So maybe it all kicked in at the same time, and the rest of us just didn't notice until later." Sten's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Which means..."

"Which means, the boss isn't the only one up to his ass in this destiny bullshit," Bow growled. "We _all_ might be, every one of us."

"All the more reason to stay as far away from it as possible," Ryu said firmly. "We have more immediate concerns, anyways. Where's Miss Smith right now?"

"Gigli's keepin' an eye on her at the moment," Niro explained. "She offered."

"Good, as long as _somebody_ is." Ryu nodded. "From now on until we hand her over to Trout, we don't leave her alone for a second."

"Not even when she's got to... well..." Bow looked uncomfortable.

"Watch the door," Nina advised him. "_Very_ carefully. And if you hear anything that sounds like she's doing something to the walls, you either find a girl to get in there right away, or do it yourself and leave your manners in the gutter."

"She's _that_ bad?" He whistled.

"Wouldn't put it past her." Ryu rolled his eyes. "The sooner we're rid of her, the better. Let's head back to Hometown with her first thing tomorrow. Think you can get in touch with Duke Kilgore and Elder Allen to let them know we're coming?"

"Lemme take care of that part of it," Niro told him. "I'll handle it."

"Good." He nodded. "They should be able to get us in to see Trout. We might have had some trouble with the guards otherwise. With any luck, we'll tell him the story, hand everything we took off of him over, and put this whole mess behind us."

"Yeah..." Bow looked uneasy. "I dunno, though. She was saying something about Trout, and we know he's involved in this conspiracy. Think maybe we were wrong about him selling his soul?"

The three of them who'd lived in Hometown all looked at each other for a long moment, then started laughing.

"Good one, man," Ryu managed to say through his chortling. "What kind of evil conspiracy would want _him_ as a full-fledged member?"

"I must say, it is difficult to imagine _him_ as a demon." Nina giggled. "Did you two see the time he fell through the floor of his own carriage during the parade?"

"Oh, man, I was howling." Ryu laughed harder. "And when he tried to make mentioning it ever again punishable by law?"

"Yeah, what the hell was I thinking?" Bow asked wryly, chuckling. "Forget I even brought it up in the first place. All right, tomorrow we head back to clear my name!"

"Sounds good to me." Sten smirked. "So then, if we're leaving for tomorrow morning, what does that leave for tonight, hm?"

"You have to ask?" Ryu leaned back in his chair, smiling faintly as well. "Let's show all these new neighbors how we party, shall we?"

"An excellent suggestion, _mon ami_s!" Jean grinned, giving them a thumbs-up. "Let us dance and sing all night long!"

"Something like that, at any rate," Nina murmured with a tiny smile.

The party ended up going well, despite certain cynical expectations about the other residents of the sudden, unexpected village. Mrs. Rivab turned out to be an excellent cook, and with Jean assisting, she turned out a delicious feast. The three carpenters were practically a comedy act, especially once they were into their mugs, with Lacquer playing straight man to all three at once. Granny was surprisingly well-behaved, most likely thanks to Niro's presence near her throughout the night, and her two granddaughters were at least _somewhat_ restrained, though that lessened as the night went on.

Eventually, Ryu went up on the roof for some air, bringing one last mug of ale up with him. To his slight surprise, Bow was up there already; he hadn't seen his partner leave the festivities. Rather than bothering him, Ryu simply stood by the stairs, watching the night sky in silence for some time until Bow spoke.

"Hey, buddy. Had enough?"

"Just wanted some air." Ryu shrugged. "You?"

"Doing some thinking," Bow replied, not looking at him. "It's gonna take some getting used to. Hanging out with all of the guys on a regular basis, I mean. I've been here with Niro so long I was kind of getting used to the solitude before these other folks started showing up. Probably for the best that they did; I think it was kind of driving me crazy, actually."

"Crazi_er_, you mean," Ryu cracked.

"Har har." Bow rolled his eyes as they sat down on the edge of the roof together, watching everybody else sit around the campfire in front of the building, talking and laughing. "They're good guys, don't get me wrong. It's just..." He sighed heavily.

"You don't really know them as well as I do, yet," Ryu guessed. "Except maybe Rand, and it's been a while since he was back here."

"Exactly." Bow shook his head. "It sounds great on paper, having more than one buddy who I can trust to have my back, you know? I've been looking forward to it for years. It's just... I didn't think it'd be like this." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Here you are, going out all over the world, having adventures, doing jobs and pulling in more pay than we used to see in a year, and recruiting nearly a full company... and I'm sitting on my ass."

"Wasn't your fault, man," Ryu told him quietly. "That's all on little Miss Smith down there, and we're gonna take care of it."

"I know, I know, but that ain't it," Bow growled, frustrated. "It's like... I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm not really part of the group. Maybe I got left behind because this destiny bullshit didn't want me along, like I wasn't supposed to be part of it. It ain't like you guys really need me, anyways, is it? You've got Rand now, and all. Did just fine out there without me."

"That's bullshit, and you know it is," Ryu said quietly, without anger. "If you need me to, I can show you the scars to prove it. We all can. It's not just demons; those creons were as bad as it gets, too. And those huge bugs under Simafort. One white mage isn't enough, no matter how good he is. Any good band needs two, if they want their guys to stay alive. You probably know about that wise fruit stuff. He was downing 'em for Kuwadora, and I don't like that. Especially since we were _still_ less than an inch away from biting it."

"Thought you said we were going to be staying away from demons, from now on," Bow reminded him.

"Not the point," Ryu told him flatly. "Besides, even if it was..." He sighed. "Don't tell the others this, but really? I doubt it'll be that easy. These assholes keep dropping the name 'Barubary,' and if that's not that one giant freak who smeared us across that cave the night we first met, I'm a Maniro. Combine that with what I am, and it looks like this has been building for longer than we've been alive. That kind of thing doesn't just give up and go home because you're not interested. We're gonna keep trying, of course, but still. I need you to help me navigate this, man. Don't let me down, okay?"

"I'm still your number two guy, then?" Bow asked after a long moment.

"Like you ever weren't?" Ryu shot back, remembering for the first time in a while that Bow was younger than him. "Even for a moment? I don't think so. You and me, man. World doesn't stand a chance against us."

"Okay, okay." Bow turned and grinned at him. "I get the hint. Enough feeling sorry for myself. What's the point of a party if we're not going to enjoy it, right?" For a moment, he looked like he was going to say something more, but then he glanced down at the party below. "Hey, Jean's going next door with Seso and Granny. You don't think..."

"Aw, shit!" Ryu jumped to his feet. "We gotta get down there, now!" Without looking to see if Bow was following him, he turned and raced for the stairs.

"Dude!" Bow called, running down after him. "What if they're... you know? You saw the way she was acting around him! Privacy, man!"

"With _Granny_?" Ryu asked incredulously, continuing down the stairs.

"Yeah, okay, good point," Bow conceded. "So what _are_ they doing?"

"The same thing Sana was doing when she hauled me back to their shack out in the woods!" Ryu told him.

"...Didn't you just say that's _not_ what they're doing?"

"Har har!" Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Ryu kept running towards the front door. "They're _fusing_ him with her!"

"Oohhhh." Bow thought about that for a moment. "Shit! We gotta get in there!"

"No kidding?" Ryu asked dryly as they burst through the door and made a pair of quick left turns.

"Hey, what's up?" Katt called from by the fireside; apparently, nobody there had noticed the three of them leaving.

"Come on!" Ryu called to her as he threw the door open, then groaned. "Damn, too late..." One glance was all he needed to tell that the ritual was already being conducted. The room inside was exactly like the one they'd used back in their own home; Jean was standing in the center, and Seso in one of the side circles. As Granny chanted gibberish from a mezzanine, the girl became a streak of glowing blue light that flew around before plunging into Jean.

"Ah..." The Prince slowly reached up and touched his chest as his scales lightened, becoming a bright shade of teal. "I see. It seems it worked, yes?"

"Looks like a success to me," Granny agreed as the several others clustered around the door, peering in curiously. "Good! Try casting a spell; with her fused to you, she should buff up your magical power."

"As you wish, _mademoiselle_," Jean said, raising a hand. A seal of glowing light appeared before Granny's face, and she leaned back, startled, as it vanished a moment later. Recovering quickly, she opened her mouth to yell, but no sound came out, much to her surprise.

"The Hush spell," Nina murmured. "Normally, it wouldn't have worked on such an experienced mage as her. It seems she was right."

"Is it just me, or is Jean a lot more on the ball than he acts?" Bow muttered, smiling slightly as Granny continued to rage silently.

"You okay, man?" Ryu asked cautiously. "What's it like?"

"Odd, but... not bad," Jean replied, blinking slowly. "Ah, yes, I can hear you... ah. Ah." He paused for a few moments before continuing. "_Monsieur_ Ryu, _mademoiselle_ Seso would like to request to join us when we return to Hometown tomorrow. It seems she is... enjoying this." His cheeks darkened.

"That's between you two, man." Ryu shook his head. "Your call."

"Damn straight," Bow grunted in agreement.

"Ditto." Katt nodded.

"Right." Rand looked uncomfortable, as did Nina.

"Can we talk about something else?" She asked, then paused. "Wait, where's Sten?"

"Back at the campfire?" Katt glanced over to where the other inhabitants of the ruins were gathered, then frowned. "Nope. And neither is Sana."

"Well, they cannot be using this device, or else we would have not been able to, yes?" Jean pointed out. "Thus, if they are together, they must be occupied otherwise."

Everybody thought about that for a moment.

"I need more ale," Ryu said finally.

"Damn straight."

"Ditto."

"Right."

"Can we talk about something else?"

In the morning, the nine of them-ten, counting Seso-headed out, some with hangovers and some without; for once, even Niro accompanied them. Patty was in a better mood than would be expected, since she'd been allowed to take part in the festivities-under extremely close watch, of course-and she came along with a minimum of fuss. Crossing Mt. Fubi once more, they headed north through Auria, and reached Hometown within the week. Slipping through the eastern gate, they immediately spotted their welcoming party; Elder Allen, Duke Kilgore, Silvia and Deis were all there waiting for them.

"Hey, Ryu!" One of the guards on the gate hollered as they passed. "You're back, huh... _huh?_" His eyes widened as he saw Bow. "Wait a second here!"

"No need to get excited, young man," Kilgore said quickly, meeting his eyes. "Mr. Dogi has returned with the _real_ thief to prove his innocence." He glanced over at Patty, who stuck out her tongue at him. "This lady, I assume?"

"Bingo, and she ain't no lady." Katt shook Patty lightly by the head. "Had a real racket going from here all the way to Simafort." She grinned cheerfully at the guard, who seemed to notice just how many "escorts" Bow had, and what kind of people they were, for the first time. "Of course, if you _really_ wanna make some noise, could be kind of fun."

"Behave, Katt," Nina murmured. "No mauling innocent guardsmen in Hometown."

"So if it's in _another_ city, I'm good to go?" She joked.

"Let's call it a case by case scenario for now," Rand suggested.

"It's good to see you back, Ryu," Elder Allen murmured, looking wary as he glanced around. "And who, ah, are these people?"

"Rest of the team." Ryu glanced at Deis. "Probably a few familiar faces to you more than anybody."

"You could say that." Deis met Nina's eyes, clearly amused. "So, all those years you turn down invitations to go out drinking with me and these two clowns, and then the moment I turn my back, you're _hiring on_ with them?"

"Hey," Ryu growled.

"It was somewhat complicated," Nina replied. "I'll explain it to you later, but we really should get things settled with Count Trout first thing."

"Uh, fellas?" Niro coughed, then pointed, and everybody turned to look at Bow. Silvia had walked over to him, and they were both holding each others' hands and looking into their eyes, without moving or saying a word.

"Ah, love is such a beautiful thing..." Jean murmured. Everybody ignored him.

"Get a room!" Patty yelled after a moment, prompting Rand to cuff her. "Ow!"

"Uh, guys?" Ryu muttered quietly, walking over to them. "Hate to ruin the moment, but we really kind of need to get going."

"Tch." Bow slowly smiled. "Some guys got no sense of timing. Ever noticed that?"

"A little." Silvia smiled as well a moment later. "I suppose they do have a point, though. We can catch up once we've cleared your name."

"Indeed," Elder Allen harrumphed. "With luck, that will go fairly easily. Nobody truly believes that Bow is responsible; it's simply that Trout refuses to let the matter go, for obvious reasons. Once that is settled, there will indeed be, ah, a lot of catching up to do. I've heard some things ah, about a new town down south?"

"Dammit all." Ryu slapped his face. "We have _got_ to do something about that. Yeah, talk later, clearing Bow's name now."

"So what are we waiting for?" Deis grinned. "Let's get going, already!"

The slightly unusual group gained some interesting looks as they made their way through the streets of Hometown towards Trout's manor. Several times, pedestrians hailed the ones who were native, only to pause and blink as they saw the rest of their companions. Nobody tried to stand in their way, though, and they soon reached the eight-foot walls around Trout's home. It was a huge, lavish manor with a broad lawn around it, but the garden was uncultivated as of lately; the grass overgrown and the trees and bushed unkempt around delicate white lawn furniture and marble statuary.

"Hey, what the hell?" The heavily armored gate guard yelled as he saw them approached, reaching for a whistle around his neck. It was Larkin, the same one who'd come to their room on the night of the theft to interrogate Ryu.

"Easy, chum," Sten said coolly, cleaning his fingernails with one of his new daggers. "We don't want there to be any accidents, now do we?"

"I'll give you an accident, punk..." Larkin growled, then blanched as some of the others stepped to the front of the group. "Huh? Elder Allen? And... and Duke Kilgore? What are you doing with this mob?"

"We, ah, are, ah, accompanying them to Count Trout's in order to prevent, ah, any, ah, accidents," Elder Allen explained mildly. "They're here to hand over the thief who burglarized him, as he requested."

"...Huh?" Larkin's eyes crossed.

"Why don't you call the Count down here so he can take care of this himself?" Duke Kilgore suggested kindly. "There'll be no onus on yourself, that way."

"Uh... sure." Larkin turned and yelled at another guard behind the gate, prompting him to approach. "Hey, go get the Count! Tell him the thief's here, and he wants to turn himself in!" He sneered at Bow.

"Herself," Deis corrected him. "The thief's turning _herself_ in."

"_Wha_?" The second guard boggled, staring at Bow. "You're a _girl? _But then..." He pointed at Silvia, who slapped her face.

"_Quoi?_" Jean yelled, eyes widening.

"_No!_" Bow shouted. "No, no, _hell_ no! What the _hell_!"

"So then..." The second guard scowled, deep in thought. "You _don't_ want to turn yourself in after all?"

"Of course I don't!" He snarled.

"Oh, no!" Larkin growled, reaching for his spear. "You're not getting away that easy after all this time!"

"Woo-hoo!" Katt cracked her knuckles. "Time for some fun after all!"

"No, no!" Silvia pleaded, before help came from an unexpected quarter.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" Patty yelled shrilly, loud enough that everybody stopped to stare at her. "Enough! Fine! I did it! I did it! I'm the one who robbed Trout's house! I stole the magic hood! I freaking _did it_, okay? _Ladon_!"

A long moment of silence passed after that.

"You'd better get the Count," Larkin told the other guard quietly. "He's going to want to handle this personally."

"Right." The other guard saluted, then left.

"Thanks," Bow muttered. "I think."

"Wasn't for you," she shot back. "That would have gone on all day if I hadn't. _Anything's_ better than that."

"No arguments here."

"Idunno, I kinda liked it," Niro commented. "Some folks pay good money for that kind of entertainment." Everybody ignored him.

"So, how long do we wait before we bust the gate down and go in anyways?" Deis asked.

"Ten hours," Rand replied dryly.

"_That's_ no fun."

"It's also not getting arrested."

"Your roommate, right?" Sten muttered to Nina, who nodded. "Think we definitely got the right one to hire."

"She's not so bad," she replied, watching her continue to argue with Rand. "She just takes some getting used to."

"Ah, but she is just as beautiful as yourself, no?" Jean pointed out. "I shall serenade her with all of my charm and talent tonight!"

Everybody who knew her already took a moment to think about how that would probably go.

"Oh well, you heal quickly." Ryu shrugged. The others all nodded.

"Eh?" Jean blinked. "I do not understand what you... ah, here we go!" He turned and bowed as the door opened, and Count Trout walked out, flanked by a couple of guardsmen.

"All right, all right, what's going on here?" The nobleman demanded, scowling. He was the same age as Kilgore, but bore it much less willingly; the fringe of blonde hair around his head was obviously dyed, and he was almost perfectly round. His penchant for dressing in bright red, with lace and ruffles, didn't help matters one bit. "Kilgore, if you don't mind explaining? Neither of _these_ buffoons could get their story straight."

"It's really rather simple, old friend," Kilgore explained, face carefully neutral. "As I've been telling you, young Mr. Dogi was framed for that theft months ago. His friends have managed to find the real thief and bring her in." He indicated Patty.

"Is that so?" Trout murmured, eyes narrowing as he stared at Patty. "So then... this woman was the one who robbed me?"

"No way!" Patty yelled back, suddenly angry. "It doesn't count as robbing you if _you_ stole it all in the first place, lardass!"

"Hey, shut up!" Sten booted her.

"Our apologies, your grace," Ryu told Trout calmly. "She's not particularly gifted when it comes to manners."

"So I see," Trout murmured. "We take such things very seriously in this city, young lady. I have a reputation to maintain. Do you have any basis for these statements?"

"Sure I do!" She snarled. "Your basement is full of stolen goods!"

"Hoo, boy..." Niro whistled.

"Really, now?" Trout glanced at Kilgore. "How odd. You were down there just a week ago, weren't you, old friend? Did you see anything like that when you were?"

"Ah..." Kilgore looked hesitant, then glanced away. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry, young lady, but your accusations have no basis in fact."

"Hey," Katt muttered under her breath, edging close to Ryu and Nina. "Is it just me, or is something going on here?"

"That seems to be the case," Nina agreed quietly. "I'm not entirely sure just what it is, though. It's odd."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded, watching Bow carefully; his friend's face was just as carefully blank as Kilgore's, and that wasn't like Bow at all.

"Bullshit!" Patty was yelling again. "Why do you think he's fired all his old staff and hired these thugs instead? Guards? Yeah, right! They're paid killers who cover up his dirty deeds for him!"

"That does it!" Larkin walked towards her. "I'm gonna-"

"That won't be necessary, Captain." Trout raised a hand calmly. "I'm sure everybody here understands that these accusations are the ramblings of an obviously guilty party. Nobody sane would pay them even the slightest mind... correct?" His eyes were flat and empty, like those of a bad painting, as he looked them all over.

"Of course, your grace," Ryu said quietly, and everybody else on his team nodded. "Nobody would take her seriously."

"Indeed," Elder Allen agreed, somewhat hesitantly. "The Ranger's Guild apprehended the thief for you, and we stand behind your word in this matter." Sylvia murmured a quiet agreement.

"Of course I trust your word, old friend," Kilgore assured him. "I've seen the evidence with my own eyes, after all."

"Yeah, everybody in this town knows your rep's infallible, your grace," Deis said loudly, meeting his eyes. "Nobody'd ever suspect you of anything."

"Well... good." Trout stared at her for a moment, then turned his head away. "At any rate, thank you for catching the thief. You have what she stole, of course?"

"Here's all the zenny she had on her." Ryu tossed several bulging pouches to the guards, followed by the cloth hood with catlike ears sewn on that they'd found with the money. "And I assume that's the magic hood?"

"Indeed it is," Trout murmured, catching it and examining it carefully. "Ah, at last... this treasure is worth more than everything else I own combined, you know. It's actually a relic from the Second Dragon War... one of the possessions of the hero of that time. Your namesake, I believe, young man." He glanced at Ryu for a moment, and there was something odd in his gaze, before he turned back to Patty. "Unfortunately, there still seems to be several thousand zenny missing. I can only assume she hid it somewhere before you apprehended her."

"Enough of your lies, creep!" Patty growled, struggling now without much luck. "That's everything I took from you, and you know it!"

"Haven't we just established that it's your word, not mine, that's obviously untrustworthy?" Trout pointed out mildly. "It seems we'll have to persuade you to be more honest before handing you over to the town guard. Gentlemen?" He glanced at Larkin, who grunted and hefted Patty over one shoulder.

"Hey, this is a little much, isn't it?" Rand muttered quietly.

"Don't." Sten shook his head. "I don't like it either, but she's dug her own grave, fair and square. Nothing we can do about it now."

"Well then, everything seems to be taken care of." Trout made a show of dusting off his hands as Larkin carried Patty into the manor. "I'll let you be about your business, then." He winked at Bow, smiling without a trace of humor. "Do try to avoid doing such suspicious things in the future, young man, hmmm?"

"Let's go," Ryu growled, and they all turned to leave. One glance at everybody's face was enough to tell that they all shared a bad taste about how the affair had been concluded, despite Bow's freedom, but nobody brought it up. They walked through the streets with no real goal in mind, simply wanting to put as much distance between themselves and Trout's manor as possible.

"Hey, where are we staying tonight?" Katt asked after a while. "I don't really think we can cram eight people into that little apartment of yours."

"I don't even know if we _have_ that any more," Ryu pointed out. "The inn, just like usual, I guess."

"That won't be necessary," Kilgore told him. "I'd be honored if you accepted the hospitality of my home for as long as you intend to stay in town."

"You're a generous man, your grace," Bow said quietly.

"No kidding." Rand raised an eyebrow. "I guess after everything else you've done for us, it's just the icing on the cake, but still, thanks."

"It's guilt, more than anything, young man," Kilgore explained. "Even if it's all taken care of now, I was the one responsible for this mess in the first place."

"Nonsense, your grace." Deis chuckled. "Bow got in over his head, that's all. Like that's anything new for him."

"Gee, thanks, Deis." Bow snorted.

"What are friends for?" She smirked at him.

"All the same, as Mr. Marks said, this is the least I can do." Kilgore smiled suddenly, and it made him look decades younger. "What's the point of being the richest man in town if you can't do something nice for your friends, hm? Let's make a night of it and celebrate Bow's freedom! What do you say?"

"Hey, any excuse to party!" Katt grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me!"

"A fine celebration is entirely appropriate, yes?" Jean agreed. "Ah, if only more nobles in my own homeland were so generous!"

"I'll decline, I'm ah, afraid." Elder Allen shook his head, smiling slightly. "Those days ah, are long in my past. The rest of you, however, should certainly enjoy yourselves. You've earned it, all of you."

"A party does seem like it would be nice," Silvia murmured, holding Bow's hand again.

"Well..." He scratched his head. "All right, hell with it. Let's do this, people!"

"Now we're talking!" Deis whooped.

"Seems that way," Ryu agreed, giving in; with any luck, it would help him forget his opinions about how the situation with Trout had ended.

Everybody else seemed to be of the same mindset; by unspoken agreement, nobody talked about business for the entire night. Kilgore was as good as his word; the banquet his servants prepared was every bit as lavish as the one in Sima had been, and far more suited to their tastes. Both ale and wine were freely available, all of it high-quality, and before long their troubles were indeed forgotten in favor of celebrating Bow's freedom.

Ryu never was able to figure out who it was that suggested the dancing. However it happened, there was no stopping it; Kilgore turned out to have several accomplished musicians on his staff, and his huge manor held a ballroom that they adjourned to, despite protests from several of them. The Duke took a seat behind the grand piano himself, and his playing turned out to be every bit as talented as the men and women in his employ.

Bow and Silvia were, of course, the center of attention; he'd come around with only a few token arguments, and even those had been quickly dropped as she swept him off his feet, skillful enough to obscure his own lack of talent. Katt, Nina and Deis took turns passing the rest of the men around between them, some more reluctantly than others. Niro turned out to be surprisingly skilled, and Jean unsurprisingly. Sten was average, but both Rand and Ryu danced abysmally. Fortunately, nobody seemed to mind.

Despite the cheer, Ryu's turns on the dance floor with Katt and Nina both carried heavy undertones that none of them missed, even if they didn't talk about it. Though the Windian princess was highly talented, Katt's movements were clearly superior; she put the same style and grace into it that she did her fighting, and seemed to be surprised by how much she enjoyed it herself. Only after several songs with both of them did Ryu take a turn with Deis for appearances' sake.

"You've got problems, Ryu," his old friend murmured as they spun around. "Problems of the female persuasion."

"You noticed," he replied just as quietly.

"Everybody in the room noticed," she pointed out. "Probably everybody in the building. Hell, maybe even everybody in the city. _Both_ of them?"

"Yup," he grunted. "It wasn't my idea."

"Yeah, but you didn't do anything to stop it either, did you?" Deis remarked dryly before softening her voice. "You know it doesn't work that way, right? Despite stories from certain unsavory publications."

"Hey, I'll have you know I only read those for the articles," he joked.

"That's what I'm worried about," she quipped.

"Har har." Ryu sighed. "Yeah, I know. Trust me, I'm not going to go any further until we've got it figured out."

"Good." She shook her head. "Just don't take too long about it, or else nobody wins." She paused a moment before continuing. "Been through a lot out there, haven't you? You've changed, you know."

"Is it that obvious?" He asked quietly.

"To most people?" Deis shrugged. "Probably not. I've known you too long, though. I can tell, looking at you. You're not going to tell me about it, either, are you?"

"I wish I could," Ryu said honestly. "But I can't."

"Then I'll tell you instead," she replied, meeting his eyes solemnly. "Stay careful, Ryu. Whatever this is you're not telling me about... it isn't over. Not even close."

"Another one of those feelings of yours?" He asked.

"Yeah." Deis shivered. "Damn."

"It's okay," he assured her. "Not your fault. Thanks for the heads-up." He sighed. "You know, despite everything... sometimes I kind of wish it was still just you, me, and Bow sitting on a wall around midnight, finishing off a bottle."

"You think I don't?" She asked, semi-joking. "Things change, Ryu. Things always change, for all of us. That's the way of the world for everybody. Especially for mugs like us." She relaxed suddenly as the song ended. "And speaking of things changing, find somebody else to dance with. I want another round with the big guy."

"Aw, geez." Ryu chuckled, glancing at Rand. "Should have known he'd be your type. Go easy on him, huh?"

"No promises." She winked at him before walking over to the big Farmlander.

The party wound down shortly after that, Deis and Silvia saying their goodbyes before leaving the manor. After one more round of drinks, Kilgore's servants led them to their rooms, which were just as lavish as the ones in Sima. Exchanging jokes and banter, the group all adjourned, until Bow and Ryu were the only ones left in the hall.

"Good party," Ryu said casually. "So, what are you and Silvia gonna do from here?"

"We're still working on that." Bow shrugged. "We'll figure something out." He frowned, looking thoughtful. "Hey, buddy, listen..."

"Yeah?" Ryu glanced at him.

"...Nah." Bow shook his head after a moment. "Never mind, it's not important."

"Come on, man, don't give me that," Ryu pressed, slapping him on the shoulder. "You and me against the world, right? You can tell me."

"I'm not bullshitting you." Bow grinned. "It's nothing, man. Honest."

"If you say so." Ryu raised an eyebrow. "But you'll tell me when it _does_ become something, right?"

"You know it," Bow promised him. "See you in the morning, buddy."

"Later." Ryu nodded, heading into his room. Undressing, he fell into bed and drifted off to sleep, doing his best to ignore his worries.

_Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

As always, Ryu slept restlessly for several hours, until somebody pounded on his door, awakening him. Shaking his head, he dressed quickly and opened the door, more out of a desire to yell at whoever was responsible than any actual concern. That lasted up until he saw a frantic-looking maid on the other side. Glancing around, the first thing he noticed was that Bow's door was open, and he brushed past the maid to look inside. Kilgore was sitting on the edge of the unmade bed, wearing a nightrobe, his face in his hands. There was no sign of Bow at all.

"Shit," Ryu muttered as the others joined him sleepily.

"All right, where's the fire?" Niro grumbled.

"Fire would be a _good_ explanation for this bullshit," Katt growled. "And for this, there had _better_ be a good... crap." She took in the scene at a glance. "Scratch that. This is _not_ good. Not good at all."

"His gear's gone," Sten noted, glancing around the room. "That new crossbow we got him at Sima, and the armor, too. He took it all with him."

"There's only one place he'd go at this time of night," Rand muttered darkly. "That _idiot_. I'll _kill_ him, and then I'll bring him back to life so I can kill him _again_."

"But why?" Jean asked, baffled. "What possible reason could he have for such a foolish expedition?"

"That does seem to be the question of the hour, doesn't it, your grace?" Nina asked Kilgore significantly.

"I'm such a fool," the duke replied after a moment. "Forgive me. I never thought Bow would actually take action like this."

"What did you do, your grace?" Ryu asked quietly.

"Before you all returned..." Kilgore explained slowly. "I would visit Bow, often, and we would talk of many things. Trout was one of them." He took a deep breath before continuing. "You must understand that despite our rivalry, Trout is my oldest friend, and in a strange way, my best. That's why it hit me so hard, to see him change so much recently. That's why I talked so often about it, with Bow, despite my guilt over getting him in trouble. It must have stuck with him harder than I thought. But I never asked... I never told him to go back there."

"She was right, wasn't she?" Ryu pressed him. "That thief, Patty. _That's_ why he kept her, instead of turning her over to the guard. Those new guards of his, her stories about him stealing from other people... he couldn't let her go. She'll never make it out of there alive."

"I get it." Sten snapped his fingers. "Bow knew that if he got caught this time, it would make _last_ time look like a loitering charge, so he went in alone instead of asking us to get involved. I _thought_ there was something weird about the way he was acting."

"All of it was true," Kilgore admitted, then shuddered. "All of it, and more..." He finally raised his head to stare at them. "You'll think I'm crazy, but I'm not the only one. Over the last few years, on some nights, late enough that nobody should be on the streets... people have heard it, just like I have. I've found some who did. It's not just me."

"Heard what?" Katt demanded.

"Sounds... howls." Kilgore shivered again. "Horrible noises, like some kind of monster, or something even worse... coming from deep inside Trout's manor."

"_Shit,_" Ryu repeated, his blood running cold, as everybody else swore as well, even Nina. "Let's move, people!"

* * *

At this hour of the night, or rather the morning, the streets of Auria were deserted. The sun would be rising within the hour, and all but the most industrious pickpockets and cutthroats had turned in. And even those knew better than to target the stout young man walking down the streets towards Trout's manor; the armor he wore and the crossbow he carried spoke louder than words, which was fortunate, since he was too busy whistling tunelessly to talk.

He knew how illogical he was being all too well. It would have been easy to just walk away; their business was concluded, and Trout had no reason to bother with them further. The girl had dug her own grave, and besides, she was obnoxious. Every nerve in his body was telling him to be smart, even now, as he did the exact opposite. There was no explanation at all, and for some strange reason, he didn't mind that one bit. At least he'd left the others out of it; that much, he knew he'd done right. They were completely loyal to Ryu, he didn't doubt that, but _his_ personal business was a different story. If he botched this one, they'd be able to go on without him, and that was the important thing.

"Hold it right there, asshole," the guard at the gate said as he approached, and he stopped a good ten feet away, as requested. It was Larkin, the same one who'd been a pain in their asses since the night when it all went wrong. "You again? Haven't you learned your lesson by now? You keep acting suspicious, the Count might just forget he forgave you."

"Hey, I don't want any trouble, okay?" Bow said, raising his hands. "Look, I'm here on business. Found out some information the Count really needs to know."

"At this hour?" Larkin snorted. "Try again, lunkhead."

"I know, I know," Bow wheedled, lowering his hands and relaxing. "But this is huge, man. I mean it. Trout's gotta know this."

"I'll be the judge of that." Larkin raised the visor on his helmet in order to sneer at him. "What is it?"

"Well, it's like this..." Scratching his head and glancing away, Bow fired his crossbow without looking, straight into Larkin's right eye. "Some total asshole's gone and killed the guard at his front gate. Can you believe that?" Walking forward, he caught the corpse as it began to fall forward, and shoved it back so that it leaned against the wall next to the gate. "Oof. Kids this days, you know? Bunch of ultraviolent punks, the lot of 'em. I blame the parents." Pulling the bolt out of Larkin's skull with a crunch, he lowered the visor. "Looking good, chief. Keep an eye out for any trouble, huh?"

The lock on the gate was as easily picked as the first time he'd broken in. Slipping through, he moved across the yard with much more stealth then he'd used on the way; he knew there would be more guards patrolling the grounds, and wanted none of their attention. Picking the lock on the front door as well, he sneaked inside and began creeping through the manor.

It was like an abandoned ruin, dark and empty both of life and of content; Trout had fired his servants months ago, and sold all but the bare minimum of furniture. The only inhabitants were the guards; twice, Bow came upon one, and dispatched them quickly before they could sound the alarm. He held no sympathy for the thugs; Silvia had managed to look up where Trout had found them, as well as their previous history, and it wasn't pleasant. Removing the bolts and hiding the bodies in fortunately empty closets, he kept going towards the back, where the basement stairs were located.

It was pure luck, finding the secret passage. As he was about to go down, he saw a huge, full-length mirror start to move, and quickly ducked around a corner. Eyes narrowed, he watched Trout walk out from behind it, look around nervously, and push it back into place easily before waddling down the hall in the other direction. Only once the obese Count was gone did he sneak over and move the mirror again.

"Interesting mechanism," he murmured, examining it; the mirror slid easily, as if powered by something like magic. After a moment, he shrugged and looked past it. A set of stairs behind it led downward, and he descended without thinking twice; whatever Trout's secret was, it would be there. A row of cells lined the hall below; as he walked past, glancing in, prisoners stared back.

"Hey, you!" A swarthy man yelled. "Lemme out of here, and I'll make it worth your while! Come on, man!"

"Whatcha in for?" Bow asked casually.

"Being an idiot and trusting Trout, that's what!" He snorted. "He hired me to steal, then threw me in here after I did the job! My days are numbered if you don't get me out of here!"

"Me too!" Another, far more timid-looking man, suddenly burst out. "I didn't even do anything wrong. I just came here to try and start up a market for whale cakes. Trout said he'd hear me out, but then he locked me up! Please, I have a family! My children..."

"Oy, I got a family too!" A thin, nasty-looking woman piped up. "Come on, buddy, help us out, will you?" The other prisoners began yelling in agreement.

"Okay, okay, just quiet down, will you?" Bow told them, continuing towards the back. "Don't get the guards down here, or we'll all be screwed. There's gotta be keys around here... some... where..." He trailed off as he saw what was at the end of the hall.

"Lose something?" Patty asked, obviously trying to act nonchalant despite the pain she had to be in. She was dangling by her wrists from a pair of cuffs attached to the ceiling by chains, two feet off the ground, above a table with more restraints; implements of torture lined the wall to her left. "Or did you miss me?"

"Shit," Bow muttered, staring first at her and then at the torture rack. "Don't tell me."

"Not yet." She tried to shrug and winced. "Probably only a matter of time. Under the circumstances, though, I think I'll skip the 'I told you sos.'"

"Gee, thanks," he said dryly, looking around more carefully. "Come on, keys, keys, keys... gotta be around here somewhere..."

"You're letting me go, then?" She raised an eyebrow. "This mean you're admitting I was right about Trout?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he replied absently. "Hey, I'm not the one who _knew_ what a sicko he was and robbed him _anyways_. Not too bright of you."

"Is it my fault I have standards?" She retorted. "I only rob assholes. That means taking risks. I'd have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you guys, you know."

"You calling the royal family of Sima assholes?" Bow snorted. "Might wanna be careful there. One of our guys might take it personal."

"Prince Jean, you mean?" She guessed, then batted her eyelashes when he turned to stare at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was that supposed to be a secret?" She blew a raspberry. "Of course _he's_ a good guy. The freak who was impersonating him, though? He didn't deserve that treasure. I figured if he was going to inherit the throne, it'd be better off in someone else's hands."

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Bow muttered, still searching for the key. "How the hell do you know so much about this stuff, anyways?" Growling in frustration, he kicked the side of the rack, and a secret drawer popped out. "Ha! There we go! Knew it!"

"Sure you did." Patty rolled her eyes.

"You want out or not?" He asked her crossly, taking a ring of keys out of the hidden compartment. "All right, one of these should get you down."

"Is the comedy act finished, then?" A dry voice asked from the back of the hall, and Bow froze, as the prisoners suddenly fell silent. Turning slowly, he saw Trout standing at the bottom of the stairs, arms folded. "How odd. I don't recall requesting any freelance entertainment. I certainly wouldn't have paid for it. Decidedly amateur talent."

"Everybody's a critic." Bow scowled. "Give it up, your grace. You're busted."

"I think not." Reaching up, Trout pulled a lever next to the door, and there was a mechanical noise from inside the cells, followed by traces of white gas leaking between the bars. "There we go. That should put them all to sleep, and make sure they don't remember what just happened down here... or what's about to, for that matter." Once the gas had dissipated, he started walking forward. "Now then, down to business. Have you considered my offer, young lady?"

"Offer?" Bow glanced up at her.

"He wants me to work for him," she explained. "To which I replied, and I quote, 'up yours, fatso.' Keep on considering _that_ all you want until you get the hint."

"A pity." He sighed. "And you, Bow? Your work was not quite as impressive as Miss Smith's, but you have... potential, nonetheless."

"As if." He snorted. "I saw the way you treat your employees on the way in, buddy. Not interested."

"Both of you, then..." He closed his eyes and shook his head, and when he opened them again, they were even more lifeless than before. "Such a shame. I'd hoped to get some use out of you, before turning you over to _them_."

"Don't do this, Trout," Bow warned him, tightening his grip on his crossbow. "Take it easy. It doesn't have to go this way."

"I didn't want to do this," Trout whispered, pausing suddenly, his voice dropping to a pitiful, whining tone. "You must understand that I didn't want this. I never wanted this. This wasn't what I had in mind at all." Wrapping his arms around himself, he began to rock back and forth, face contorted in self-loathing. "I just wanted to be rich, that was all. To be the richest man in the world, to have all the most beautiful treasures in the world for my own. You understand, don't you? I never wanted this. You'll forgive me. Please, please forgive me. St. Eva, please forgive me..." He began to sob.

"Trout..." Bow murmured, staring in mixed revulsion and pity.

"Don't be fooled!" Patty snapped. "He's completely lost it! He's just building himself up, before he comes for you! Look!"

"Forgive me... forgive me..." Trout continued to moan as his bulk expanded, filling more and more of the hallway. "They won't forgive me for botching this... they'll never forgive me... St. Eva will never forgive me..." His arms withered, and his legs as well, as new ones sprouted. He was like a giant, grotesque pillbug with a gleaming golden shell, rising up on its rear so that his dozens of tiny hands wiggled over a dark purple underbelly. He sat on a long, snakelike tail that coiled around him, and his face was that of a smiling catfish, wide mouth and tentacle whiskers under round green eyes.

"Shit," Bow muttered, staring up at the demon that Trout had become.

"They'll never forgive me unless I kill you," Trout rambled, broad face bizarrely jolly-looking as his eyes glittered madly. "I was only supposed to watch you two, you see. Nothing more. I screwed that up, but it'll be all right. If I kill you, they'll forgive me... if I kill you, St. Eva will forgive me!" Tensing up, he charged down the hall.

"Try and get yourself free!" Bow yelled to Patty, throwing the keyring at one of her hands. "I'll hold him off!"

"With what?" She retorted, somehow managing to catch the keys anyways. "My _teeth_? Look out!"

Trout had fallen silent; more importantly, he'd zoomed down the rest of the hall with surprising speed, considering his bulk. Propelled by his ridiculously slender tail, he rammed Bow, running him over like a runaway cart and continuing past. The only upside to his speed was that it carried him over Bow, instead of remaining on top of him; that was probably what made the difference between cracked ribs and broken ones.

"Ow..." Bow groaned, firing his crossbow at the demon's back as he healed himself. It sunk in, but Trout didn't seem to notice as he turned around, shifting a few zenny between his claws.

"Not bad, not bad..." Trout murmured, eyes gleaming. "You're making a lot more zenny in your new line of work than you did as street rats, aren't you? Maybe if you have enough for me, I'll let you live! Do you have enough zenny to buy your life? Let's find out!"

"How did you... oh, never mind!" Bow growled as the demon charged again, firing a shot. Trout weaved to the side abruptly, however, and the bolt only grazed the side of his head rather than taking out an eye as Bow had hoped. The demon continued forward, and he dove to the side, only for Trout to clip him and send him flying into a wall. "Pain."

"Oh, this won't do at all!" Trout complained, slowly turning again. "I stand corrected. You're practically broke! I should put you out of your misery, then! I'm doing you a favor, freeing you from poverty by killing you!"

"Shut up!" Bow shot him in the chest, but he didn't seem to notice, blasting forward a third time. "And stop pickpocketing me-_oof!_" Before he could dodge again, Trout ran him down and over; this time, he broke an arm. As Bow yowled in pain, the demon started to turn for one more, fatal charge, only for a blur of movement to spin him like a top.

"Aren't you supposed to be some kind of a pro?" Patty asked, batlike wings fluttering as she hovered above the ground. She'd snatched a whip from the collection of torture implements, and was holding it like she knew how to use it. "You're just lucky I'm damn good at what _I_ do. Don't worry, I won't tell anybody you were getting your ass kicked by _this._"

"I'm a professional _white mage_," Bow snapped, healing himself as Trout focused on her. "The heavy stuff's for the other guys! And don't get cocky!"

"You don't have any money at all!" Trout yelled at Patty, charging her. As he did, he actually moved sideways up the wall, and from there onto the ceiling. Surprised, she was taken off guard as he smashed into her, and fell to the floor, dazed. "How dare you waste my time by being so worthless! I'll show you!"

"Can't believe I'm doing this..." Bow muttered as he shot Trout again, aiming for lower in the demon's torso this time. Casting a healing spell on Patty, he raised his voice. "Hey, little rich boy! _I'm_ your enemy! Over here!"

"Commentary retracted," Patty groaned, sitting up and shaking her head, as Trout charged Bow once more. "How the hell does something that looks so stupid hit like that?"

"They call them demons for a reason!" Bow informed her as he dove out of Trout's way and was sideswiped again. "Ow!"

"You're worthless too!" Trout ranted. "You're all worthless! Die! Just die and stop wasting my time! Time is zenny!"

"A demon, _and_ a total nutcase!" Patty held out one hand, and a tiny fireball shot out, burning into Trout's belly. Yelping, he turned to her, and she smirked. "Yeah, that was me, big boy. Want some more? Bring it on!"

"Cut it out!" Bow told her as Trout blasted down towards her once more, moving up to the ceiling again. "You're in over your-huh?" At the last moment, she folded her wings and dropped to the floor, and Trout shot overhead. Her whip flicked out and wrapped around him, and he froze before dropping to the floor on his back, wriggling.

"You were saying?" She asked archly. "Take the shot!"

"Right!" Bow sighted carefully, then fired into Trout's left eye. His aim was true, and the bolt went in, but Trout only screamed in pain as he thrashed around, freeing himself from the whip. "Damn! Even that didn't do it?"

"Shit!" Patty stared down as Trout rocked back to his upright position. "Any more ideas?"

"Aside from pumping bolts into him until he bleeds out?" Bow shook his head. "Not really, and we probably wouldn't last that long. I can't keep healing us forever, you know."

"Hey, be glad you _have_ healing magic!" Patty told him, flying up to do a somersault over another rush from Trout. "I barely even know any black magic at all, and I suck at that!"

"I noticed!" Bow fired another bolt into where a kidney would be on a human, and growled as Trout simply turned and mowed him down once more, dislocating his shoulder. "Argh, dammit! This is bad!"

"Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!" Trout yelped, stopping near the stairs up. "You both talk too much! Money is the only thing worth talking about, and you don't have any!"

And then, as he was about to charge again, a massive fireblast came down the stairs and blew him all the way down the hall, past both Bow and Patty, to slam into the wall.

"Huh?" Patty blinked.

"Him, too, huh?" A familiar voice asked after a moment, and Bow tensed up as Ryu walked down the stairs. "And to think we laughed the idea off. Guess that'll teach us to underestimate people next time."

"Ryu..." Bow muttered, both relief and guilt growing. "Dammit, man, you shouldn't have come. I didn't want to get you involved."

"That was your decision," Ryu told him firmly. "Not mine. I say your problems are our problems, and if _that's_ a problem, too freaking bad. You okay?"

"Nothing a little of the old razzle-dazzle can't fix," Bow replied, wincing as he healed himself once more. "Aah, that's better." He was about to ask if Ryu had transformed into a dragon for the blast, but then he remembered Patty, and instead glanced at Trout. "We coulda taken him, you know."

"Just saving time." Ryu shrugged. "We don't have all night. Should probably get out of here before sunup."

"Best idea I've heard all night," Patty agreed. "Well then, shall we, gentlemen?" The three of them began advancing on Trout as he lay in the corner, twitching slightly.

"You're the one..." Trout gasped, one remaining eye staring up at Ryu. "You're the one they've been waiting for... the one they recruited me to keep an eye on... listen to me, young man. You and your friends... you have to..." Whatever he was going to say was lost, as he broke off into a scream, black flames erupting from his body and covering him.

"Ladon!" Patty gasped.

"Damn..." Bow stared; they'd told him about it, but hearing the stories and seeing it happen were too entirely different things.

"Don't listen to them!" Trout howled as he died. "Don't go! Whatever you do, don't go there, Ryu! If you enter Infinity, the world is doomed! All of us are doomed! God's time is at hand! I never wanted this... I never wanted this! Forgive me!" And then he screamed one more time, shrill and wordless, before collapsing into ashes.

None of the three of them spoke for some time after that. They simply stared at the deceased Count's remains, each lost in their own thoughts.

"We should get going," Patty said eventually.

"Yeah." Bow shook his head. "Man, why'd you have to come down here? Now you're gonna catch the blame for murdering Trout and all these guards along with me."

"Hey..." Ryu started to say, then broke off as Patty held up a hand.

"Don't worry about that," she told them. "We'll just leave this door open, and the town guard will find this place when they investigate. Shouldn't take them too long to put the pieces together. Patty, the Phantom Thief, broke free from the torture pit and killed all those guys before escaping, cleaning out the treasure room in the process."

"You'll take the rap?" Bow blinked. "That's... awful nice of you."

"With the circles I run in, it'll be just fine." She winked. "Besides, nobody'll be able to say Trout didn't deserve it, after they see this place."

"Point," Ryu agreed. "About that treasure room part, though? Leave the magic hood to us, huh? We really should return that to Duke Kilgore."

"Oh, fine." She rolled her eyes, but kept smiling. "I guess I owe you that much for saving me. I'll be on my way, then." She started to walk away, then paused. "You two have a lot to learn about stealing, but you're pretty good at killing freaks, I'll give you that much. And... I guess you're okay guys. Good luck."

"Thanks," Bow muttered as she disappeared up the stairs. "I think." He sighed. "Boy, what a night."

"You're telling me?" Ryu's voice lost its casual tone. "What the hell were you thinking, man? Did you really think we wouldn't have helped you?"

"I didn't want to get you involved," Bow protested, then paused, remembering something. "Hey, wait a second. What do you mean, we?"

"Come on." Ryu shook his head. "You still haven't figured it out?"

Before either of them could say anything more, dead guards began falling down the stairs, one after another.

"All right, that's those two," Katt's voice came from up the passage. "You get that one, and then we'll go back for the rest, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rand grumbled. "Geez, we're gonna need a mop for this one."

"My apologies," Nina said, sounding embarrassed. "I got a little carried away."

"After what he did, can't blame you," Sten chimed in. "I know if any asshole tried that on _me_, he'd be _lucky_ to die that quickly."

"A most uncouth assembly of ruffians, the lot of them," Jean commented. "Their fates were richly deserved, yes?"

"Hey, this one's still movin'!" Niro pointed out. "Come 'ere, you!"

"All of them?" Bow whispered, unable to believe his ears. "They _all_ came?"

"Did you really think they wouldn't?" Ryu shook his head. "You really are a dummy, man. Times have changed. We're not alone any more." He put a hand on Bow's shoulder. "I was wrong. It's not you and me against the world. It's all of us. They're with us, man. Every single one of them. No matter what."

A dozen different responses to that came to Bow's mind, but none of them seemed fitting. He stared at his hands, trying to think of what to say. Finally, he gave up and simply hummed the initial tune of an old barroom song, one he'd heard a hundred times.

"Exactly." Ryu grinned, recognizing it. "Now you're catching on. Ain't that right, guys?" Shouting up the stairs as he and Bow walked that way, he started to sing tunelessly. "'Hey, the wind is blowing at your back, it's gotten mighty cold. The hunger's gnawing at you, and your bones are tired and old.'"

"'It's another desperate day, and the world is full of pain,'" Katt joined in as they emerged. "'So forget about your troubles, come on in and drink your grain.'"

"'Sing it! Hail, hail, the gang's all here!'" Sten picked up the chorus cheerfully. "'Leave your worries out there boy, they ain't going anywhere! Hail, hail, the gang's all here! When there's nothing left for me, I know my friends will still be there!'"

"'Hey, you're sleeping on the road, and the rain is coming down,'" Rand continued. "'You've been tossed out on your ass, 'cause you're not welcome in this town.'"

"'You're down to your last zenny, and you know it won't last long,'" Nina sang, light and clear. "'So come on son, I know a place where mugs like us belong.'"

"'Sing it! Hail, hail, the gang's all here!'" Jean flicked his rapier in time with the words. "'Leave your worries out there boy, they ain't going anywhere! Hail, hail, the gang's all here! When there's nothing left for me, I know my friends will still be there!'"

"'Get yourself together now, you garbled that last verse,'" Niro crooned raucously. "'Things sure could be better, but you know they could be worse.'"

"'The odds might be against you, but you're not yet down and out,'" Bow led them into the climax. "'So let's all cheer, 'the gang's all here,' and shout!'"

"'Sing it!'" All eight of them sang together as they walked towards the door, the first light of sunrise peeping over the horizon through a window. "'Hail, hail, the gang's all here! Leave your worries out there boy, they ain't going anywhere! Hail, hail, the gang's all here! When there's nothing left for me, I know my friends will still be there! Hail, hail, the gang's all here! Hail, hail, the gang's all here! Hail, hail, the gang's all here! Hail, hail, the gang's all here!'"

_ME AND MY GANG _

_**End Book 1: Ranger**_


	16. Intermission: Scattered Points Of Light

_**Intermission: Scattered Points Of Light**_

Beneath the surface of the world, but not far, the Demon Lord Barubary slept. And as he slept, though two of his great eyes were tightly closed and unseeing, his third eye was not. For the demon's third eye did not see the dark cave in which he had retreated to since the Day Of Opening years ago, but instead saw that which was seen through the eyes of the destined child. Though Barubary slept, still he watched Ryu Bateson of Hometown, as God's time grew nearer and nearer.

Eventually, Barubary's ears picked up a familiar scratching sound approaching, accompanied by soft footsteps. Stretching his vast limbs with a great creaking of bones and cracking of chitin, he yawned once, his other two eyes opening. Turning himself, he regarded the much smaller form of his only equal among even the Demon Lords.

"Hail, greatest of demons," the Demon Lord Habaruku greeted him sardonically, leaning on the cane he'd used for the last thirteen years.

"Hail, greatest of demons," Barubary replied. "What news from the world above? I had thought your various duties kept you busy, these days... twice as much so as before." He smirked horribly at his own joke.

"They do," Habaruku admitted, not dignifying the jest with a response. "However, there are things we should discuss, related to recent affairs."

"I take it you refer to Kuwadora's demise," Barubary said, raising a chitinous eyebrow ridge. "How much do you know?"

"Not as much as I would like." Habaruku shook his head. "Our only other agent in Sima is much less competent. To be expected, I suppose, since he was a recent recruit, like most of those who serve us in this world. Yourself?"

"I saw it with my own eye, of course, and those of the destined child," Barubary told him, not even bothering to hide the amused tone in his voice. "It seems Kuwadora's defeat came about due to a cooking competition."

A long moment passed.

"Kuwadora?" Habaruku repeated, struggling to hold laughter in. "The Demon Lord of Slaughter, whose earned his place among our kind through sheer carnage for the last two thousand years? The most vicious, bloodthirsty barbarian of the First Dragon War? He who led the massacre of Winlan, the genocide of Scande, the pillage of Prima? The madman who opened the gates of his own capital to the invading army simply to enjoy the bloodshed? In a _cooking competition?_"

"And to think, we used to doubt that God had a sense of humor." Barubary chuckled. "My only regret is that he never wore one of those big white hats."

"Amusing turns of fate aside..." Habaruku drawled. "Despite the circumstances, somehow, I doubt it was that which _directly_ killed Kuwadora. The destined child and his comrades slew him, didn't they?"

"They did." Barubary nodded. "It was a very close thing, but in the end, they managed to triumph."

"And so, our designs in Sima are utterly foiled," Habaruku snarled, no longer amused. "The castle is lost to us, and the country as well. _Damn_ Kuwadora to the deepest pit of the void beyond life for failing us only when it finally, truly _counts_."

"We knew it would be a possibility." Barubary shrugged, unconcerned. "Ladon's line foiled the mother of our God twice over, after all. It is unsurprising that the next hero would be a formidable adversary as well."

"What I want to know is who awakened the Breath of Fire within him," Habaruku groused. "Without that, he never would have been able to overcome Kuwadora. It wasn't any of Ladon's agents; none of them were anywhere near him at the time. And that other fool hasn't stirred from his cave in the last year, as usual."

"Perhaps it was blind chance," Barubary mused. "Even for us, that must never be underestimated as a source of irritation. How else could the death of our God's mother be explained, after all?"

"Perhaps," Habaruku grumbled, still sounding irritated. "At any rate, Kuwadora is gone, and we're left with the cleanup."

"His mission was one of convenience, rather than an absolute priority, at any rate," Barubary reminded him. "Sima's early fall would have accelerated our conquest of this world, but it was hardly necessary. When God's time comes, we will still be able to take it for our own, like we shall take everything else."

"And did you want to explain that logic to _him_?" Habaruku asked sarcastically. "I'm sure he'll take great comfort in that fact."

"I think not." Barubary winced. "Logic is... unnecessary to our God. He knows, then. I take it he is reacting badly?"

"The fatalities are in the triple digits already, and he shows no signs of stopping any time soon." Habaruku shook his head. "All things considered, I suppose we should be glad we're on _this_ side of the gate."

"Indeed," Barubary agreed dryly. "Well, hopefully his mood will be improved if Shupukay proves more successful in her goal than Kuwadora was. She was doing well in her own, similar task the last time I checked. Kuwadora would still have been useful, but we still have her, Aruhameral and Necromanson at our service." He rolled two of his three eyes. "Not that Aruhameral has been doing much recently."

"Perhaps that should be changed, then." Habaruku stroked the lower half of his face, where his chin would be if he had one. "Yes, I think it's about time Aruhameral did his part in the service of our God once more."

"The destined child has recruited all but two of his companions now," Barubary mused. "_She_ is out of the question, of course, but perhaps the last of them...?"

"The Wise Trees!" Habaruku snapped his tentacles, hissing. "I knew I was forgetting something. The eldest of them will recognize our work, and be able to tell the Destined Child. We must remedy this oversight immediately."

"Well then, it seems we have our answer." Barubary smirked, unconcerned. "Aruhameral will be perfect for this task. Send him to... deal with the eldest of the Wise Trees, immediately." He thought for a moment, then continued. "And we might as well tell M.C. Tusk to have some fun with the eighth as well."

"Throwing him under the cart?" Habaruku sounded amused again. "My, what a way to reward loyal service."

"We might as well get _some_ use out of him," Barubary pointed out. "Augus and Joker managed to hold their own against them, but they dispatched Trout without much trouble. Their strength is growing fast. It won't be long before only the Demon Lords will be able to pose a threat, as is always the way with Ladon's line. Better to have as many of our lesser servants do their part before they become a joke."

"Tusk was always a joke." Habaruku snorted. "And you're one to talk, about both him and Aruhameral. You've been sleeping in here for the last ten years, doing nothing but watching and waiting. The others might start to think that you're losing your touch, at this rate. Wouldn't _that_ be a tragedy and a comedy."

"Then that is their mistake, and should they act upon it, it will be their pain as well," Barubary growled, then paused thoughtfully. "All the same, you may have a point." Stretching again, he spread his arms and flexed his claws as he continued. "Perhaps I have spent enough time waiting and watching. With Kuwadora's death... yes, I think it is time I stepped out for a bit and had a little... fun." He smiled, slow and terrible.

"This should be good, then." Habaruku smiled as well, just as ghastly, before turning away. "I'll leave you to it, then, and await the results. As you said, I do have a great deal of business of my own to attend to."

"The boy is doing well, I take it?" Barubary asked as his fellow Demon Lord began to walk off, cane tapping.

"Heh." Habaruku paused for a moment before continuing forward. "Well enough. Necromanson has expressed some concerns, but I doubt they're much to worry about."

"Necromanson's opinions are... somewhat unreliable," Barubary said dryly.

"We didn't recruit him for his opinions," Habaruku reminded him. "The boy is doing fine. In some regards, you could say he's surprised even me. Worry not; he will fulfill his destined purpose in due time."

"As will we all," Barubary murmured. "Good enough, then. Until next time." He started to glance away, then chuckled. "Oh, and give my regards to Ganer."

This time, Habaruku did laugh as he disappeared into the depths of the cavern, cane clicking against the stone beneath them.

Only once his fellow demon lord was gone did Barubary move again. Rising up to his full height, he flexed his claws and flapped his vestigial wings. Cracking his neck, he twisted his mighty tail, then began to move, walking through the tunnels towards the nearest exit of the caverns on spiderlike legs.

It was going to be a very bad day for the citizens of the town of Gate.

* * *

It was a bit of a trial for Patty Smith, finding a place where she could feel comfortable relaxing. Even once she was clear of Hometown, she remembered blazing a trail of petty theft all the way to Auria's eastern border-more to keep her hand in than for much actual profit-and it hadn't been long enough ago that she felt comfortable in any town or village she'd hit. She was forced to resort to staying out in the wilderness until she made her way to somewhere off the path she'd taken last time she was in the country.

The closest place to find that, as it turned out, was to the south. Not many travelers left Auria by that way, largely due to the massive mountain range that Mt. Fubi was only the tip of, stretching from west coast to east for hundreds of miles down the continent to Highland on the other side. Where exactly the border between the two countries fell was somewhat imprecise; nobody in their right mind actually cared all that much about terrain so difficult to traverse.

Still, a way out was a way out, and Patty wasn't in any position to be picky. After the close call she'd had in Trout's dungeon, she had no intentions of taking any more risks any time soon. Even though she stayed away from towns, she still didn't truly relax until she'd reached the edge of the mountains and started making her way up. Only then did the edge of paranoia leave her, and she continued up to a mountainside village that served as a wayside rest point for those few travelers who dared this path in a much better mood.

The bartender at the only tavern in town was insultingly cautionary about "a little thing like her" braving the route alone, warning her repeatedly about monsters and bandits, but Patty wasn't in the mood to educate him on who exactly would be the ones who needed to watch out for who. Instead, she simply waved him off and took her mug out onto the porch to drink in solitude. Staring up at the night sky, she found her thoughts drifting back to Hometown, and to the mercenaries who'd first thrown her under the cart, then pulled her back out from under it.

Despite their inconsistencies, which were both amusing and irritating, she had to admit that she'd kind of liked the stooges. Regardless of all the complaining she'd done, she _did_ understand that it had been just business, rather than anything personal. On the whole, they'd been a lot more decent about it that most people in their line of work would be, even before Bow had come back to save her from Trout's tender mercies.

"Wonder what they're up to now," she muttered to herself, staring up at the sky. Against all her instincts honed by a life in the gutter, she almost hoped she'd run into them again one day, hopefully on friendlier terms this time. It wasn't a crush; the men in the company had been pretty good-looking, but they weren't really her type. Besides, despite the flirting she tended to do when actually on her game, romance wasn't a thing she was concerned with. That would require actually _trusting_ somebody, and _that_ wasn't going to happen, even with people she liked.

"Good luck, boys and girls," she murmured in the end, raising her mug to them, wherever they were. "Try and avoid demons from now on. That kind of shit isn't your business, and it isn't your problem." Finishing the mug, she glanced back inside, wondering if she should go back in for another one. "Now _I_ just have to figure out what to do from here."

"I don't know what you were talking about before, miss, but _that_ I can probably help you with," a man said lightly, walking out of the tavern and sitting down on the porch next to her. He had two more mugs of ale in his hands, and set one down by her with a wink. "For starters, you can't go wrong with a pint or two more, no matter what's going on. One of life's truths, you know? Just like how you can't go wrong buying a round for a cute girl."

"Thanks for the tip," Patty started to snark, then stopped, irritation fading as she recognized who it was. There weren't many Woren clansmen in the world, after all; aside from the loudmouthed girl back in Auria, she'd only met one before. "Well, well, isn't _this_ a coincidence. What are you doing here, Mister Lee? And for that matter, how exactly did you get in there in the first place without me seeing you?"

"I've got skills," Tiga Lee bragged easily, taking a long draft of his ale. "As for your first question? Looking for you, actually. Took me a damn long time, too. After you didn't show up for our meeting at the Wildcat Cafe, I started snooping around, and picked up your trail eventually." He gave her an amused glance. "Simafort was a bit too much for you to handle, huh?"

"Oh, bite me." She rolled her eyes. "Actually, don't. Yeah, okay, I got a little cocky trying to swipe a national treasure. I _almost_ had it, though." She glanced over into the tavern, and recognizing what she'd been looking for, raised her voice. "Why don't you come on out here and join us as well, Miss Parcia?"

"Almost doesn't cut it, babe." Tiga smiled, then looked over his shoulder. "Good eyes, though. Told you she'd spot you, Claris!"

"So it seems," Claris Parcia, Tiga's right-hand woman, murmured dryly as she walked out onto the porch, a glass of wine in her hand. Red-haired and tanned, wearing a slim blue dress that left her arms and legs bare, she accompanied the leader of the Renegades even when most of the group stayed behind in order to temper his exuberance. Outwardly a study in opposites from Tiga, as serious and practical as he was wild and boisterous, her blue eyes had a well-hidden glint of mischief and adventurousness in them that she wasn't quite able to conceal.

"We were sorry to hear of your difficulties, Miss Smith," she said, sitting down next to Tiga, so that any passersby would simply see a handsome man with a pretty girl on each side. "On the whole, thought, it's probably for the best that they took you to Auria, despite the inconvenience of following you here. Springing you from Simafort would have been... tricky."

"You guys like me that much?" Patty batted her eyelashes. "I'm flattered."

"We like your _zenny_ that much," Tiga corrected her, chuckling. "Don't get me wrong, you're pretty cute, but that doesn't pay the bills."

"You _are_ still going to be able to pay our fees, right?" Claris asked pointedly.

"What do you take me for?" Patty rolled her eyes. "I deposited most of it in the bank of Prima every time I passed through a capital. What they took off of me was barely a tenth of what I was able to nab on that trip."

"They?" Claris asked, curious, then shook her head. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. So long as you pay up on time, that's all we need to know."

"You know what I love about the Maniro Clan?" Tiga remarked cheerfully. "Three magic little words. 'No. Questions. Asked.' God bless modern society, whichever God you like!" He paused before continuing, voice growing serious. "Gonna have to disagree with you there, though, Claris. See, I've been thinking maybe it's about time you filled us in on just what exactly it is you're going to be paying us _this_ much for, Miss Smith. With that kind of a price tag, I'm guessing it's not what you'd call normal business."

"Knew it would come to this eventually," Patty muttered, hastily reevaluating her opinion of Tiga. He _looked_ like nothing more than a rough, tough playboy, and that was mostly what he was, but not entirely. "Didn't we agree that part of that hundred grand down payment went towards not asking too many questions about that sort of thing?"

"Sure it did," Tiga admitted easily. "But there's only so long that I can justify that, you know? Eventually, a guy starts wondering about these sorts of things. Particularly related to how they pertain to the safety of the men under his command." He glanced at Claris, who slowly nodded. "It's your call, of course, when you get right down to it. You're the employer. But we'd both feel a lot better about this if we knew a little more about what exactly we're going to be getting into."

"I suppose it's better that you find out now, rather than at a worse time," Patty conceded. Taking a deep breath, she continued, eyes hard. "My reasons are my own, and those, I don't feel like sharing. But what I'm going to be asking you to do in the end is to bring down the city of Evrai, and the church of St. Eva. If you have a problem with that, we might want to go our separate ways now."

A stunned silence followed her declaration, as Tiga and Claris exchanged a wide-eyed glance.

"Well," Claris said eventually. "This explains the amount of zenny, at any rate."

"No kidding," Tiga muttered, but despite his shock, his eyes were starting to glint. "Taking down the Church of St. Eva... damn. _That's_ not something you do every day, even in this line of work. Something like that... to hell with notoriety. We'd go down in damn _history_."

"We'd also make enemies of half the entire world, at a minimum," Claris murmured. "Just pointing that out."

"True." Tiga shrugged. "But the _other_ half would keep us in business, now wouldn't they?" He thought for a moment. "Any of the guys going to have a problem with this?"

"Mick's the only one who follows the Church, and he's not exactly devoted." Claris shook her head. "At this point, I think it's only habit. I'm sure this much zenny will encourage him to consider agnosticism in a new light."

"Then I say we go for it." Tiga nodded to Patty, who'd been watching them discuss it with a slight smirk. "Just tell us what to do and we'll do it, so long as you're paid up. We have ourselves a deal, Miss Smith. Down with the Church of St. Eva it is."

"That a fact, son?" An unfriendly, drunken voice growled, and they turned their heads to see a mob of villagers forming, all of them glaring. "You folks really should learn to talk quieter. You know what we do to heathens around these parts?"

"Here it goes." Patty sighed, starting to rise, then paused as Tiga held up a hand.

"Let me handle this." The Woren Clansman stood up, cracked his neck and flexed his clawed fingers. "You wanted to rumble, boys, you should have just said so in the first place. Don't blame me if you can't walk it off, though!"

"Get 'em!" The leader growled, and the mob charged as Tiga lunged into the fray.

"Should we..." Patty started to ask Claris, then trailed off, wide-eyed, as she watched Tiga tear through the mob with his bare hands as if they were made of paper and glass.

"Get him another mug?" Claris finished the sentence wryly. "Probably. He'll want one by the time he's done." She glanced at Patty, amused. "Surprised? I thought you hired us because we were the best, didn't you?"

"I suppose I did, didn't I?" Patty smiled slowly as a villager flew past her, bouncing off a tree. "Well then. Let's get those refills. For some reason, I'm in a good mood tonight myself."

* * *

The Isle of Guntz was one of the only four nations in the world unattached to a continent, along with the Isle of Tunlan, the Isle of Evrai, and the undersea city-state of Prima. It had once been part of the southeast, occupying a peninsula that had stretched up from the west of what was now Highland, but a geological disruption had sunk the southern end into the sea and shifted what was left further west, in one of the greatest tragedies of the millennium. Even now, the Builder Clan native to Guntz were still recovering from the loss of life, and their numbers remained relatively low.

All of this was in the past, of course, but Ray Braddoc had a deep interest in history, for a variety of reasons. When his thoughts wandered, as they were doing today, he couldn't help but consider what had made a country what it was today. The sense of the past was helped by where he was sitting, eating his lunch under the noon sun. The center of the city of Gant, the island's capital, was a square around a thirty-foot statue of the greatest hero the Builder Clan had ever known, the warrior known only as "Ox" who had helped usher in the end of the Second Dragon War.

It was on a bench before that statue that Ray sat, eating his sandwich; that was where he would meet his friend, if she was in town as he suspected. The Church of St. Eva had arranged meeting points in every nation's capital that were known to those in its employ, and while Kay wasn't technically a servant of God's will, she was privy to many of the church's secrets regardless. She shared the same past as him, after all, even if she was the only one of the three of them not to choose the path of the paladin, and the Church remembered that sort of thing.

"Ray!" Her voice jerked him out of his thoughts, and he looked up, smiling, as she approached. No matter how many times he saw her, it was always slightly surprising to see Kay as the woman she'd become, rather than the girl he'd grown up with. She was pretty in a modest way, conservatively dressed in white as always with her honey-blond hair tied back by a ribbon. Smiling back, she sat down next to him. "I got your message. How long have you been here?"

"I just arrived yesterday," he replied as she took a sandwich of her own out from the black bag she carried in one hand. Raising an eyebrow, he regarded it, voice growing amused. "I've never seen that being used medically before. How does it work?"

"Oh, hush." She shook her head. "There's no law against carrying your lunch with your supplies." Instead of becoming a paladin like her adopted brothers, Kay had studied medicine once reaching maturity. Even with white magic a common skill, there were many ailments that only a skilled doctor could remedy, and she'd taken to the practice with an honest desire to help people. Unfortunately, finding a place to set up shop in had proved difficult for her. "It's a good thing you came when you did. I was planning on leaving soon."

"I'd have regretted missing you," Ray said, frowning. "No luck here either, then?"

"No." She shook her head. "Guntz has enough doctors already too."

"You'll find something soon," he assured her. "St. Eva is simply waiting for you to find where you belong. You'll know it when you see it."

"I know," she said, her smile returning. "I'm glad to have seen you again, anyways. We didn't really get to spend much time together in Coursair."

"My fault, I'm afraid," Ray told her. "I had to leave the city rather quickly. There were certain complications."

"I remember." She nodded. "I still wish we'd had more time to... well, to catch up." She looked away. "I like spending time with you."

"And I with you," Ray replied gently. He was aware of her feelings, of course; he'd have to have been blind not to be. Had he followed a different path in life, he might even have returned them. Unfortunately; it was not to be; a paladin's vows were absolute, and he could no more consider a relationship with his childhood friend than with the girl who had captured his heart with a glance. This wasn't the time to think of her, though, so he quickly sought another topic of conversation. "I saw Gabriel recently. He's doing well."

"Good." Kay smiled again. "It's been a lot longer since I've seen him. I'm starting to think he's avoiding me, after..." She let it hang.

"It's a possibility," Ray admitted. Gabriel was the third of the orphans who'd been taken in and raised together, a paladin like Ray, and he'd developed his own feelings for Kay that she'd gently rebuffed before he took his vows. "I doubt he holds it against you, but... it may still be too soon. Too painful. He'll heal in time, though, I'm sure."

"I hope so," Kay murmured. "He was doing well, then?"

"He was enthusiastic," Ray recalled. "Our ships were both at anchor in a harbor town east of here; he was heading north, and I south. He was part of a delegation of the church to Simafort."

"Sima?" Kay frowned thoughtfully. "Why would a delegation be heading there?"

"Gabriel claimed that Prince Ekaru was interested in converting to the Church, and establishing its presence within his country," Ray said, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

"Oh, Ray, that's wonderful!" Kay nearly dropped her sandwich in her excitement. "The Church has wanted to expand into Sima for so long!"

"Indeed." Ray forced himself to agree, despite his suspicions. "I only hope that Gabriel was correct."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Kay asked, then frowned. "There's something you're not telling me, Ray. Just like in Coursair. What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not in a situation where I can speak freely," Ray told her honestly. If he _could_ talk of what he'd seen in the world, and what he suspected was happening in Sima, Kay would have been one of the first people he would tell, but that wasn't his choice to make. "It involves something I haven't told anybody about who wasn't involved..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Not even father."

"This _is_ serious, then," Kay murmured, stunned. "I didn't think there was anything you would conceal from father."

"I'm not concealing it," Ray objected, realizing even as he said it that it was a little too quick. "I'm simply waiting for the right moment to seek his wisdom on the matter."

"If you say so," Kay replied after a moment. "Have you seen him recently, then?"

"Father?" Ray shook his head. "No, it's been some time since I returned to Evrai. The last I heard, though, he was in good health for his age."

"I'm glad to hear that," Kay said, then glanced to their left. "I should stop by and see him soon myself... oh, it seems you have some company."

"Sir Ray!" The innkeeper of the establishment Ray was staying in, a stout Builder clansman in his midforties, greeted him as he skidded to a halt, puffing. Even a physically unremarkable specimen such as himself towered over them both, ten feet tall with arms like tree trunks and broad, deadly horns atop his head. "My apologies, but you requested to be informed immediately if any messages arrived for you. This was magically delivered only a few minutes ago." He held out an envelope with Ray's name on it in one hairy, muscular hand. "We don't know who sent it, I'm afraid."

"My thanks," Ray replied politely, taking it. It didn't bear the seal of the Church, which meant he didn't know who it could be either.

"You're welcome, sir." The innkeeper smiled. "I'll come find you again if any more arrive." Turning, he walked off at a more sedate pace.

"Who do you suppose it's from?" Kay asked, curious. "Do you recognize the handwriting?"

"Not at all." Ray shook his head, opening it and removing the letter inside. "Let's see here... 'Greetings, Mr. Braddoc. You are cordially invited to a gathering of friends and associates over the next week at Duke Kilgore's lakeside vacation home, in southern Sima. In addition to enjoying the Duke's hospitality, those present will be discussing recent business involving several notable individuals in Auria, Tantar, Windia, Camlon and Sima. While we will understand if you are unable to attend, your presence would be greatly appreciated."

"As clear as mud." Kay shook her head. "It sounds to me like they're trying to be intentionally vague in case the message fell into the wrong hands. Who's it signed by?"

"Elder Allen of the Ranger's Guild, Hometown branch," Ray murmured, thoughts racing; that confirmed his suspicions as to who had actually sent the letter. "Very interesting."

"Is this about what you're not telling me?" Kay guessed.

"I'd wager on it, were I not a man of the church," Ray replied, still thinking. "It seems to me that they're trying to conceal it under the guise of a social gathering, though." He glanced at Kay. "Perhaps it would look better if I was accompanied, with that in mind. Was your departure on a fixed schedule?"

"Not really." She shook her head. "I was considering going to southern Auria, to see if that new town being built west of Mt. Fubi needed a doctor, but that can wait."

"Wait, what?" Ray blinked. "What new town west of Mt. Fubi?"

"Rumor has it that somebody's renovating some old ruins over there," Kay explained. "Building a new town from the remains of the old. They say three renowned carpenters from Capitan were hired to handle it. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Ray groaned, clutching his face with one hand. Lowering it, he sighed. "I can't _wait_ to see how they'll react to _this_ one."

"They?" Kay asked.

"Do you remember that friend of mine I had you take a look at, back in Auria?" Ray told her after a moment's consideration. "Mr. Bateson?"

"Of course." She frowned now, clearly concerned. "Scandean Death Spider poisoning. Even though he took the antidote, it was a close thing. He was involved with why you had to leave town so quickly." It wasn't a question.

"He was." Ray nodded. "But he's a friend of mine, as are all of his companions. If they're asking me to come to this gathering, they have news they think I should hear, related to the circumstances both they and I were involved in."

"It must be important, if you're placing priority on it above spreading St. Eva's word in Guntz," Kay said quietly.

"Indeed," Ray agreed firmly. "There is evil abroad in the world, Kay, and it threatens us all, believer and nonbeliever alike. If we do not find its source, all life will fall into the depths of the abyss. If you'll come with me, then we leave tomorrow morning, assuming I can find a mage willing to Warp us to Sima. May St. Eva guide our path."

* * *

As the sun set, the man who called himself Martin made his way back to the cavern he'd called home for the last decade. The clouds were rolling in, above northern Sima, promising rain that evening. He paid them no mind, concentrating simply on hauling the carcass of the deer he'd slaughtered back to the cavern. It was at the top of the waterfall that led into the River Sima, near the notorious Wildcat Cafe; skirting around the edge of the lesser river atop the fall, he pushed aside the trick boulder that concealed his home and walked inside.

"Dinner?" A familiar voice asked dryly from the back of the cave. "How considerate of you, boss."

"You know me," Martin replied as the firepit in the center of the cave lit up, illuminating three visitors. "Considerate. Give me a hand with this, will you?"

"Of course." Karn walked forward, a short, compact old man who still wore the same odd, banana-yellow shorts and tunic he'd always favored. Dark of skin and silver of hair, his eyes still held a twinkle of mischief despite his age, more advanced than almost anybody in the world could have guessed. Grabbing the deer's hind legs, he helped Ryu haul it over to the fire. "We should probably let Gobi do the cooking, though, unless yours has improved a lot more in the last ten years than it ever did in the thousand before that. I know mine hasn't."

"Everybody's a critic." Martin rolled his eyes. "Well, Gobi?"

"I suppose it's for the best." The portly Maniro shrugged, stepping out of the shadows as well. "Nothing personal, boss, but _Deis_ cooked better than you." He paused, then winced, glancing over his shoulder. "Sorry, Bo. Wasn't thinking."

"It's fine," Bo drawled, joining them. "After knowing you for a millennium, I'm used to you running your mouth." He glanced over to Martin. "Sorry we dropped by without sending word, but we didn't want to tip off any lurking eyes."

"They don't come around here any more, after what I did to the last one, but I appreciate the thought." Martin shook his head. "I take it she's not coming, then? Deis, I mean?"

"She's stubborn that way," Bo reminded him. "Sent us a message wishing us luck, but she's not going to make contact with us herself unless _they_ do, with her along. I don't know if it's the rules, or whatever, but..." He trailed off, closing his eyes, and the others looked away. They all knew the reason Deis was avoiding him, and that it had nothing to do with "the rules," but none of them were going to say it.

"Any idea how long it's going to be before they figure it out?" Karn asked eventually. "She's not exactly being subtle about it."

"Maybe it's not subtle to _us_," Gobi corrected him. "Or to the demons, or Ladon's agents. But those kids don't see the world the same way any of us do. They don't know this shit. They don't even know as much as _we_ did, back when it was our turn. Not even close."

"Of course they don't." Martin shook his head. "That was intentional. It has its downsides, but it's better than how things turned out for us." He stared at the fire for a while, during which nobody spoke again.

"Help me out with this, will you?" Gobi asked Bo eventually, having spitted the deer. Together, the two of them hoisted it over the fire as he continued. "They seemed to be doing well, the last time I saw them. Heading out to the Wildcat Cafe, for some damned reason, but I figure they knew what they were doing."

"They killed Kuwadora," Martin said casually. "About a week and a half ago."

"Really?" The Maniro whistled. "Damn, they're getting better fast. We took a lot longer than that before we were able to take Cort out."

"They're up to seven now, right?" Karn reminded him. "Since that old guy doesn't really count. We were at seven too when we killed Cort."

"Yeah, but there were only eight of us," Gobi pointed out. "One more every time means there'll be nine for them. Might not seem like a big difference, but when you look at it in terms of percentages, it's a different story."

"Well, I'm not complaining." Bo rolled his eyes. "Kuwadora always was an asshole. They all are." He frowned. "It can't have been an easy kill, though."

"Hell of a lot harder than Cort was, and that's saying something," Martin agreed. "On the whole, perhaps it's for the best that the kid's Breath of Fire was brought out, even if it does strengthen his connection to Ladon. He doesn't seem to have been changed much by it, and without it, Kuwadora would have won."

"I really am sorry about that," Karn apologized for the hundredth time since the incident. "I had no idea those two were going to go do something crazy like that. I barely managed to Warp over there in time to get them out of there." He made a rude noise. "Descendants. Sometimes I think they're not worth the trouble."

"They have their good points," Martin commented dryly. "At any rate, the kids don't suspect anything, as far as I know. Not about us, at least."

"Good to hear." Gobi exhaled heavily. "I'm being careful not to let them catch me near them often enough, so they don't get suspicious. Should probably wait another month or two more before 'running into them' again to be on the safe side."

"I haven't even seen them at all, aside from when my greatdaughter's house blew sky-high," Karn added, and Bo nodded in agreement as well.

"Good," Martin said. "I don't think they've spotted any of Ladon's agents either. The kid's only actually met one of them, right?"

"Yeah," Gobi confirmed. "Bunyan, over in Tantar. He's going by 'Baba Deri' at the moment. I made sure to drop by after the kid headed off and grill him. He swears he was just playing along like any normal lumberjack would and didn't say anything out of place, and I figure he was telling the truth. Bunyan's the honest type." He grimaced. "I hate the honest types."

"That just leaves the demons, then." Bo snorted. "Is it any surprise that _they're_ not playing by the rules?"

"I guess with Kuwadora, it says a lot that he even _tried_ to," Martin murmured sarcastically. "He only blew his cover when he got desperate. The other three were all just grunts, so they probably didn't understand just what a bad idea it was to violate that particular agreement." He shrugged. "Oh well. Their problem."

"Three?" Karn raised an eyebrow.

"They found Trout out," he explained. "It was probably only a matter of time. There was a reason they gave the job of watching the kids to the most expendable schmuck they had in this side of the world."

"Speaking of demons near the kids..." Bo said gravely. "Am I the only one who's worried about Shupukay? Specifically, her involvement in Mr. Legacy's past?"

"I've been trying not to think about that, actually." Gobi made a face.

"It's going to be trouble, all right," Martin agreed, ignoring him. "That kind of thing always is. Still, of them all, he's the least to be concerned about such issues. I doubt it's something they won't be able to overcome when the time comes."

"How do you know all this stuff, anyways?" Gobi asked curiously. "_You_ haven't been keeping an eye on them. I'd have seen you."

"I haven't," Martin agreed, closing his eyes. "But Nina has. She sees many things, in her current state."

"Sorry, boss," Gobi muttered after a moment. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"It's fine," Martin told him. "I went to see her again a little while ago." Opening his eyes again, he stared at the fire. "I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you. After we see how this ends... I've been thinking about joining her."

"It's your call, boss," Bo said, shaking his head. "We're not going to tell you no. Not after everything you've already been through. Kind of hoping you'll stick around, all the same, but if that's what you decide on... your call."

"Look on the bright side," Karn suggested. "For all we know, this'll end up being the one the good guys _don't_ win, and we'll all die horribly. That way, you won't have to make that call after all. You won't have a choice in the matter."

"_That's_ the bright side?" Gobi remarked. "We got a _better_ deal back in the old days when we worked with Ladon."

"No," Martin said firmly, eyes burning. "No, we didn't. We just didn't know, until it was too late."

Yet again, a long silence followed his statement, as they all stared into the fire, remembering their past, and the friends no longer with them.

"Dinner's ready," Gobi said eventually, and they all carved off portions of the deer to eat in further silence, taking what comfort they could in each others' companionship; there was little else for them to enjoy at the moment. Four tired, cynical old men, some more bitter than others, content to simply watch history continue its course without interfering further.

They'd learned all too well what price destiny claimed at the door long ago.


	17. Chapter 15: The Sleeping Whale

_**Breath Of Fire II: War Of The Demons**_

_**Book II: Mercenary **_

_**Chapter 15: The Sleeping Whale **_

To the south, the land of Sima stretched down the eastern side of the world, wetlands gradually becoming more and more forested as the River Sima ran closer and closer to the border of the country and the Sea of Trees beyond, just past the Isle of Spring in the center of the river. To the east of the isle, Duke Kilgore of Auria's vacation manor was situated on the seacoast, north of the Whale Cape, the most legendary tourist trap in the world. Normally uninhabited for most of the year, the manor was packed full of guests at the moment, many more than usual.

One of said guests was currently lounging on the coast of the sea, under the noon sun, along with his closest friends. This far south, the rainy weather that permeated most of Sima was somewhat less common, much to his pleasure. Summer was quickly heading into fall, but it hadn't yet gotten so cold as to be uncomfortable, which he appreciated, as did the other men lying on the sand with him. A brawny adolescent human with blue hair tied back in a short ponytail, Ryu Bateson was clad only in red swim trunks at the moment; iron mail and a heavy sword weren't really beach-friendly attire.

"You know what?" He asked his friends, sipping from the mug lying on the sand next to him. "At this rate, I'm starting to think we should give his grace a certificate entitling him to anything he needs done under the table, any time, anywhere, no charge. We thought he was being nice to us _before_, and then he comes and drops something like _this_ on us. You know what I mean?"

"Think so, yeah," Bow Dogi, Ryu's oldest friend and the second-in-command of their group, agreed. Of a similar age, slightly shorter and more than slightly stouter, his mixed Forest Clan and Grassrunner Clan heritage had given him a coat of short, red-and-white fur over his body and the features of a cheerful beagle. Like the other men, he'd donned a pair of trunks for the day, green in his case, and had brought a tropical drink down from the manor's kitchen. "Hell, you might even be able to convince me, and you know how I am about zenny."

"Everybody we've ever _met_ knows how you are about zenny, man," Sten Legacy pointed out. Short and scrawny, the simian rogue of the Highlander Clan's stooped posture concealed the length of his arms and legs, a useful trait for the company's knife man. Despite his heavy coat of brown fur, he was enjoying the warm seasonal sun as much as the others. His trunks were dark blue, and probably had a sheath for at least one dagger concealed on them somehow, just in case. "And probably a lot of people we haven't."

"Ah, but it is only from concern for our group's financial stability, yes?" Prince Ekaru Hoppe de pe Tapeta, more commonly known simply as Jean, spoke up. Tall and wide, the froglike prince of the unfortunately named Creeper Clan normally had bright green scales over his body that shifted to a light cream color at his jawline and front torso, though they were teal at the moment. He wore lighter blue trunks, as well as a broad straw hat. "It is good that somebody is so thoughtful of such things!"

"Something like that," Rand Marks grunted laconically. The last man there, and by far the largest, he towered at ten feet of massive muscle with shoulders wider than most carts, the mark of the Farm Clan. Finding a pair of purple trunks that would fit over the round brown shell over his back had been a challenge; idly, Ryu wondered what a tan would look like on his pale gray hide. Twitching the tiny, long ears above his small, vaguely equine head, he took a long draft of his drink before glancing out at the sea. "Looks like the girls are coming back in."

"Seems that way," Ryu agreed, looking as well without trying to seem like he was staring, a difficult thing when watching a pair of pretty young girls in swimsuits. The two female members of their organization had gone out for a swim some time ago, leaving the men on the beach; they were returning now, laughing and shoving each other lightly as they walked out from the waves.

Katt Chaun was the younger of the two, a bright, fiery redhead of the feline Woren Clan with large green eyes and a cute, cheerful grin. Stripe-furred from the waist down with a long, lashing tail, she wore her white bikini with far more ease than the blonde, beautiful Nina, who'd been slightly hesitant about buying her own, a black one that matched her dark-feathered wings. Normally quiet and pensive, she was in an unusually good mood today by the looks of the way she flicked water back at Katt, giggling along with her.

"You know, those are some damn good looking girls out there," Sten commented quietly. "It's a fortunate thing we're not the kind of guys who'd get ticked about one man getting all the luck."

"You're about as funny as a plague," Ryu said grumpily. The romantic situation between him, Katt and Nina was best described as "extremely complicated," and until it was resolved one way or the other, all three of them were keeping their instincts tightly controlled. There were times, like right now, when that was more difficult than others. "Besides, I thought you and Sana had an understanding."

"We're keeping it casual." Sten shrugged. "Sana's not really a long-term sort of girl." He frowned pensively. "Besides, she keeps trying to talk me into trying this 'fusion' thing, and I'm not really sure how I feel about that."

"Ask Jean," Rand suggested. "He's already on it with Seso." Sana and Seso were sisters who lived next door to their base of operations, two of the last descendants of the lost Fusion Clan, allowing them to bond with other individuals. Doing so increased their physical capabilities substantially, highly beneficial for a group of mercenaries.

"It is... different," Jean admitted. "But not bad. Try it and see, and if it is not to your liking, you can undo it, yes?"

"Well, maybe," Sten conceded. "Shame _she's_ not down here, I'll admit that much."

"If you're talking about Sana, I think one of these might actually be _more_ modest than what she normally wears," Nina said dryly as the girls approached, fanning her wings slowly to dry them. "Just pointing that out."

"Enjoying the view?" Katt asked archly, giving them a look they all recognized by now.

"No comment," Sten replied quickly, and the other all nodded in agreement. "Don't need _my_ skull dented today."

"No fun at all." She sighed, then grinned mischievously. "So, what's this I hear about you and Sana, then?"

"Is it too late for me to go with the whole head-kicking thing, actually?" He said, rolling his eyes. "Bother Bow. He's the one with the _real_ steady thing." Bow's girlfriend, Silvia, would be joining them at the manor later in the week, along with her superior in the Ranger's Guild, Elder Allen. Ryu and Bow had both been members as well for several years, but that was about to change; it was one of the matters to discuss once everybody arrived.

"Hey, here comes Niro," Bow pointed out quickly, glancing up the beach towards the manor, where the last member of the team was indeed approaching. A bald, stooped old man with a gray beard down to his waist, Niro Mani was wearing a bright, multi-colored floral shirt along with his banana-yellow shorts, and had a straw hat like Jean's on his head. More importantly, he was bearing a tray with more drinks on it, and grinning knowingly.

"Figured ya'll would be about ready for some refills," he told them, handing them out. "This scene's really somethin', ain't it? If this is whatcha get for bein' framed for robbery, maybe you oughta do it more often!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Bow muttered, finishing off his drink and accepting the replacement from Niro. "Once was enough for my life. Somebody else can take their turn next if that's what we're doing." Duke Kilgore's generosity towards them had most of its source in a heavy sense of guilt; he'd hired Bow to steal from his rival, Count Trout, and the botched incident had forced him to hide out all summer, waiting for Ryu and the others to track down the girl who'd made off with the loot while the guards were chasing Bow.

"I'd prefer it if we stuck to less risky ventures," Ryu said firmly. "That kind of thing isn't really our line of work anyways." Taking his drink, he glanced at Niro. "Speaking of business, have any more of our guests trickled in yet?"

"Yep," the old man nodded. "Couple of princesses. One from Sima, one from Windia. Came in together. Seems they met up on the way over and now they're friends or something."

"Mina's here?" Nina said, almost dropping her drink. "Why didn't you... wait. She's making friends with _Petape?_"

"Ah, what wonderful news!" Jean grinned. "Friendship is a beautiful thing, especially between one little sister and another, yes? And there is so much Petape can teach her!"

"That's kind of what we're afraid of," Katt muttered under her breath. "Tell me they're not hanging out with Sana and Granny now that they've arrived."

"Nope." Niro shook his head. "Just Deis. She finally woke up and got over that hangover, so she's showin' them around." Deis had been Nina's roommate at the Magic School in Auria before she'd joined the group, as well Bow and Ryu's old drinking buddy. She was a cheerful, loud girl with a reckless disposition, violent tendencies, and a taste for low living.

One of Nina's eyes started to twitch.

"Maybe we should come up with something for everybody to do," Bow suggested thoughtfully. "We're still gonna be waiting a couple more days for the rest of 'em. Elder Allen will be bringing all those other Ranger's Guild leaders in, and if we're lucky Ray'll show up too, but we can't get started until they arrive. Finding something to keep us all more busy than this whole sun and fun thing might be a good idea."

"I _like_ the sun and fun thing," Sten commented. Everybody ignored him.

"There's always that one place, down south," Rand suggested. "The Whale Cape. Could take a trip down there and back in a couple days."

"Isn't that place a total pit, though?" Katt frowned. "Heard about it once. Supposed to be a sinkhole for zenny and not much else."

"You know, I don't think Mina's ever been anywhere like that," Nina said, eyes distant. "Perhaps it would be good for her. She'll learn more about the world."

"Petape as well, yes?" Jean agreed. "She has always steadfastly refused the notion of visiting, but should everybody else save his grace depart, I believe she will have no choice but to come along."

"We can have some o' those whale cakes while we're there, too!" Niro added. "Always wanted to try those."

"A field trip," Sten groaned. "We're taking everybody on a freaking _field_ trip while we're waiting for the late arrivals."

"You have any better ideas?" Rand asked him.

"We could just have more to drink," Sten suggested. "That would keep everybody plenty busy for the next few days."

"And this is relevant to my little sister how?" Nina replied, smiling slightly. "Choose your next words carefully."

"Um, uh, well..." Sten coughed, then raised his fist in the air. "All _right!_ We're going to the Whale Cape!"

"Smart call," Ryu murmured, and the others all nodded in agreement, even Jean and Niro.

Some of them went back to the manor soon after that, while others spent more of the day on the beach, but by sunset they had all returned. In addition to their group, Deis, and the princesses, Duke Kilgore had also invited the others living in the old ruins west of Mt. Fubi. Sana, Seso and their Granny were in the next house over, and others were being inhabited by three carpenters from Coursair; Rivab and his family, Haseco and his wife, and Eizen, who'd brought along his nephew Lacquer. The three men had apparently decided to completely rebuild the ruined city, for somewhat obscure reasons that had a lot to do with a drunken bet one evening.

Everybody present had dinner together on the patio, courtesy of Mrs. Rivab and Jean; Kilgore had left most of his staff back in Auria, since this was more of a business occasion than pleasure, despite the location and their general relaxation until everybody had arrived. The sunset was beautiful, and put everybody in a good mood; when the excursion to the Whale Cape was broached, nobody disliked the idea, and it was agreed that they would embark the next morning.

Only Duke Kilgore himself demurred, deciding to stay behind to greet late arrivals; in addition to the heads of several Ranger's Guild Branches, they were still waiting for Ray Braddoc, a paladin of the Church of St. Eva and a close friend who'd assisted them several times in the recent past. He'd last been spotted on the Isle of Guntz, so his attendance was more of a hope than a guarantee, but knowing Ray, if there was any way for him to be there, he would.

The assembly had been Elder Allen's idea. The previous summer in which Ryu had tracked the thief, Patty Smith, across five countries in order to haul her in and clear Bow's name had been a very interesting one. He'd met and recruited the others who were part of their team in turn, starting up their group of adventurers, and they'd done jobs for several royal families and ruling councils, many of which involved demonic activity, a phenomenon previously believed to simply be myth and legend. It was that, more than anything, that had made them agree to the meeting.

Bidding the Duke farewell, the rest of them set out to the south the following day. There would be no need to sleep out in the open, which was fortunate considering some of the guests wouldn't have taken to that well; the Whale Cape was well within a day's trip from Duke Kilgore's manor. This also turned out to be fortunate, since having civilians along slowed the group's usual pace considerably. Everybody in their group was used to making a good pace, but others among their number were less habitual travelers; Petape and Sana, in particular, spent more time complaining than they did walking.

After a full day of that, climbing the last hilltop and finding nothing more than a single shack in the center of a flimsy wooden fence, blocking off a cape that was indeed shaped like a whale from above, was something of a letdown.

"_This_ is what we've been walking all day for?" Petape demanded. Nobody could really argue with that.

"You sure this is supposed to be a tourist trap?" Rivab glanced at Ryu. "'Cause from the looks of things, the only thing this place could trap is roaches."

"No, no, this isn't right." Deis shook her head. "I've been here before, years ago, and it didn't look like _this_. Still wasn't exactly a primo resort or anything, but it wasn't anywhere near this bad. What the hell?"

"Only one way we're going to find out," Niro grunted. During the course of the hike, the old man had displayed a surprising willingness to take charge of the herd of civilians; when he was with the team, he was the most reticent of them all, but it seemed that under other circumstances it was a different story. None of the other seven were going to argue with that; they'd left it to him eagerly and stuck to themselves. "Come on, let's get down there and see what's going on!" He led the flock down towards the shack, while Ryu and the rest of the team hung back for a moment.

"Anybody else getting the feeling that this might have been a bit of a mistake?" Sten suggested dryly.

"Bit late for that." Katt frowned. "What I'm worried about is if there turns out to be trouble. Think there might?"

"Maybe." Ryu grunted. "If there is, at least Niro can keep these guys mostly under control while we take care of it." He made a face. "If I ever suggest bringing civilians along when we head out somewhere again, even if it's just a sightseeing tour, punch me. Please."

"Can do."

"'Civilians,' huh?" Rand gave him a look. "We're really getting into this whole 'band of mercenaries' thing, aren't we?"

"Adventurers," Nina corrected him. "Group of adventurers. It sounds better."

"I kind of like the sound of that better, myself," he admitted. "Didn't think you really cared about that sort of thing, though."

"I meant for the publicity value," she pointed out.

"Oh."

"What gets me is that more than half of those civilians are going to be living around our base of operations," Sten chimed in. "Which wouldn't be so bad if we had an office in Prima or something like that, but out in the middle of nowhere?"

"That's one of the things we should talk about once everybody's here," Ryu said vaguely. "Right now, though, we should probably head on down there and see what's going on."

"Here comes Deis," Bow pointed out, glancing down. She was walking back towards them, alone, and looking slightly irritated.

"Well, we wasted a day or two," she told them as she climbed back up the hill towards them. "This place has been dying for years. All the folks running the tourist joints moved away because business was failing. There's only one family left, and that's just because the dad's too stubborn to pack up, no matter how bad things get." Her eyes narrowed. "The kids aren't in good shape. Everybody still in there's going to do something about that."

"Such a tragedy." Jean sighed dramatically. "Is there any rationale behind the business' unfortunate failure?"

"Well, it was called Whale Cape for a reason, right?" Deis continued. "Used to be one that lived around here. Real friendly old bugger, loved people. He was what drew all the tourists in. Then one day, just disappeared, right around when this extension to the cape rose out of the ocean." She indicated the whale-shaped peninsula. "Without him, business was screwed."

The group all exchanged a long, cynical look, even Jean.

"Right." Ryu shook his head. "Probably best if we stay out of what's going on inside that shack anyways. This'll be a good excuse to do so. Let's go check it out, people."

"Even on vacation, we never get a break." Bow grimaced, looking over at the cape. "Looks like there's a path down to the bottom this way."

"I'll go on ahead and take a look around," Nina murmured, wings carrying her gently over the edge and down the cliff face.

"Show-off," Sten muttered as the others all headed down the steep incline towards the bottom. Katt gave him a light shove, and with a whoop, he tumbled head over heels, crashed into Jean, and the two of them rolled down into the ocean with a splash.

"What?" She asked after a moment.

"Didn't say anything," Rand grunted, and Ryu and Bow nodded as well.

At the bottom, the peninsula's shape was even more whale-like; its front end tapered off into a snout with an open mouth, a seaside cave. Sten and Jean were already walking into it, the water coming up to the former's waist, with Nina hovering over their heads. With another exchange of glances, the other four slipped into the ocean as well and followed them in. Pulling themselves out of the water, they regarded the old man who was sitting behind a cheap wooden desk, working on stacks of paperwork, calmly.

"Well?" He asked eventually.

"Well, what?" Ryu replied.

"You got a reason for coming in here?" He shot back. "Or are you just intruding on private property and wasting my time?"

"Listen, geezer..." Katt started to snarl, before Rand put a hand on her arm.

"You know anything about what happened to the whale?" Bow asked him. "Heard there used to be one around here."

"Of course there did!" The old man told him severely. "Just where do you think you are, huh? Use your heads!"

"We're in a... cavern..." Rand started to say, then trailed off as they all looked around at the strange, pink color of the stone walls, and the neat rows of white stalactites and stalagmites, and the way the back of the cave extended into darkness. "Oh. Oh, no. Oh, _hell_ no."

"All who vote we climb right back up the way we came?" Nina asked quickly. Several hands were immediately raised.

"Now hold on just a second," Katt growled. "Whales don't just turn into goddamn caves for no reason. What the hell happened here?"

"Like I'm supposed to know?" The old man snapped back. "One day a few years back I just woke up and found him like this! Been living here for sixty years, taking care of old Grandpa, and then this happens!"

"Sixty..." Sten blinked. "Who the hell _are_ you, old man!"

"Maiyoru, mayor and administrator of Whale Cape, at your service!" The old man stood up and did a quick, impatient bow before going back to his paperwork. "Not that there's much to administrate here any more, but I lived all my life here, and I ain't changing that now!"

The seven of them exchanged a more wide-eyed glance than usual.

"_Why?_" Jean, of all people, asked eventually.

"You ever seen a whale, kid?" Maiyoru suddenly put on an energetic smile. "They're wonderful! Biggest thing alive, but still amazingly graceful! Incredibly intelligent, too! They can understand sentient speech just fine! Old Grandpa was practically able to communicate back! Had him trained to this bell and everything! He'd carry people across the ocean if you rang that, and bring 'em back, too! Don't know how he did it, but he could hear it anywhere in the world and come racing up! Oh, whales are wonderful things!"

"Huh." Bow raised an eyebrow, looking thoughtful. "Sounds like you care a lot about this old guy."  
"Only friend I had in the world, ever since my wife passed on." Maiyoru sighed heavily, then scowled, reverting to his normal behavior. "So why the hell do you care? Don't try and tell me you're collecting sob stories."

"Because we're sort of in the problem-solving business." Ryu glanced at Sten and Bow, who both nodded slowly, apparently thinking the same thing. "You're in charge around here, then. You've noticed the tourist trade is pretty much dead. There's no real point in keeping it up even if the old guy comes back, right?"

"Preaching to the choir, kid," Maiyoru grunted. "You know how many times I've told that deadbeat son of mine to move out, find a real job and get some food for his kids already? Too many, that's how many."

"Yeah, well, there's some guys up top talking to him who might be more persuasive," Sten told him. "But more to the point, let's say some guys managed to turn the old boy back to normal. Think maybe it'd be fair to let them have that bell you mentioned in return? Without the tourists, you wouldn't use it much, would you?"

"Hmmmm." The old man looked them over, narrowing his eyes. "No fools, are you? All right, you've got yourself a deal."

"Great." Ryu smiled. "In that case, we'll-"

"Head on in." Maiyoru thumbed back into the darkness. "After Grandpa turned to stone I went back to take a look around, just in case, and found this huge stone doll. Nasty piece of work, full of all sorts of bad magic. Couldn't do anything about it, though, and the next time I went back I couldn't get through, on account of a bunch of Kimoto and some other weird buggers who'd sneaked in. Think they're worshiping the damn thing or something. If that ain't what's responsible, I'm a herring. You folks look like you'd know more about that sort of thing than I would."

"We have to... go back?" Katt made a face. "In there? But that's..." She made a vague gesture with her hands.

"It sounds like that could be some sort of cursed idol," Nina murmured, despite the distaste on her own features. "It could certainly be responsible, if the whale swallowed it. Somebody would have had to have created it intentionally with something like this in mind, though, and that would take a magician of incredible skill and power."

"As good as Headmaster Yoji, back in Auria?" Ryu guessed.

"Better." She shook her head. "Good enough to blow Yoji away. I don't think there's any practicing mages alive today that I know of who could do it. The last one was Barose the Cerulean, and nobody's seen him in over a decade, so he's presumed dead."

"Where the hell is Cerulea?" Katt muttered under her breath, and Jean slapped his face. Everybody else ignored them.

"Right." Ryu nodded. "Then this might just be connected to _our_ business. We'd better go check it out." He led them past the old man's desk, some more reluctantly than others. "And hey, getting free sea travel is good too."

"Sea travel, huh?" Rand muttered as the ring on Nina's right index finger began to glow, illuminating the pink "rock" around them as they went further into the darkness. "Is that why we're doing this?"

"Bingo." Bow smiled slightly, thought it didn't last long; he was trying to hide it, but they were all more than slightly weirded out at the moment. "Ring a bell on a beach, no matter where in the world you are, and this guy comes zooming up to take you somewhere else? It'll save like hell on travel time to places we can't Warp to. Especially the island countries, or Prima, if we ever have to head there. You never know, right?"

"I _guess_ that's all well and good," Katt admitted. "But I still don't like this. Just thinking about it is... I mean, what would it _feel_ like?" She held her stomach. "You know?"

"Try _not_ to think about it," Sten advised her.

"I am," she replied. "Just saying, I'm gonna be having some _really_ weird dreams for a while after this."

"Booze helps with that," Bow pointed out. "It helps with a lot of things. Think we'd be able to find any after we're done here?"

"This far out in the middle of nowhere?" Rand shook his head. "Doubtful."  
"Rats."

The conversation eventually trickled off as they continued through the dark, pink, cavernous depths of the petrified whale; even Jean and Sten felt the same sense of strange disgust at their current location, and there was a general mood of just wanting to get the job over with and get out. At least there weren't any random encounters with local monsters; in that sense, at least, luck had apparently decided to cut them a break. Or so it seemed, until about ten minutes in, at which point an arrow shot through Nina's magical light, missing her head.

"There's our welcoming party!" Ryu growled as the group moved into a half-circle formation; he and Katt took the front, with Sten and Jean behind and to the side. Rand and Bow stayed in the center with Nina, behind the others, as they charged forward into the darkness. "Nina, give us more light!"

The Wing Clanswoman responded by raising the sphere of light ten feet or so above their heads and then flaring it, illuminating the entire "tunnel" around them for several hundred feet. Ahead of them, three Kimoto Clansmen hissed, covering their eyes. Blue-scaled, bipedal lizard-men with long snouts and lashing tails, they wore light plate mail vests and codpieces over padded leather, and held huge longbows; two of them still held arrows ready to fire.

It was those two who Ryu and Katt moved in on, taking one each. The one on the left stood no chance at all; before he'd even finished recovering from the surprise light, Katt was on him, knocking his bow from his grasp with a swing of her claw-tipped battlestaff. Hissing, he went for a dagger at his waist, but she switched her grip and rammed the weapon through his stomach, impaling him.

The one on the right was similarly unlucky. As Ryu charged him, he raised his bow to fire, but by the time he loosed it, Ryu was close enough to chop arrow and bow in half together with his saber. The reptile went for his dagger, and Ryu knocked it away with his free hand before calmly running the archer through.

The last of the three was the one who'd fired the first arrow. Blinking in dismay as his comrades were cut down, he went for another, then leaped back, hissing, as Jean engaged him, rapier dancing. The Kimoto was so focused on dodging around thrust and jab that he didn't even notice Sten slipping up behind him, an oversight that proved fatal when the Highlander cut his throat with a quick, clean slash from one of the several knives he carried concealed.

"That was too easy," Katt growled, shaking the corpse off of her staff. "If I didn't know better, I'd think it was-"

"A distraction!" Sten spun around. "Crap!" Three more Kimoto were behind them, two holding arrows aimed at Nina's head, while a third advanced on her, holding a dagger in one hand and smiling wickedly.

"Don't get any ideas, boys," he hissed. "Or else-huh?" Before he'd finished his threat, Nina had moved, raising her hands and lashing one of the archers with a whip of lightning, frying him on the spot. The other one fired, cold and calm, but Rand moved into the arrow's path, grunting as it deflected off the hard shell on his back. Before he could get another off, Bow had raised his crossbow and fired easily, shooting the quarrel through his snout and into his brain. The last of them stared, frozen, as Rand casually backhanded him hard enough to send him flying into the ceiling.

"You okay?" Ryu asked as the other four rejoined them.

"Not even a scratch." The big man scoffed. "Did they actually think that was gonna _work_?"

"I suppose they didn't know what they were dealing with," Nina murmured, looking the bodies over. "I must admit, though, I've never seen _blue_ Kimoto before." The Kimoto were an outlaw Clan, and green-scaled ones were a common problem for travelers in Windia, her homeland.

"Different tribe," Sten explained, cleaning his knife. "You're thinking of northern Kimoto. These guys are the southern kind. They tend to hang out in _my_ home turf, back in Highland. Hell of a long way from home. There's probably some story there."

"A shame that we will never learn it, then, due to their reckless violence," Jean murmured, wiping one eye. "I will write a ballad in honor of their memory."

"Come on, guys," Ryu grunted. "Let's keep going-aw, geez." From the darkness further back in the whale, monsters were emerging now. Two bipedal fish-men, with muscular arms and legs looking grafted on to their bodies, were stalking out and hissing, while overhead, a pair of Beaks hovered, bizarre lifeforms consisting of a spiked, round shell with a yellow, beaked face. Unlike any others of the breed Ryu had ever seen, though, their shells were a dark, greyish black rather than blue or red, which was probably a bad sign.

"Vilehead Beaks!" Nina said sharply. "Look out!"  
"Bad?" Bow grunted, taking aim and firing at one. The shot bounced off, clattering across the floor. "Take that as a yes."

"You'd need a sword like the boss's to get through those shells!" Sten growled, hanging back. "He and Nina are the only ones who'll be able to do anything about those!"

"Little busy here, actually!" Ryu told him, leaning away from a swipe of the other fishman's webbed fists; the beast's reach was longer than his, making slashing at it a trickier proposition than it had been with the Kimoto. "Katt, want to trade?"

"Nah, I got this." Grinning cockily, she held out her staff, butt-first, towards one of the Vileheads. There was a sudden blur of motion, in which she seemed to be both frozen still and moving too fast to be seen, and then the Beak collapsed, bleeding from a dozen small wounds. "All right, knew I could do it!" The Chopchop technique was a secret art of an exiled branch of her Clan; they'd shown it to her several weeks ago, and she'd been trying to master it since.

"You've been keeping your studies up, I see," Nina murmured. "Do you think you can do it twice, then?"

"If you can call that studying, sure, I guess," the Woren girl agreed, then blinked, not seeing the other Vilehead charging at her back. "Wait a second, is that a _challenge_?" Grinning suddenly, she turned on the monster, sidestepped its rush with casual grace, then narrowed her eyes and slaughtered it the same way as she had the first. "Tch. Only ten this time. Guess I do need a little more practice after all."

"Perhaps," Nina murmured, smiling as well as she watched Ryu and Jean finish the fishmen off. "Are those creatures sentient? They look like they would be, but don't act it."

"As far as we can tell, they are as of yet incapable of logical thought," Jean answered, pulling his rapier from the monster's chest. "They cannot even speak. A lamentable state of affairs, is it not? Ah, but perhaps in the near future they will learn, and take their place amongst the civilizations of the world!" He shrugged. "Until then, it is kind of them to leave themselves open by only being capable of brute force, yes?"

"Uh, sure," Bow grunted. "Something like that. I think we're almost there." Up ahead, the darkness ended abruptly in a pink "stone" wall. At its base was a dark stone idol, clearly not part of the rest of the "rock;' it was nearly pitch-black, but had been polished to a reflective sheen. Flanking it were two strange humanoids, hovering above the ground. They wore multiple layers of robes along with a great deal of ornamental jewelry, and both had long white beards and hair. Their eyes were monochrome and sightless over yellow beaks, but still they moved their heads towards the intruders.

"Anybody know what they are?" Sten asked, and the others shook their heads.

"Maybe..." Ryu reached for his neck, where he wore the only piece of jewelry he had; the Dragon's Tear, a teardrop-shaped jewel set in silver on a chain. It had belonged to his mother, and was no ordinary gem; it changed color to reflect the emotional state of other people pertaining to its wearer. Pointing it at the strange birdmen, he hissed; the jewel had gone black as night. "Look out, people! They're demonic!"

Before anybody could move, one of them produced a wand from its robes that levitated before it in the air, and called down spears of lightning from above that blasted them all. With a variety of curses, they crumbled, smoking and writhing, and the other raised its wand as well, intent on finishing them off. Before it could do so, though, a dagger flew through the air and lodged between its eyes, stunning it.

"That won't put it down!" Sten croaked as it twitched and its comrade stared sightlessly. "Not if it's a demon! Somebody..."

"On it," Nina murmured, despite having fallen to the floor. Raising a hand in calm anger, she created four spheres of magical energy that became the corners of a three-sided pyramid around the enemy. In a flash, said pyramid materialized in raging flames, covering the birdmen in fiery agony. The wounded one went down, but the other remained floating, despite obvious injury. Even as it raised its wand again, though, a shot from Bow went through its left eye, and that finished it off.

"Pretty wimpy demons," Rand commented, casting healing magic; sparkles of light fell over them, repairing the damage from the lightning. Bow joined him, and between the two of them, soon everybody was completely healed.

"You call that wimpy?" Sten muttered, but didn't even try to make it sound genuine; as much as the spell had hurt, the two had gone down incredibly easily compared to every other demon they'd encountered.

"They were just guards, I think," Ryu guessed, leading them forward. "_This_ is the real problem." The stone doll was crude and misshapen, a simple protuberance that was rounded on top, tall and long, and flat on the bottom. Its only features were three circular indentations meant to resemble eyes and a mouth. Despite its unimpressive appearance, however, everybody could feel the evil magic within it, like a storm approaching.

"I can sense the magic..." Nina shivered. "Hideous and malicious. Whoever made this thing did so solely to bring misfortune to the world. They didn't even care who, or why... they just wanted to hurt people, as much as possible. Anybody."  
"Then this thing is bad news," Bow growled. "And if it had demon bodyguards, that's just the icing on the cake." As they drew near, he squinted. "Hey, there's writing on it. 'All those who disturb my slumber shall fall into misfortune, whoever they may be.' Huh." He grunted, unimpressed. "Yeah, sounds about right."

"Here it comes," Sten said warningly as the "cave" around them darkened, a black dimness encroaching upon Nina's magical light, dimming it. A low, disturbing hum began to emanate from the doll as it shimmered, distorting like a heat mirage.

"Sleepy..." A deep, dark voice murmured from the doll's mouth. "So sleepy, but I can't sleep. It's not fair. So I'll make this whale sleep forever instead..." Something glittered in its eyes. "Who are you guys? You don't look like you have a care in the world."

"We don't?" Rand muttered, glancing at Nina, who raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, _monsieur_, if only that were the case." Jean sighed gustily.

"It's not fair," the doll continued to moan, clearly not paying attention. "It's not fair that I can't sleep. So I'll put you guys to sleep instead, like the whale. That'll teach you! _I'll show you!_" Its voice suddenly rose to an agonized scream, and a beam of white light blasted into the ceiling from the doll. Bouncing off, it hit the floor, and resolved into an ethereal doppleganger of itself, moving in the air before them. "I'll make you sleep forever!"

Around them, the darkness encroached further, becoming a magical, pitch-black fog that swarmed in like a living thing. Streaked with ribbons of red, it smothered Nina's light even as it surrounded them, bearing with it a terrible, unnatural heaviness of the mind and soul, bearing them down with exhaustion and sloth.

"Somebody..." Nina whispered, dropping to the floor. "Disrupt it, fast... or else... we'll never be able to..."

"No..." Ryu growled, fighting it. "No way in hell... this is _not_ happening like this!" Despite his words, attacking with his sword seemed as impossible a feat as moving the sun. Instead, he closed his eyes, focused his failing will, and drew upon his hidden power, the secret of his heritage. The Breath of Fire of the Dragon Clan.

The now-familiar magic rose within him, banishing the enchanting slumber and filling him with

blazing energy instead. His body shifted, becoming that of a dragon whelp, round and landbound but still deadly. Of the three forms available to him, he'd chosen that of lightning, and with lightning he struck, spewing lashes and blasts of electricity from his maw aimed not at the wraith, but at the statue behind it. The doll began to scorch, as shrapnel flew off wherever the lightning touched, and with another scream, its spell broke along with its concentration.

"Now!" Bow yelled, raising a hand and sprinkling purifying magic over them, disrupting the last traces of the magic. "Break it, fast, before it can try that shit again!"

Katt was already moving to do so. Running past Ryu as he reverted to his normal form, she threw her arms around the doll and leaned back. Her Clan's Breath of Spirit raging through her body, giving her superhuman strength and balance, she actually hauled the stone doll off the ground, turned, and threw it into the air towards Rand. There was nothing magical at all about the huge Farmlander's massive musculature, or the iron knuckle guards he wore. With one punch, he smashed the flying doll, breaking it in half and sending hundreds of smaller fragments skittering.

Before the two largest chunks even hit the ground, they were each hit again, one with a bomb of air pressure from Sten, the other with head-sized chunks of ice magic from Nina, flying at the speed of arrows. Both were shattered completely, blown and smashed apart into pieces that joined the rest, scattered widely across the ground. As a final step, Jean cast a spell of his own on the spirit, and a seal of light appeared before it, silencing it and sealing its magic. Or so they thought, until it spoke again.

"No..." The doll's spirit moaned. "That wasn't what was supposed to happen. You said I could punish anybody who was luckier than me... that I could make them all sleep forever, make them all stone like me... you told me I could! This wasn't what you said would happen... this isn't what you told me, master!" It screamed again, high and shrill, as it contracted, expanded, contracted again, and then exploded in a silent, formless blast that stretched through them and the whale to dissolve into nothingness.

"Why could it still talk?" Sten asked after a moment.

"_That's_ what you're wondering about?" Bow rolled his eyes. "Come on, man."

"I'm serious!"

"We weren't really hearing it with our ears," Nina explained. "It was making contact with our minds. No vocal chords. It couldn't really speak; it just made us think it could."

"Well, at least it's taken care of," Ryu muttered. "Shame it didn't say who its master was, though." He paused, suddenly, as a horrible thought struck him. "Wait a second. If this doll's destroyed, and its magic is fading, that means..."

"That means, the whale is gonna wake up," Katt finished for him, a sick look coming over her face as she clutched her belly again. "And we're... still... in here."

As one, they all turned and raced back the way they had come, yelling hysterically.

They reached the whale's mouth just as it started to stir, the pinkish stone starting to soften and become fleshlike, a low moan building in the air around them. Throwing himself from its jaws, Jean transformed, the Breath of Rivers turning him into a gigantic frog. The others climbed onto his back, and he swam away, just in time; the whale's mouth was already closing. Locating a nearby beach, he landed, and they climbed off to watch the cliff become the whale, diving into the water to wash off the accumulated dirt and debris.

"Looks like you did it, all right," Maiyoru's voice made them all jump. Turning around, they saw him sitting behind his desk on the beach, having somehow moved it there. "A deal's a deal, then. Here you go." He tossed an ancient golden bell to Ryu. "Ring that anywhere on the beach, and ol' Grandpa'll come give you a ride. Now if you'll excuse me..." Hitching up his robes, he ran out into the surf, arms wide. "Hey, Grandpa! It's me! Maiyoru! How you doing, fella? Remember me? Of course you do!"

"Let's get out of here," Ryu said after a moment, and the others all nodded before they began climbing back up to the clifftop.

"There you are!" Deis said, walking out of the shack, as soon as they were all up there; it was night now, and the stars were out. "Where have you been? Out catching some waves? We've been taking care of business up here while you were off goofing around. As soon as this family's got everything packed up, they're moving to a town near Simafort. Petape's going to find jobs for the parents so this kids don't have to eat nothing but whale cake for the rest of their lives. No wonder they're so unhealthy."

"Uh... good?" Ryu asked after a moment.

"You're not even listening, are you?" She asked, disgusted. "Whatever. We're heading back in the morning, since this was a total waste of time aside from the public service. Hope you're all ready to go by then."

"Um..." Rand muttered as she turned away and walked back to the shack, shaking her head. "Should we..."

"Don't even bother," Bow advised him. "It ain't worth it."

"Probably best if we stay out of that mess anyways," Sten pointed out, then paused. "Wait, didn't somebody already say that?"

"Let's just bunk down out here for tonight," Ryu suggested, and the others all nodded. "We'll head back in the morning like she said. Besides, to be honest, I'd just as soon _not_ tell anybody about this particular adventure."

"A valid point," Nina murmured.

While the others built a campfire, Bow and Katt went out to take care of dinner, and brought back a healthy deer, which they roasted; there was no ale, or wine for Nina and Jean, but that was the way it went sometimes. Chatting idly for a few hours after dinner and doing their best to ignore a variety of strange noises and a great deal of yelling coming from the shack, they eventually hit the hay one by one, Ryu and Bow taking the first watch. Several hours later, they were relieved by Katt and Nina, and said their goodnights before drifting off.

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

Despite the pleasant night, Ryu found himself unable to sleep; the voice in the dark was strong that night, and it jerked him from slumber time and time again. Eventually, he sat up and glanced over at the campfire. One look was all it took to tell him that Katt and Nina were in the middle of a serious, private conversation, one whose topic he thought he could guess, and he knew that intruding on that was the furthest thing in the world from a good idea.

Instead, something else caught his eye, and he walked over quietly to the shack to see if he was right. He was; a weathered green statue of Ladon, the Dragon God, sat a fair distance away. After looking around to make sure nobody was outside, he sat down next to it and waited for a moment before speaking up. "Wouldn't have thought we'd find one out here."

"Whale Cape was here even hundreds of years ago," Ladon replied quietly. "I must confess, it's a bit sad to see it go." Ladon had been the most commonly worshiped spirit thousands of years ago, but that had been before St. Eva, the true God of the world, had revealed himself. These days, the Church of St. Eva occupied nearly all of the world, and nobody worshiped Ladon any more. The spirit of the Dragon God apparently held no grudges, and was always happy to lend an ear and offer advice to anybody who could hear his voice from the statues scattered around the world.

The fact that the only people Ryu knew of who could hear him were himself and the rest of his group was something he tried not to think about.

"I don't suppose you'd answer me if I asked just how old you _are_?" He inquired idly, looking up at the stars.

"My memory goes roughly three thousand years back," Ladon replied, voice coming from the statue's mouth as always despite its unmoving features. "I would tell you of those days, but... I think, perhaps, you would prefer not to know."

"Maybe," Ryu admitted. They all knew that the Dragon God knew more than he was saying about what they referred to as "destiny bullshit," but he refused to provide much more information than they could find on their own. According to him, the more about fate they knew, the less chance of turning away from its path they would have, and that not only made sense to them, it was something they agreed with. "I forget if we told you already or not, but... we might be intending to do something about that."

"About your fate?" Ladon sounded as if he would be raising an eyebrow, if he could. "I had thought you intended to avoid it however possible."

"Yeah, we did." Ryu sighed. "But we've been doing some talking, and some thinking, and... shit. I don't know." He thought for a moment before continuing. "There's going to be a meeting, up north of here, at Duke Kilgore's vacation home. We're getting a bunch of guys together, and well... we're gonna talk about things, and figure out where we go from here." He shook his head. "And there's a reasonable chance that that might involve actually getting into this. If it pays well. And there's a pretty good chance it will." He made a face. "I'm not making much sense, am I?"

"You've had a long day," Ladon said kindly. "I can tell." His voice grew wry. "And trust me, people have explained things in far worse ways to me before."

"Yeah, I have." Ryu glanced at the skies. "Let me put it this way, then. If I were to ask you who the greatest magician in the world right now was... would it involve destiny bullshit?"

"I think it's safe to say that the answer to that one is a resounding, 'yes,'" the Dragon God replied after a moment.

"I won't ask, then." Ryu closed his eyes, then chuckled dryly. "Knowing my luck, actually? Probably the top three."

"Also a yes," Ladon agreed, and there was something different in his voice now, something hard to place. "And in fact, you have met all three of them before, though you only knew one of the three for who he was when you did."

"I think this is getting to the point where I don't want to know more," Ryu said quietly. "Even if we do end up doing something about this... it'll just be another job. That's all. We get it done, and then we move on." He took a deep breath. "We can do that, right? If we end up getting into this... even if it's what this destiny bullshit wants us to do... we can stop at any time, right? As long as we're only doing it for the zenny?"

"I honestly don't know," Ladon told him after a long moment. "But the further you walk down this path, the harder it will be to escape. Things that you do will lead to things that will happen. The present will influence the future, just as the past has." He seemed to take a deep breath himself, despite being an inanimate statue, before continuing. "That being said... nothing is impossible. If there is one advantage I, and you, and those like you have always had against the ones who oppose us, it is that knowledge. The belief that nothing is impossible. Never relinquish it."

"Wasn't planning on it." Ryu thought for a moment. "I used the Whelp again today. It didn't exhaust me as much as it used to. I still feel it... you know, being completely out of magic... but it was like I was able to deal with it better. To keep moving anyways."

"That means you're nearly ready for the next level," Ladon murmured. "To learn the fully grown transformations. Although there aren't exactly many people around any more who could teach you them." His voice took on a wry tone. "And before you ask, no, I wouldn't recommend trying another Fusion."

"Believe me, I wasn't going to," Ryu agreed dryly. He'd first learned of his heritage when Sana had tried fusing with him, a mistake that had blown a crater in the surface of the earth and awakened his transformation ability. "Let me guess, though. The only person who might be able to teach me is wrapped up in destiny bullshit too?"

"Actually, no." Ladon's face was blank, but his tone speculative. "The one man in this world who would teach you, at this point in time, is in fact the only true wild card in this entire situation. I don't even know where he is now; it's been a very, very long time since last we spoke. He has no affection for me, but none for the forces of Infinity, either. Should you encounter _him_, it will be because he wished to aid you, and nothing more."

"Sounds like an interesting guy," Ryu said, raising an eyebrow. "What's his name?"

"He goes by Martin these days, I believe," Ladon replied. "I think you'll know him if you see him."

"He sounds like the kind of guy who'd be hard to mistake for anybody else." Stretching, Ryu stood back up. "I'm going to get some more sleep now. I'll keep you posted on whatever we decide to do."

"Sleep well, Ryu," Ladon told him, giving the impression that he was watching the stars without moving his head at all.

"Take it easy," Ryu replied, walking back towards the fire.

He was able to sleep better after that, and in the morning, they all got back up and had breakfast before rejoining the crowd of civilians and setting out back to the manor. Apparently, there had been something of an adventure the other day, one in which Niro had played the lead role, judging by the new respect several of the others were looking at him with on the way home. For their part, Ryu and his group didn't ask questions, and didn't talk about where _they'd_ been all day; as far as they were concerned, the sooner they put the entire incident behind them, the better.

"Ah, there you are!" Duke Kilgore called out as they came into view of the manor; he was sitting on the veranda at a flimsy-looking white table, with a young lady who seemed strangely familiar, though Ryu couldn't remember seeing her before. "I was wondering when you were going to get back. Some more guests arrived today, and the Ranger's Guild sent word; they'll all be arriving here early tomorrow."

"We can get down to business, then." Ryu nodded, glancing at the girl. "Forgive my memory, miss, but... have we met?"

"Indeed we have, Mr. Bateson, though you weren't in much shape to remember me at the time, I suppose," she said with a light smile. She was pretty in a modest way, conservatively dressed in white with her honey-blond hair tied back by a ribbon. "Scandean Death Spider poisoning is a very serious thing. You're lucky you made it at all."

"Hey, yeah, I remember!" Katt snapped her fingers. "You're that doctor who took care of him, back in that mess in Coursair! Kay, right? What are you doing here?"

"Considering the circumstances, I thought it best that I was accompanied for attending this get-together," a deep, familiar voice explained as Ray Braddoc stepped out from behind a tree. The Paladin looked the same as ever, tall and brawny, pale and handsome with long, strawberry-blonde hair reaching well past his waist. Instead of his usual plate mail, he wore a strange, partially-metallic coat of blue cloth and steel over a similar pair of pants. Despite his severe features, he was smiling broadly as he saw them. "It's been some time, my friends. I'm glad to see you again."

"Ray, man!" Ryu grinned as well, as the others all greeted him similarly. "How you doing? We were hoping you'd show up!"

"It seemed like a good idea," Ray murmured with casual understatement. "Everybody, this is Kay Sindel, a very good friend of mine; we were raised together, along with another paladin in the Church. Kay, you remember Mr. Bateson and Miss Chaun. The rest of these rogues are the other members of their group." He glanced at Jean. "Speaking of which, I see that you've added another to your numbers."

"Indeed," Nina agreed, beckoning Jean forward. "Ray, this is Prince Ekaru Hoppe de pe Tapeta, of Sima. He prefers 'Jean.' Jean, this is Ray Braddoc, a paladin in the service of St. Eva, and a close friend and ally. He's helped us before on multiple occasions."

"_Bonjour_, _mon ami_!" Jean shook his hand warmly. "Any friend of my friends is my friend as well, yes?" He raised Kay's hand to kiss it politely. "And, of course, a friend of a friend of my friends also!"

"I feel the same way, your... Jean." Ray nodded, still smiling. "If you're running with these scalawags, then you must be a good man, despite their appearances."

"Gee, thanks," Katt snarked.

"No charge." He raised an eyebrow. "Duke Kilgore has filled me in on some of what's been going on. It seems like you've been busy. I'd ask for more information, but since we'll be talking about it tomorrow, I might as well wait until then."

"It's fairly depressing subject matter, anyways," Sten pointed out. "And if tomorrow's going to be depressing, then we should have as much fun tonight as we can, now shouldn't we?"

"Man's got a point." Niro glanced over from where he was shepherding the civilians into the manor through the front door, and he brightened up immediately. "Oh, hey there, Ray! Didn't see you! How you doing?"

"Fairly well." He glanced at the herd. "It seems we have quite a _few_ guests here. You'll have to introduce me to them all at dinner." Looking back at Ryu, he continued, voice taking on an amused tone. "As well as explaining these stories I hear about a new town?"

"Ugh." Ryu put a hand to his face, as did all the others, even Jean, who was probably just doing it because everybody else was. "That one might work out for the best in the end, actually, but that doesn't change how it happened in the first place."

"I'll bet." The paladin's face turned slightly sheepish. "I suppose it's partially my fault as well, since I didn't realize our mistake until it was too late either."

"Why don't we just chalk it up to general buffoonery?" Rand suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Bow agreed. "Even if I still don't really see what the problem is. Come on, let's get something to eat, huh?"

It was a good night. Petape and Mina both developed crushes on Ray at one glance, and several of the other civilians knew him as well, so he and Kay were welcomed to the fold warmly. With Duke Kilgore providing ale and wine, along with the excellent cooking, everybody enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and they stayed up well past midnight despite their better judgment. Eventually they trickled off, one by one, to collapse into the soft guest beds the Duke had provided them, and cheerfully sleep off the consequences of their revelry before the next morning.

And so, it was more than a slight shock when Ryu left his room the next morning and found the others waiting for him, their faces grim and serious.

"All right, I'm listening," he said after a startled moment. "What's gone wrong?"

"The guys from the Ranger's Guild started trickling in a while ago," Bow explained. "Elder Allen and Silvia were first, and the guy from Coursair-I think his name was Mac-a little after. We're still waiting on the guys from Capitan, Simafort, Guntz and Farmtown... but the guy from Highfort's here, and so is the Chief Elder from Prima. And he didn't come alone."

"There's a Guild office in Simafort?" Katt blinked. "Huh. Didn't know that. Why didn't we drop by there when we were taking care of business?"

"Ah, the Ranger's Guild in my castle..." Jean looked embarrassed. "They are respected, in their way, but... that way does not involve court politics, by their own choice. They remain strictly neutral, in all things, and so had you tried to involve them with the issue at hand, they would have ordered you to stand down, or ejected you from the Guild."

"Pretty much," Ryu agreed. "That's why we steered clear of them. As long as we pretended not to see them, they pretended not to see us." He glanced at Bow. "The Chief Elder brought an entourage, you say. People we know?"

"Yeah." Bow's eyes narrowed. "Bud. Powell. John. Vory. All of 'em looking like they'd just been told the tax board was gonna audit them _personally_. And John... Ryu, he was down an arm, and it looked fresh. That friend of Ray's, Kay... she hauled him into a side room to take a look at him."

"That is... not good," Ryu said after a moment's shock. The four Rangers he'd named were all experienced pros; Bud and Powell had been operating out of Auria for more than a decade back when he and Bow had first joined, and he'd yet to see the case they couldn't handle. John and Vory spent most of their time in Prima, so he didn't know them quite as well, but he and Bow had helped them on a kidnapping job once, and they were if anything even more competent and experienced than Bud and Powell. The thought of something affecting all four of them that much was not a comforting one.

"I take it these gentlemen are highly capable?" Nina asked curiously.

"Once saw John jump out into a hallway, right into the line of fire of four guys with crossbows, just so he could get a clear view to nail _them_ with those throwing knives of his," Bow muttered. "Stupid thing to do, but ballsy. He didn't even bat an eyelid. Didn't brag, either; just said it seemed like the fastest way to settle the issue and kept walking, after it was done. I didn't think _anything_ could get to him, and now he's shakin' like a leaf."

"And if they showed up here, with the big boss in charge of everything at the Ranger's Guild..." Sten muttered thoughtfully, scratching at his arm. "That means he, or they, think that it's relevant to what we're going to be discussing."

"How much _does_ this Elder from Prima know about this already?" Rand asked, frowning. "I'm guessing Elder Allen told him a little, just to get him to come, but if he'd said it was going to be about demons, he'd have been laughed out of his office. Most people don't, you know, actually _believe_ in that sort of thing."

"I'm still not sure _I_ believe in it, and I've _seen_ one of the damn things," Sten agreed.

"Yeah." Ryu frowned. "Which makes me wonder just why he brought them here, and why he thinks... ah, screw it." He shook his head. "We'll find out soon, and until then, there's no point in worrying about it. Come on, let's go get some breakfast before the meeting starts."

An hour later, once everybody had awakened and eaten, they all finally got down to business. The Elder from the Ranger's Guild were the first to file into the meeting room, which doubled as a library; surrounded by bookcases, the chamber was dominated by a huge, square oak table with dozens of chairs around it. Duke Kilgore sat at its head, as officiant, and the chairs closest to him were reserved for Ryu and his group.

The Elders of the Guild had already arranged themselves at the far end when Ryu and his group arrived. Eight elderly men and women, mostly human but counting a Highlander Clanswoman, a Builder Clansman, a Creeper Clansman and a Farm Clanswoman among them, were sitting calmly, as if simply waiting for dinner to be served. The next five seats down were filled by Silvia and the four men who'd come with the Chief Elder from Prima, who was somewhat surprisingly a human. All four looked as bad as Bow had said.

"Shit," Ryu muttered, glancing through the open door before walking in. "Yeah, this isn't going to be good."

"You're telling me?" Sten had backed away as soon as he'd seen the Elder from Highfort, a stern-looking elderly matron from his simian clan. "Hey, boss, quick point. You're going to be introducing Nina as 'Windfree' like before, right?"

"Of course," Nina murmured, and Ryu nodded; it was her commonly used alias. "I'd prefer the knowledge of my true identity remain private."

"Yeah, well, think you can put me down as 'Stan Leguin,' for today?" Sten asked. "I doubt the old bird will recognize me, but if she hears my name..."

"Right," Ryu agreed. He'd suspected that their knife man had something fairly unpleasant in his past for some time now, but alone among the group, he refused to ever speak of it, and they'd respected that. "Let's just hope none of the civilians blow that."

They filed in and took their seats around Kilgore, nodding politely at the Elders, who returned the courtesy, some of them looking highly curious. Ray and Kay were the next to arrive, sitting down next to Ryu's gang, and the rest of the chairs were shortly filled by the rest of the civilians.

"Now that we're all here..." Kilgore coughed politely. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, my name is Duke Kilgore of Auria, and I've called you all here today to discuss certain matters of relevance to the Ranger's Guild, the Church of St. Eva, the governments of Windia and Sima, and those of us here from west of Mt. Fubi most of all; they'll be the ones doing most of the talking here, I dare say."

"That's what we're here for," the Chief Elder, a stout, formidable-looking man with close-cropped iron gray hair grunted. Despite his age, he was still extremely muscular, and his face bore a slight resemblance to Bow's, despite being a human. "Mostly, anyways. I've got some business here I want to put before the Council of Elders myself, but Allen here thinks it might be related to what these people have to say, and I'm curious." He nodded at Ryu. "Take it you're the man in charge. Why don't you get started, kid? Time's moving."

"Of course, sir." Ryu glanced around the table. "Elders, my name is Ryu Bateson. I'm a former Ranger, from Auria, as is my right-hand man. Currently, I'm heading up a new group of freelance adventurers, the _Dragonkin_, as one of our bruisers." They'd decided they needed a name only recently, and deliberated over it for a long time before selecting one. "We're based in the ruins east of Mt. Fubi, which are undergoing some significant development recently."

"We've heard," Elder Mac from Coursair, the only Elder aside from Allen who Ryu had met recently, drawled. "Can't wait to hear _that_ one explained."

"Former?" Allen inquired politely. "The last I knew, you were still on the roll."

"We were going to make that the first thing here." Ryu gravely put his badge down on the table, as did Bow. "I hope you're not offended, Elder. This is nothing personal, and it's not a decision we're making lightly. But we have our own organization now, with our own responsibilities, and it's entirely probable that at some point in the future, those responsibilities will conflict with the duties of a Ranger. We think it'll be best for everybody if we turn in our badges before that happens."

"Very well," Allen agreed, smiling wistfully. "Don't look so shocked. I've known, ah, all ah, along that you would leave us one day. This has been your ah, and Bow's dream for years. I wish you luck with it."

"Thank you, Elder," Ryu said gratefully. "My fellow former ranger is Bow Dogi, our right-hand man and first white mage. Katt Chaun, here, is third down the line and my partner as front-line muscle. Our other white mage is Rand Marks, and our sole Black Mage so far, Nina Windfree. Stan Leguin down there is our knife man, and Jean over there is a jack-of-all-trades. Lastly, we have Niro Mani, who manages the shop, so to speak, while the rest of us are out on business."

"I've worked with them several times before, and I can testify that they are trustworthy, discreet, and well-intentioned, with reliable standards," Ray added. "Forgive the interruption. I'm Ray Braddoc, and as you've all probably guessed, I'm a paladin in the service of the Church of St. Eva. More importantly, I stand behind everything that Mr. Bateson says here, and all of his friends. Trust them, as I do."

"If you need a paladin of the Church to vouch for you before you even get started, I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be one doozy of a story, kid," the Chief Elder grunted. "Especially since your little team has the _crown prince of Sima_ on it. Yeah, Morello filled us in on that much. That's the one _I'm_ waiting to hear explained." He glanced at the elderly Creeper, whose scales were a pale lavender.

"You might say that," Ryu admitted, looking over to Kilgore. "Your grace, would you mind starting us off?"

"Not at all." Kilgore smiled briefly before continuing. "Early this summer, there was an unfortunate incident in Auria. My rival and friend, Count Trout, stole an artifact of tremendous value from me..." From there, he related the story of the botched return theft he'd hired Bow for, and how Bow had had to go into hiding as a result, with corroboration from Ryu, Bow, Elder Allen, Silvia and Deis. Bud and Powell added a few words as well-they'd been in town at the time-though they spoke little.

Ryu took it from there, explaining how he'd gone to Coursair following a lead on the female thief, and how that lead had taken him into the murky backstage of the Coursair Coliseum, where warriors had fought for public entertainment. Elder Mac offered his take on the events before Ryu explained further, calling on Katt, Rand, Ray and Kay to add detail, as well as to vouch for how the establishment's corrupt manager, Augus Conte, had transformed into a demon once his schemes were revealed. At that point, perhaps predictably, the noise level in the room increased significantly.

In the end, Ray had to take a vow on his service to God that demons truly existed, and were not just a fairy tale, before everybody would settle down. Aside from the team, Allen, Silvia, Kilgore and the Princesses, nobody there had been in on that particular secret, and most of them reacted to the news with loud disbelief. Privately, Ryu reminded himself to thank Ray again for coming; without him, they probably never would have been able to convince the Elders. Even with Ray's vow, he doubted if some of them actually believed it, although the Chief Elder had accepted it almost immediately.

The story returned to Auria next, and those from there helped Ryu, Katt and Nina explain how the Jokers, a criminal outfit, had kidnapped Princess Mina on her way back from Auria to Windia. The Jokers had believed that Nina, a powerful black mage they wanted to recruit, was Mina's elder sister. They'd been right, as it turned out, but that was a secret they wished to keep hidden, so instead they told the "official" story that the Jokers were mistaken. Again, they ended the chapter with the revelation that the Joker leader had transformed into a demon once his plot was foiled, one they'd killed.

Returning Mina to her home in Windia had allowed them to finally find the thief's trail at the same time as they'd recruited Sten, who brushed past that as quickly as possible, clearly trying to remain in the background as much as possible. He still helped Ryu, Katt, Nina and Ray explain how they'd saved the town of Capitan from the giant, insectile Creon monsters, an incident that Elder Rio also offered his take on.

They glossed over the disaster that had revealed Ryu's Dragon Clan heritage as well, giving an edited version of the events that had led to Granny and Sana moving in next door, and the hiring of three different carpenters to modify their new house (as well as building many more houses, though Ryu and the others hadn't had _that_ in mind and hadn't even known of it until the next time they returned). From there, the story moved on to Sima, and they explained, with some embarrassment, the incident with Jean and the deranged witch Nimufu.

After that came the climax of their report, at Simafort, where they'd returned with Jean to find another Prince, an imposter who'd taken over while he was out strolling around the countryside. Petape and Elder Morello both provided explanation and corroboration as they related how they'd foiled the imposter's plotting, only for him to reveal himself as the Demon Lord Kuwadora, one of the demonic conspiracy's top men, who had nearly ripped their entire team to shreds before they'd barely been able to take him out.

Saving the country of Sima had benefited them in more ways than the obvious ones; the thief they'd been looking for had been imprisoned there, caught in the act of trying to steal a national treasure, and they'd been allowed to bring her back to Auria to clear Bow's name. They'd handed her over to Trout, only for Bow to rescue her from the nobleman's basement torture chamber, where they'd discovered that Trout was a demon as well and killed him. The thief, an adolescent girl named Patty Smith, had escaped, taking the blame for Trout's death as well as those of his guards.

"And that's where it stands," Ryu said, finishing the report. "On the face of it, the matter's all wrapped up, nice and neat. We've all been cleared, we made a lot money and a lot of friends, some of them in very important places. Even better, all of our enemies are very dead. But the fact of the matter is, these were _demons_. Even with Kuwadora dead, I can't believe that the rest of this conspiracy is going to just cut their losses and shut down."

"I'd have to agree with you, kid," Elder Mac grunted. "Much as I hate to admit it, this crazy story of yours _does_ sound about right. Can't say I've got a better explanation for that ridiculous two-headed skeleton the guard put together out of those bones they took out of Augus' office. I'll have to make sure that's covered up once I get back home." He raised an eyebrow, looking at Ray. "What I'm wondering is why the Church of St. Eva isn't handling the matter. I would think that dealing with demons would be their area of expertise."

"Unfortunately, our adversaries planned well," Ray explained grimly. "The digging I did on the matter in the northwest indicated that the sources of the infection were located in Sima and Highland, neither of which our Church is on the best of terms with. If a Demon Lord was running matters in Sima, that all but confirms that, which means there is likely another of them up to similar scheming in Highland." He met the eyes of Elder Gundred, who'd come from there. "Another Demon Lord."

"Haven't had any mysterious strangers showing up at Highfort trying to take over, but I'll let everybody know if one tries it," she commented, eyes narrowed. "You've got a point, though, Mr. Braddoc. Your Church is one of our my Clan's most frequent employers, and we're grateful, but not so much that we'd appreciate the Church making an incursion into our territory. I say live and let live, but there are a lot of us who don't trust _anybody_ they don't know personally, especially on the general staff. It wouldn't be a good idea at all."

"And if I revealed the physical existence of _demons_ to the upper levels of the Church, there are many who would go absolutely wild," Ray added. "They would throw all of our strength into smashing any hints of the threat, regardless of the geopolitical consequences. No, at the moment, though it pains me to remain silent, I am the only member of the Church aware of this threat."

"Unfortunate, but understandable." Elder Gus, from Gant, nodded grimly. "You were stationed on my island until you came here, weren't you, Mister Braddoc? Find anything there?"

"Nothing." Ray shook his head. "I suspect this conspiracy hasn't quite expanded to Guntz, Tunlan or Prima yet, though that's only a guess. I have no recent knowledge of the southeast, either, so whether this rot extends there or not is beyond my awareness. If we're lucky, even if there is, it was controlled by Kuwadora, and will falter without him. If not, however, a third Demon Lord may have established himself there as well. Until he, and the one likely controlling matters in Highland, are slain, the threat remains."

"Sorry, but I gotta correct you, Mr. Braddoc," the Chief Elder of Prima interrupted, speaking for the first time in a while; he'd been silent ever since accepting the truth of the existence of demons. "This is a problem, all right... but it's a hell of a lot bigger than even you know."

"Even _more_?" Elder Maureen, a brawny, no-nonsense woman from Farmland, asked disbelievingly. "Augus Conte, in Coursair... Joker Heart, in the mountains of Tantar... Trout Barm, in Auria... and the Demon Lord Kuwadora running it all out of Sima, while attempting to gain control of the entire kingdom... and you think it's _worse_ than that?"

"Seems like Allen was right when he told me that this report would be connected to the other matter I've got for us to talk about," the Chief Elder said grimly, turning to the four who'd come with him, all of who'd been pale and silent throughout the report. "There's at least one more demon out there, and it's a doozy. Boys, it's your turn."

"Yes, sir," John said, eyes darting nervously around the room before settling on Ryu. "Ryu... when you talked about these, these demons..." He clutched the stump of his arm, newly seen to by Kay, as he continued. "You said something about them... it wasn't like any monster. Like you just knew... they were different. Bad."

"Evil," Ryu told him quietly. "I never really believed in absolute evil, growing up. Just shades of gray. But these guys... just being around them, you felt it, like some kind of aura or something. The only reason they existed since they sold their souls was to spread death and misery to everything they could touch."

"Then..." Jory looked at the other three, who nodded. "Then that's what we saw. A demon. We were on assignment to southern Camlon, to a little town most of you might not even have heard of, on this peninsula isolated from most of the outside world. This place is the only town there at all, and the only port's half a day from it. It's called Gate."

"Gate?" Bow demanded, surprised. "I've been there! That was where me and Ryu first met, when we were just brats!"

"Yeah," Ryu whispered, feeling himself pale. No matter what he'd been expecting, that hadn't been it. He'd thought he'd forgotten his past, but as soon as the name was mentioned, all the old memories came flooding back in. A childhood spent in peace, with a father who was the local priest and a tiny younger sister, rebellious and strange. A childhood that had been shattered when he'd returned from a hike one day to find both gone, as if they'd never existed, and a town with no memory of him either, a new priest living in the church as if he had for years.

"They had a problem with some kind of strange blight," John continued. "Something was killing every tree on the peninsula, and they thought it would spread to the rest of the plant life soon. Said it was no ordinary disease, that it had a magical origin, and that somebody was doing it. Hired us to find out who it was and take care of the problem." He shuddered. "We found him, all right."

"This demon you mentioned?" Elder Allen asked gently.

"A demon," Vory whispered. "That's the only thing he could have been. Nothing like that could ever exist in this world naturally."

"He was a giant," Bud explained. "Had to have been at least twenty feet tall, maybe more. He was... like some kind of bug, or something, but he had arms and hands and claws like... almost like a man. And his face... especially that third eye, the one that was always..."

"Third eye?" Bow jumped in again, as Ryu's eyes widened. "This guy... did he have wings? And this gray carapace on most of his body except for some of his torso? Six legs, black ones, all around him? And his hands... hooked claws? No real fingers at all? That's him, right?" All four men had dropped their jaws as he'd described him, which was as good as any definite answer.

"You know him?" The Chief Elder roared. "Idiots! Why didn't you say that in your report?"

"Barubary," Ryu whispered, remembering that night, and the voice in the dark that had haunted his dreams ever since. "It's him. It's Barubary."

"The night we ran away from Gate, when we were little kids, we saw him," Bow explained, watching Ryu carefully. "That guy attacked us. Smashed us. But he let us live... left us outside his cave. We never saw him again. Never figured out why. Been ten years since then."

"When we finally tracked the source of the blight to that cave..." John continued. "He came out to meet us, and told us to run back, and bring word of him to the destined ones." His fingers tightened around the stump of his arm. "I said we should fight him, and he did this to me with one finger. _One finger_, people." He shivered again. "I killed a chimera once, all by myself, and I stood no chance against this thing. I might as well have been trying to fight the sun."

"We told the Chief Elder to return the people of Gate's money," Powell said quietly. "This case... it's not a job for the Ranger's Guild. We're mortal men. There's only so much we can do. This was beyond us."

"Upon hearing these brave men's report, I agreed with their assessment," the Chief Elder admitted. "There's nothing the Ranger's Guild can do to help Gate. However... it seems there may be others, who can." His eyes fixed on Ryu.

"Hey, hold on a second!" Katt started to shout, then stopped as Ryu held up a hand.

"Sir..." He met the Elder's eyes. "We turned in our badges."

"I know, kid." The Chief Elder smiled grimly. "I didn't mean to press you to resume your service as rangers. No, I'm saying that the Ranger's Guild wants to _hire_ you folks, the freelancer group _Dragonkin_, to settle this matter for us, since it's beyond our abilities. And we're prepared to offer a sum of 650,000 zenny for completion of the job."

Niro made a noise that sounded like a foghorn as everybody at the meeting's eyes widened, and more than a few jaws dropped.

"I don't know about no destined ones, but it sounds to me like _something's_ connected you folks to it," the Chief Elder continued. "So far, sounds to me like you've had some suspicions along those lines yourself, and you've been trying pretty damn hard _not_ to go for them. Which sounds pretty damn smart to me. If I was in your shoes, I'd be staying as far away from that kind of crap as I could myself."

"We've coined the term, 'destiny bullshit,' as a more or less general reference point for all that stuff," Nina agreed dryly. "And yes, we've pretty much been ignoring it as much as we could get away with without being stupid."

"Understandable," the Chief Elder admitted; the rest of the room had gone silent, watching him, and them. "But this changes things. If this demon conspiracy is allowed to flourish further, then the whole world's gonna be at risk. Somebody's gotta stop this, and it looks like it's you guys or nobody."

"Ryu," Ray said, quiet and sympathetic. "I understand your decision. But..." He paused for a moment. "I have the feeling that your childhood was... that there were things in it which you haven't told anybody, even us. Perhaps, by pursuing this path, you may be able to find some answers to questions you've been putting behind you."

"I..." Ryu stared at his hands. "I need some time. To think about this, and to discuss it with my team. If we can wait one more day... I'll have an answer for you then."

There were no objections.

_IS IT WHO YOU WANT TO BE _


	18. Chapter 16: The Mad Circus

_**Chapter 16: The Mad Circus**_

"All right, guys. I'm not going to waste any time with bullshit today. There's some things you need to know."

Ryu was sitting at the head of Duke Kilgore's meeting table now. It was later in the day, after the previous conference had adjourned, and everybody had gone their separate ways for some time. Eventually, he'd called the members of his team back in, and they sat around the table now, watching him quietly, expectantly. Ray was there as well, though not Kay. All of them knew something was going on, and some had more of an idea of what it was than others.

"This is going to be hard for me, so I'd like to say it all at once, and that'll be it," Ryu continued, staring at his hands, flat on the table before him. "If I can just get it out, without interruptions, I'd be grateful. I'll field questions later, but I don't... I don't think I'll be able to do this if I don't just keep going."

Nobody said anything, and after a moment, he continued.

"I was born in the town of Gate. It's not much of a town, but it's all I knew, and I was pretty happy there, at first. My father was Ganer Bateson, the local priest of St. Eva, and my mother Valerie. He was at least thirty years older than she was, but they loved each other, and me, too... and my little sister, Yua, when she came along. That didn't last long, though. Soon after she was born... demons attacked the town. Hordes of them."

Everybody's eyes widened at that, but none of them spoke.

"My father was a black mage, one of incredible power," Ryu continued numbly. "And my mother a white mage. They fought back, to defend the town, but they were losing, until..." He took a deep breath. "Until a dragon came. A white dragon, gigantic and powerful, who helped my father drive the demons off. There was a door, set in this mountain behind the town, and that was why it was called Gate... and that was where the demons came from. So the dragon flew over the doors, and fell asleep, in order to seal them from another incursion."

"My mother never came back from that fight."

They knew, then, just as he'd figured it out himself as soon as he'd realized his Dragon Clan heritage. Even Jean realized it. But still they remained silent, and he continued.

"I was told my mother died that night, and given this," Ryu said, holding up the Dragon's Tear. "It's magical. Reads people's emotions, especially towards whoever's holding it. Not their minds, just how they feel. A couple more years passed, me and Yua grew... and then one day, when I was seven, I went out into the fields behind Gate. When I came back... my father and sister were gone, and nobody else remembered them. Nobody remembered _me_. There was a new priest living in the church, one who everybody claimed had always been there, and I... I was a stranger, in the only home I'd ever known."

Everybody's eyes flickered to Bow then, and he nodded slightly.

"Yeah," Ryu admitted. "That was the day I met Bow. I pretended to be... to be like him... and left Gate with him. I couldn't stay there. Living there, without my family, with everybody I knew treating me like... I couldn't take it." He closed his eyes. "That was the night we met that demon. Barubary. We found him in a cave, and he crushed us, but he let us live. Just left us there. The next day, we set off towards the north, two kids on the road. Eventually, we made it to Hometown, and joined the Ranger's Guild, and that was that."

"But that's not the last of it." He opened his eyes again, staring straight ahead. "Barubary... when we met, I knew him. Ever since the night my mother... left... whenever I slept, I heard his voice in my head, and saw his eye. That one damned third eye, always open, always watching me in the darkness, as he talked to me. Before we met him, and after. Every time I've slept since then, every single time... he's always there. He was there last night. He'll be there tonight. Watching me. Talking to me."

"What... does he say?" Katt whispered after a long moment of silence.

"More," Ryu whispered. "We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..." He frowned, then, aware that that wasn't completely right. The words had been changing, slightly but definitively, over the recent months. "It's not always exactly the same. Sometimes it's a little different. But that's the gist of it."

Everybody shivered, even Jean.

"I've tried to put it behind me, all these years," Ryu wound down, staring at his hands again. "I always knew there was something about that... that would come back eventually. But I thought I could run away from it, if I just tried hard enough. That if I forgot it all, it would forget me, and I could just be a normal guy, with a normal life. Get some people together I could trust, and who trusted me, and make a living busting heads."

"Now, I'm not so sure that's going to work any more."

He waited a moment more, then stood, and left quietly, not looking at them. He could tell, all the same, that every eye in the room was on him as he departed. There was a balcony, up on the top floor of the manor, and he went up there; with luck, it wouldn't be occupied. It wasn't, and he sat up there, alone with his thoughts, to stare at the sky for some time until it began to take in the fire of sunset.

That was when they started to come, two by two, to speak with him about their future.

"Hey, man," Bow said, as he and Katt walked out onto the balcony. "Doing all right?"

"I've been better," Ryu answered honestly.

"Can't blame you for that," Katt admitted. "You're doing a lot better than I would, if I was in your shoes."

"I think you'd do okay." Ryu glanced at Bow. "Sorry about not being straight with you for all these years."

"It's cool, man," Bow assured him. "I'd have done the same thing." He shook his head ruefully, grinning slightly. "Honest? When you told me all that... I was actually kind of glad that you could at least remember your parents. I wish I could, but they're... they're just a blur, by now. I always thought it was the same for you. I'm not gonna get pissed because it's not." Bow's parents, a Forest Clanswoman and a Grassrunner Clansman, had had him in violation of the global laws against inter-clan reproduction, and they'd been executed for it when he was very young.

"Same here," Katt agreed. "Always thought that was something the three of us had in common, you know? The whole parents thing." Katt's parents weren't necessarily dead; they'd simply abandoned her as soon as she was able to walk and talk. Apparently, it was tradition among the Woren Clan. "Rand and Sten don't talk about their pasts, but I'm pretty sure they knew their parents. I don't mind being wrong, though. Not about that." She smiled wistfully.

"Thanks, guys." Ryu smiled as well, though his heart wasn't in it. "So... what do you think we should do?"

Katt and Bow exchanged a glance.

"That's up to you, man," Bow told him, and Katt nodded. "You're the one who this Barubary freak is stalking. It's your call whether we go take him on, or try and lose him."

"No, it's not," Ryu disagreed. "We're all in this together, and this decision doesn't just affect me. If we take the job, and go down this road... it's all of us who might not walk back off of it." He shook his head. "I need to know, guys."

"Then I say we go for it," Katt said, sharp and sudden. "Running away from our problems... that's not what I do. It never was." She glared out at the sun. "I don't give a crap about this destiny bullshit, but it looks like it doesn't return the feeling. If we just keep running, it'll keep following us, for the rest of our lives. I say we take care of the problem, the best way we know how." Her hands grasped the rail on the balcony, and there was a creaking before she remembered her own strength and relaxed. "Find all these assholes, and break their heads until there's nobody left to screw with us."

"I'm with her," Bow said, less heated but no less serious. "These freaks have been coming after us from the get-go. Trout messing with us, Augus trying to kill Katt, Joker kidnapping Nina... and Kuwadora most of all. They're not going to stop, no matter what we do, unless we take them out." There was only a faint quiver in his voice as he continued. "Even Barubary... if that's what it takes to get out of this destiny bullshit... let's do it."

"He'd rip us apart, man," Ryu told him. "You remember. That guy... he made Kuwadora look like nothing."

"So we find a way to beat him before we go in," Bow replied coolly. "Nothing's impossible, man. Look at what you did. How likely was it that you'd be able to track that girl down after that long a time and clear my name? But you did it. I don't care about the risks. What I care about it this destiny bullshit, and what it's doing to you." He put a hand on Ryu's shoulder. "_That's_ what's ripping you apart, man. This whole mess. I'm not a brave man. I know I'm not. But I don't care what I have to do to get you out of all this. If I had to face that freak Barubary one-on-one, I'd do it."

"Same here," Katt agreed. "_You're_ what's important, Ryu. This situation, with me and Nina..." She shook her head angrily. "We'll work it out eventually. But no matter which way it turns out... I can't stand seeing you like this. This isn't who you are. Whatever it takes, to help you move on, I'll do it. And if Barubary, or some other shithead, kills us instead, that's just the way it rolls. I'd rather die fighting than live running."

"Thanks, guys," Ryu murmured, and they both smiled. It was the only thing he could think of to say.

"We'll let the others have their chance now," Bow said after a long moment. "About time we went and got some dinner anyways." The two of them were the hunters of the team, and were used to bringing in a deer or boar for the group's dinner by now.

"Might have to get two, considering how many mouths we've got here right now," Katt pointed out. "We should probably get to that, all right." Grabbing the rail again, she vaulted over it, spinning gracefully before landing on the ground below with perfect grace.

"Show-off!" Bow yelled, prompting laughter from below, before turning to leave. "See you around, buddy."

Ryu waved to them both, but remained silent, and it wasn't long before another pair wandered out to join him.

"Let me guess," Sten drawled as he led Rand out onto the balcony. "Bow and Katt both voted yes, right?"

"I suppose it wasn't hard to see that one coming," Ryu admitted. "Jean aside, they're the biggest optimists we have right now."

"And he's such a wild card, who knows what he's going to vote," Rand muttered. "For all we know, he'll suggest we hire somebody else to do this for us."

Ryu had to snort at that.

"You've been hanging out with me too much," Sten told him with a slight grin that didn't last long. "Or maybe you're just in a weird mood. Think we all are, after today. Some pretty heavy shit going down."

"That's one way of putting it," Ryu agreed. "So? Break it to me. What are your votes?"

Sten and Rand exchanged a long glance.

"It's kind of complicated, boss," Sten admitted eventually. "Look... when you get right down to it, I'm a selfish bastard. This isn't about me, and I know it's not, but when I think about all of this, all I'm thinking is what Ray said. About how there's probably another Demon Lord stirring shit up down in Highland." He shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned, my past is dead. But there are a lot of people back there who'll know me if I show up, and they probably won't see it that way."

"That's a valid point," Ryu admitted. "You've got the right to watch out for your own skin, and you're right. If we take this job, we'll probably wind up going in there eventually."

"I can't go back to Highland, boss," Sten told him flatly. "I can't. And that's not how groups like this work. People don't just get to opt out of jobs when everybody else is going in. Sure, I'd like to just cheer you on from back in the ruins, but... that won't be enough." He glanced down at his feet. "If the vote goes to take the job, then I'll... I'll figure something out. But I don't like it. I'm voting we turn this one down."

"I've kind of got a similar problem," Rand agreed. "Not exactly the same. Where I came from, before I hit the road... it's not like that. Not that bad. I just left one day, because... well, it was a personal problem." He frowned, looking thoughtful. "I don't like the thought of some Demon Lord mucking around in Farmland. But I don't like the thought of going back there, either. Not because I'll get in trouble. I just spent too much of my life there already. Don't need to waste any more."

"That's not all of it, though, is it?" Ryu guessed shrewdly.

"Nope," Rand said, shaking his head. "This kind of stuff... your ranger buddies were right, chief. It's over our heads. Those demons can ramble all they want about all the destiny bullshit, but I'm a simple kind of man, and I'm just in this to make a living and watch out for my buddies. If I'd known this was going to be part of the deal..." He broke off for a moment before continuing. "Well, I'd still have signed up in the end, but I'd have been a lot more cautious about it. This is a real mess, chief. I'm not gonna quit, but I'm with Sten. I vote we pass, and keep our heads down."

"I get that too." Ryu nodded. "I'm not making up my mind yet, but... I'm thinking a lot of the same things." He chuckled wearily. "Sometimes I still don't really believe it, you know? Me. Dragon Clan. Yeah, _right_. I'm some bum who's good with a sword."

"Okay, so we're not just a couple of cowards." Sten exhaled. "Good to know."

"Please." Ryu snorted. "You saw Kuwadora. And you _fought_ that thing. We've all got a lot of problems, but cowardice isn't one of them."

"Thanks," Rand grunted. "I think."

"We'll get out of your hair, then." Sten chuckled. "Good luck, boss." They both nodded briefly before going back inside, and Ryu leaned back, waiting for the next pair.

"_Monsieur_ Ryu?" Jean asked, leaning out through the door a few minutes later. "A moment of your time, please?"

"Be honest, son," Niro told him, pushing past to clomp out onto the balcony. "It's gonna take more than a moment." He turned to glance at Ryu, eyes glittering under heavy gray brows. "Been a long day, I take it."

"Sure feels like it," Ryu admitted. "Before you ask, so far the vote is tied, two for two."

"Not hard to figure out who's who," Niro grunted.

"Well then, perhaps I should add my own to the count, yes?" Jean walked over to the rail and looked out at the sunset. "_Monsieur_ Ryu... I am not an intelligent man. I know this. Handsome? Yes. Brave? Undoubtedly. Skilled? But of course. Charming? Most definitely. Poetic? Who could doubt! Artistic? Beyond comparison! But intelligent? No, I think not." He shrugged. "No man is perfect, yes? What I am saying, _monsieur_ Ryu, is that this issue... it is a complicated one, requiring much thought. And thought is not a field in which I have much expertise."

"You've been trying, anyways, though, haven't you?" Ryu guessed gently.

"I have made a valiant effort, yes," Jean admitted. "And I have come to a conclusion. You are a good man, _mon ami_, and that is a rare thing. A better man than you give yourself credit for, I think. All of our friends are good men and women. And though I know it is naïve, I cannot help but believe that in the end, no matter how dire circumstances may grow, that good men will always triumph." He looked back over his shoulder at Ryu and Niro. "We slew Kuwadora. I am sure that we will be able to do the same with all our foes. _Monsieur _Ryu... I honestly believe we can do this."

"Three for yes, then." Ryu nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm not sure I'm that optimistic, Jean, but I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong. You might have a point. It's certainly one worth voting for." He glanced at Niro. "And you?"

"I'm stayin' out of this," the old man told him bluntly. "What's the word? Abstainin'. Somebody's got to, or else we'll probably end up with a tie, and that's no good."

"Could always ask Ray to break it, if it comes to that," Ryu pointed out.

"Nah." Niro shrugged. "Bein' honest here? I don't really have much of an opinion. Gave those up a long time ago." Stumping over to the rail next to Jean, he looked down at the beach below. "If you want my advice all the same, though... whichever way this ends up going, go with it, with everything you got. Don't hold back, don't doubt what yer doin', and don't have no second thoughts or regrets. That'll always catch up to you, in the end, if you let it."

"Good advice," Ryu agreed, idly wondering once more just how many interesting things had happened in the old man's life before he'd joined them. "I appreciate it."

"No charge." Niro grinned. "Come on, Jean. Long as we're out here, there's a pretty girl who's not, and that ain't right."

"Ah, but of course!" Jean smiled, turning away from the rail. "Let us retire to the kitchen, then, and determine what would be the best wine to serve with tonight's meal, yes?" The two men walked back in, chatting about food, and Ryu settled back again to wait. It wasn't long.

"Are we the last ones, then?" Ray asked, opening the door courteously for Nina.

"Pretty much." Ryu nodded. "Want to know the vote so far?"

"I'd rather not," Nina declined. "And Ray isn't voting."

"It's not my business," Ray agreed. "Besides, my thoughts on the subject are... somewhat conflicted."

"And mine aren't?" Nina asked wryly, before turning to Ryu, looking hesitant. "I'm not quite sure how to say this, Ryu. I suppose the long and short of it is... I'd prefer we didn't take this job. But my reasons for that... they're not what you might think." She shot a worried glance to Ray, who nodded slightly.

"I'm listening," Ryu said quietly.

"If we're getting involved in all of this 'destiny bullshit,' as everybody puts it..." She shivered. "That means that you're _that_ Ryu. Like the ones who ended the Dragon Wars. It means you're the next one in the line. And... there's always a Nina, as well. A Nina Windia. That means that's who _I_ am." She met his eyes then, cool and calm. "I like you, Ryu. I like you a lot. I have since I first set eyes on you, and I think you feel the same way. If this 'destiny bullshit' is controlling our lives, then... then that has nothing to do with us. It's because you're Ryu, and I'm Nina. And that... I don't like that."

"I've been wondering about that, too," Ryu admitted. It hadn't seemed natural, just how heavily he'd fallen for her at one glimpse, especially considering he'd already been moving towards something with Katt at the time. Even now, just being in her presence, he couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was; everything about her captivated him. "If that's the way it is, though... then it's too late to change it."

"I know." She sighed. "But I can't stop thinking about it, all the same. Besides, I don't like confrontation, when it can be avoided. I never have. Perhaps that's a strange trait for somebody in my line of work, but it's the way I am. If the vote is yes, I'll come along, but I won't like it." She closed her eyes. "I don't like any of this, Ryu. I just want... I want to be a normal girl, with normal friends. And..." She trailed off.

"And a normal me," Ryu murmured, reaching around her shoulder with one arm. She accepted the embrace, sliding into it as she turned to face him, and both her arms were around him. Before he knew what he was doing, he was kissing her, lighter and softer than it had been with Katt but no less intense. She was floating, wings beating, and though she couldn't carry him into the air with her there was a sense almost like she was. She was hesitant, but only for a moment, and then she returned the kiss, and her lips tasted of flowers.

It seemed like forever, locked in each others' embrace under the sunset, until Ray coughed politely, regaining both their attention.

"Aw, geez," Ryu spoke first, breaking the kiss. "Sorry about that, Ray. We just..." He scratched his head. "Yeah."

"It's entirely understandable," Ray assured him, blushing slightly as he glanced away. Despite his calm words, there was something wistful in his eyes, and Ryu remembered too late that the paladin had a crush on Nina himself, one his vows prevented him from acting upon even if she'd returned his feelings. "I just wanted to remind you that I was here, before you grew too... excited."

"That wasn't going to happen, I'm afraid," Nina told him, blushing as well, her green eyes wider than normal. "Even if that was... it was..." She actually stammered for a moment, then broke off, eyes narrowing abruptly. "Wait a second here. If you did that... Katt's kissed you already, hasn't she? Now we're even."

"She sneaked it when I wasn't looking," Ryu admitted. "That wasn't why I did that, though. You know that, right?"

"I didn't think it was," she assured him. "All the same, we should leave it at that, until the situation is clarified."

"She said the same thing, too," Ryu pointed out.

"She's not as stupid as she thinks she is." Nina smiled again. "Even if I think I'll have words with her about sneakiness. If you'll excuse me." She turned and left on foot, black wings folded behind her.

"I'll take my leave as well," Ray said quietly. "You have much to think about, and there's not much help I can give."

"Hey, Ray..." Ryu raised a hand.

"I know." Ray looked away. "Trust me, Ryu, I'm not upset. It's for the best that you're more her type than I am. It would only hurt both of us. As for your other matters... that's business for your team. An outsider has no place influencing your decision, either way."

"You're not," Ryu told him. "An outsider, I mean."

"If only." Ray sighed, then smiled again. "Then again, it seems I'm not the only one here. You seem to have an eavesdropper on the roof. It's only polite that I excuse myself while she takes her turn to speak with you." He turned to the door, and raised a hand in farewell. "May St. Eva guide your path. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I have..." Ryu repeated, then stopped, eyes narrowing, as he realized what Ray had said. Mentally, he ran through a list of suspects, and realized the most likely culprit almost instantly. "All right, Deis. Get down here."

"Busted," his friend muttered, dropping down onto the balcony easily. "Knew somebody would spot me eventually."

"Just how long have you been up there?" Ryu demanded, both irritated and amused.

"Long enough." Deis shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm not the kind of girl who blabs, no matter how interesting the things I hear are." She raised an eyebrow. "Pretty smooth moves with Nina. I'm almost impressed."

"Shut up," Ryu growled, feeling his own cheeks heating as he glared down. "These were private discussions. It was between me and my team."

"And a paladin of St. Eva," Deis pointed out, an odd look coming into her eyes. "He gets an invite, but I don't? Kind of cold, Bateson."

"He knows too much for his own good already, Deis," Ryu replied, stumbling for a bit on her name; for the first time, he realized she'd never given him or Bow her surname, and wondered idly if Nina knew it. "You have a problem with Ray?"

"I'm sure he's a good guy." Deis sighed, turning away from him to lean on the rail. Blue-haired and green-eyed like him, she'd always looked older than she was, but as the sunset fell upon her features, it made her look strangely ageless, like somebody who'd simply transcended time. "I've just never really gotten along well with the Church of St. Eva."

"You haven't?" Ryu blinked. "Huh... you know, I never did see you at a sermon. Never really thought about that before." After a moment, he stood up and walked over to lean on the rail next to her. "So what? We're not exactly religiously intolerant in this group. Are you Namandian, then? Rand is, and he and Ray get along fine."

"Nope." She stared straight ahead. "And no, before you ask, I'm not an atheist like Nina, either. It's kind of embarrassing, actually."

"Why?" Ryu frowned. "And what's that leave? Sounds like you're not agnostic like Sten and Jean, either... and I don't even know _what_ Niro is, probably 'variable,' so..." He trailed off as the light dawned. "It's Ladon, isn't it. You follow the Dragon God."

"You could say it runs in my family," Deis admitted, and that was the first time she'd ever spoken of that, too. "Don't tell anybody?"

"I'm not the type to blab, either," Ryu said carefully. They stood there for some time, leaning on the rail, and Ryu silently contemplated how long he'd known Deis, ever since first coming to Hometown. Despite all the time they'd been friends, there'd never been any romantic attraction either way; she was more like a big sister, just as Bow had been kind of like a little brother. Eventually, he spoke again. "What do you think I should do?"

"About Nina?" Deis raised an eyebrow. "Well, there's the situation with Katt to consider too, right? You're going to have to make up your mind between the two eventually."

"Not that," Ryu growled. "I meant about this situation. The one you invited yourself to listen to."

"I'm not voting either," she joked, then grew somber. "I don't know what to tell you, Ryu. It's three for three, which means the final vote's coming down to you. The problem with this sort of thing is once you start riding the tiger, it's not exactly easy getting back off. If you walk this path, you're going to have to see it through to the end of the line, no matter what it takes. Maybe if you do, you'll end up free of it all. Maybe you won't." She turned her head to look into his eyes, her own deep and mysterious. "The question is if you want to take that gamble. You're the only one who can answer that."

"Guess I am," Ryu admitted, looking down at his Dragon's Tear. Out of curiosity, he aimed it at himself, and saw it turn to a sharp orange, which didn't surprise him. "Why me, Deis? I'm nobody special. Just the opposite. I could make a pretty good case for me being a career screw-up. I just don't have the luck somebody going into this sort of thing needs."

"You have not one, but _two_ girls must guys would kill for a _hug_ from kissing you, and you think you're unlucky?" Deis snarked. "Gee, aren't we self-deprecating today."

"Har, har, har." Ryu rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Guess I do." She looked away again, out at the rising moon. "I know you underestimate yourself too much. It's not your fault, Ryu. What happened to you, whatever it is, that you won't let yourself live down. You didn't do anything."

"That's kind of the point, isn't it?" Ryu chuckled bitterly.

"No, it's not." She shoved him lightly. "Look at them, Ryu. Look at their faces, when they talk to you like they did today. It's not just Katt and Nina. Maybe the guys don't feel _that_ way about you, but they still trust you, whatever you do. You think it was a coincidence that the vote came down to you? They all knew it would. They _want_ you to decide, and whatever you decide, they'll trust. Not a single one of them has ever disputed your leadership, and they're never going to. You're their friend, and their leader. They're counting on you, Ryu. Don't let them down because you can't forgive yourself."

"Why?" Ryu whispered, repeating himself. "Why me?"

"Because you're you," Deis told him as she turned away, walking back inside. "And you're the only one who doesn't understand that."

Ryu stayed there for a long time, staring at the moon, before leaving the balcony. He went downstairs to get some food and ale; though everybody else had already eaten, they'd left enough for him. Afterwards, he went to bed, still unsure of what his answer would be.

_ Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

When he woke up the next morning, he had his answer.

They had their breakfast, and then filed into the meeting room, just as they had the previous day. Everybody was still here, save for the four Rangers who'd come with the Chief Elder, although the other residents of the ruins were starting to look bored, as if wondering why they were even here. The Elders of the Rangers' Guild, on the other hand, had expressions varying from nervous to suspicious to expectant. Especially the Chief Elder, who simply gave Ryu a look until he stood to address the table.

"We took a vote," he said bluntly. "In the end, it came down to 4-to-3. We've decided to take the case, sir."

"I was, ah, afraid of that," Elder Allen murmured. "Are you, ah, absolutely sure? You saw what that monstrosity did even to experienced rangers like John and Vory."

"I did." Ryu nodded, looking over the people on his team. "And some of my guys had other points, and good ones." He closed his eyes for a moment. "But running away never actually solves problems. It just makes them stop affecting you. And sometimes that works, but some problems won't leave you alone unless you make them." Opening his eyes again, he glared down at the table. "Besides, I have business to settle with Barubary, one of these days. Those of you who voted no, I'm sorry... but I'm going to have to ask you to help me out here."

The group exchanged a glance, every single one of them smirking.

"He says it like he expects anything else," Sten commented. "Did we not all already tell him we'd go along with whatever he decided? Pretty sure we did."

"Perhaps he's only being polite?" Nina suggested. "Although if so, _he's_ in the wrong outfit, I'd say."

"Why would that be, _mademoiselle_ Nina?" Jean asked, clearly uncomprehending, before shaking his head. "Ah, it matters not. We are all with you, _monsieur_ Ryu!"

"What he said." Katt gave him a thumbs-up. "Man, if I knew working with Rangers meant busting up demons, I'd have joined up myself! Most fun I've had in years!"

"That's not funny," Rand told her, then sighed. "I still think we should have just gone underground... but hey, I've been wrong before. Let's give it a shot."

"Come on, man." Bow grinned at him. "After that lecture _you_ gave _me_ about all these hooligans we're surrounded by, now _you're_ acting all doubtful? Give me a break. You should know by now we've all got your back."

"Not like I'm gonna be the one out there in the field taking the risks," Niro pointed out. "So it don't bother me much. Good luck, kids. You're gonna need it."

"There is still some danger from being associated with this, though," Ryu reminded him, turning to the other civilians from Hometown. "That's why I wanted all of you here. I was afraid it might come to this, and if it did, you guys deserved to know what you were getting into. Not sure how long some of you wanted to stick around, but..." He shrugged.

Now it was the three carpenters' turn to exchange a look.

"Kid, let me tell you something," Rivab eventually said. "You know what every real artisan in our line of work dreams of? Building an entire freakin' city. That's not just fame, that's going down in _history. _And you know what we're actually doing back there right now? See previous answer."

"So you're mercs." Haseco shrugged. "Big deal. What's important is that you're okay guys. Far as we're concerned, any suckers come after you back home, you can count on me to man the walls. Once we get walls, anyways."

"Besides, you ain't really gonna complain about getting your own goddamn city built for you at cost, are you?" Eizen laughed.

"And painted," Lacquer added.

"No way." Bow chuckled. "Thanks, guys."

"So we _are_ going to end up having our own city." Ryu sighed. "Great. Wait until Prima hears about _this_ one."

"Oh, they already have," the Chief Elder told him. "You want my advice? Take that zenny we'll be paying you once you're done here, and buy that land off of the country of Auria. Establish yourselves completely independent. We'll smooth things over with Prima for you; call it a little bonus for taking this off our hands."

"Thanks, I think." Ryu frowned thoughtfully. "Now we just need to figure out how to fill all those houses. Not much of a city if nobody's living in it."

"You could give all of us our own houses," Sana suggested, and received a whack on the head from Granny for her contribution.

"Just ignore that," the old lady advised, as Ray and Kay took their turn to exchange an look.

"Go ahead," the paladin told his friend. "Ask. I think they'll agree."

"Mister Bateson, I have a request," Kay said calmly, meeting his eyes. "You all know I'm a doctor, and I've been traveling for some time, looking for a place to set up shop. Everywhere I've looked so far hasn't needed any more, though. I was wondering if you'd mind if I opened up a clinic in your city."

"Believe it or not, I was going to ask if you had a steady practice myself," Ryu replied, glancing at the others, who all nodded. "Groups like us do well to know a good doctor. White magic is good for the short-term stuff, but for long-term, it's best to get looked at regularly. We don't exactly have much of an economy going at the moment, but that should improve once we get more people. If you're willing to wait for that, pick a house and it's yours."

"For free?" Kay blinked.

"How about a discount group rate in exchange?" Sten suggested slyly. "Sound fair to you?"

"Sten," Ray said firmly.

"I didn't mean _much_ of a discount!" Sten protested innocently. "Just a little one!"

"If you're willing, perhaps I might be, ah, able to suggest another citizen," Elder Allen told them, raising an eyebrow. "Hanz is ready to retire; I believe he wants to open up a, ah, general store. I'm sure you could use one."

"As well as providing us with an in-town connection to the Rangers' Guild?" Ryu guessed. "Just in case?"

"A fringe benefit," Allen assured him.

"Not like we mind." Bow glanced around the table. "Anybody else know any other good prospects?"

"There's Azusa, out around my neck of the woods," Elder Mac muttered thoughtfully, and some of the others nodded. "And his shiftless brother Maclean. Neither of them's getting old, but they were getting tired of running all around the world. Talking about looking for a place to settle down and focus on hunting and fishing for a living."

"Old Azusa's still around?" Ryu blinked, smiling, looking at Bow. "And Maclean, too? Man, who would have figured. I'd never have guessed those clowns would still be alive."

"They were the guys who first got us interested in joining the Guild in the first place." Bow snapped his fingers. "And hey, somebody's gotta bring in food now that I won't be around, at least until we can get a real economy going."

"Tell 'em they can have the houses so long as they keep the population fed, then?" Mac grunted. "Sounds fair to me."

"I've actually been meaning to ask," Mrs. Rivab spoke up, getting an encouraging nod from her husband. "Once we have an actual population, I'd like to open up a restaurant in town, if that's all right with you. I'd always been sort of a dream of mine."

"I've got a similar request," Mrs. Haseco added, glancing at her husband. "A tavern. Lunkhead here can help me run it once he's done playing builder."

"And you?" Ryu glanced at Eizen.

"Guess I could run a gambling parlor, if my nephew stopped staring at paint all day and helped me out," the carpenter mused.

"We're really going for the 'outlaw town,' deal, aren't we?" Nina asked dryly. "A population under two dozen, and we'll already have both a tavern and a casino."

"No point in building our own city if it's not going to be our kind of place, is there?" Katt told her.

"That's something else to bring up, I think." Ryu glanced at the Chief Elder. "Like they just said, this isn't exactly going to be a law-and-order kind of place. We're not going to be too picky about who moves in, as long as they play by the rules, and if it comes down to any of them against the rest of the world, we'll be sticking together. Is that going to be a problem?"

"Get real, kid." The Chief Elder snorted. "Why do you think the world didn't mind a place like Bleak for hundreds of years? There are some advantages to having a wretched hive of scum and villainy around. No offense to your families, sirs and ma'ams. Some folks think those ruins of yours might even _be _Bleak. Far as I'm concerned, that's fate, right there." He narrowed his eyes. "I'll ask you one more time, then. You're sure about taking this job?"

"We're sure." Ryu nodded, and knew without looking that every single one of the team had nodded with him. "Any advice for us, sir?"

"Yeah." The Chief Elder steepled his hands. "According to John's report, every one of the trees in Gate is dead or dying, except for one. There's a Wise Tree, up in Gate. How much do you know about the Grass Men?"

"They're the only Clan known who evolved from plants, rather than animals," Nina replied. "What's known as the 'Grass Man' is actually the second stage of a lifeform whose shape changes dramatically at several points in their extremely long life. The final stage is, in fact, a sentient tree, although only other Grass Men can communicate with them. Due to their low population and little interest in society, they have no presence in Prima, and thus are not recognized as a 'legal' clan, despite generally being much more polite and civilized than most 'outlaw' clans."

"I get it." Rand snapped his fingers. "This Wise Tree up near Gate might know something about what's going on up there, but those guys couldn't find out, because they couldn't talk to it."

"Bingo." The Chief Elder nodded. "You want my advice, kid? Find a Grass Man, and talk him into playing translator for you."

"Hey, wasn't there one of those in a traveling circus?" Katt drummed her fingers on the table. "Went and saw it a couple months before I met Ryu."

"We saw it too." Bow glanced at Silvia and Deis, who nodded. "Seemed like a shady bunch of guys, for the most part."

"Wait a second here." Ryu turned to Ray. "You said this conspiracy uses groups like that as their couriers, right?"

"Correct." Ray nodded. "You think that the circus in question may be involved?"

"The man in charge was pretty buddy-buddy with Trout," Ryu growled. "And they sure as hell weren't running a clean operation."

"You won't simply be able to bust in and kill them all, though," the Chief Elder warned them. "And finding proof that 'he's a demon' won't go over well. You'll need to either nail them on something else, or do it legally."

"We'll figure something out," Ryu promised. "What's more important is finding out just where that circus is right now."

"Tunlan," Sten told him. "It's the Circus Maxitusk, right? They were set up near Windia when I met you guys. Gave me a job offer, since I was doing the whole magician act at the time, but I turned them down."

"Didn't like the looks of them, huh?" Rand guessed.

"Nah, I ain't too picky about the guys I hang out with," Sten joked. "It was _because_ they told me they were going to Tunlan next. I'd just been there myself not too long ago, and my act got about as good a reception as selling fried figs would have. That long a trip, they'll probably still be there."

"Good thing we just got that sea travel thing taken care of," Ryu muttered. "All right, then, we're going to the Isle of Tunlan."

"Sea travel?" Ray raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask," Katt advised him. "You really don't want to know."

"Will we not have issues communicating?" Jean asked. "On the Isle of Tunlan, I have heard, they speak entirely through music."

"That's the locals," Niro grunted. "Shouldn't have too much trouble if you just wanna talk to the circus folks."

"All the same, I'd feel better if you took the magic hood with you," Duke Kilgore said, referring to the ancient treasure whose theft had started the entire mess. "It's enchanted to translate any language on the planet. It won't let you talk back to them, of course, but you'll at least be able to understand what they're saying."

"Our thanks, your grace." Ryu nodded. "We'll put it to good use." He looked around the room. "Is there anything else, then?"

"You are going to be careful, aren't you?" Silvia asked, in an unusual tone for her; it was small and hesitant, and she was looking at her feet. "I know you're all strong, and smart, and capable, but... I still can't help thinking..." She shuddered. "Demons. You're going out to hunt down _demons_, worse ones than before."

"I know, Silvia," Bow told her, smiling slightly. "But it's like you said, right? We know what we're doing. Hell, I almost took down Trout all by myself." He winked. "Trust us, okay? We're gonna kick ass and get rich, and what we're _not_ gonna do is die. We're not going anywhere, any of us. Promise."

"You always used to say things like that," Silvia murmured, and Ryu and Deis nodded. "And I'd just laugh, because I'd know you were just going to get yourself into trouble again, like you always did. This time, though... you really mean it, don't you?" She looked up and met his eyes, and then she smiled. "When did you start growing up so much, Bow?"

"Me?" He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Growing up? Come on, Silvia, that's crazy talk."

"Then I must be crazy," she replied, standing up. "Which gives me an excuse for this, at least." Before anybody else realized what was happening, she'd pulled Bow out of his chair as well, seizing him in a firm embrace as she kissed him, long and slow. He looked stunned for a moment, but then his arms wrapped around her in return.

"Woo-_hoo!_" Katt cheered after a few moments of surprised silence around the table. "That's the way to do it!"

"Well," Deis murmured, smiling as well. "It's about time."

"Does this... happen often, over in Hometown?" The Chief Elder inquired dryly.

"Not as such, no," Elder Allen muttered, putting a hand to his mouth to hide a smile. "Good grief. I can't keep up with you kids."

"No comment," Ryu said, rolling his eyes.

"You promised," Silvia told Bow, clearly not hearing any of the commentary. "That means you can't die, Bow. You have to come back to me, now. You promised you would."

"I did, didn't I?" Bow replied, slightly wonderingly. "Yeah, I did. And I meant it, too. How about that. Guess you're right, then." He shook his head. "I still don't know why the hell you'd go for a guy like me, but if you've made up your mind... you've got yourself a deal. This job, and the next job, and the next... yeah, I'll come back to you. Every single time."

"You'd better." She rested her head on his shoulder. "You'd better, you louse. You promised."

The meeting broke up after that. The Elders left first, warping back to their own respective cities, the Siman one taking Petape with him. A mage in the employ of Duke Kilgore conveyed Mina back to Windia similarly, after a private farewell between her and Nina, and shortly afterward, Deis warped Elder Allen and Silvia back to Hometown. Ray was the last to leave, offering to drop the residents of their new city off before returning to the Isle of Guntz, including Niro. That left the Duke and the rest of the group.

"Thanks again for everything, your grace," Ryu told Kilgore, shaking his hand, as they stood outside the manor's door. "I know I've said it a dozen times already, but there's really no way to say just how much we owe you."

"And as I've told you just as many times, it's the least I can do for getting you all into this mess in the first place," Kilgore replied, smiling slightly. "It seems my part in this adventure is more or less concluded now, but if you decide to follow the Elder's advice and make that land purchase, let me know when you're ready. If I can't help negotiate a good deal on the price for you, I'll give up my title and take a vow of poverty."

"We'll keep in touch," Ryu promised. "And if anything more comes up that involves Auria, we'll let you know."

"Good luck, then, my friends," the old man told them. "And may St. Eva... and Ladon... guide your path."

They waved as they walked down to the shoreline, packs on their backs and food and water carried by the physically stronger ones. It had been a good week, but they'd all known it was only a short vacation, and it was time to get back to work on the open road. Or, as the case was, the open sea. Lining up on the shore, they all glanced at Ryu, and he rang the bell they'd received from Maiyoru.

Only a few minutes later, the gigantic whale rose from the ocean, and turned himself around so that his tail lay near the shore, laying it flat for them to climb up.

"This is probably gonna suck," Rand muttered as they walked through the surf; fortunately, it only came up to Sten's knees before they reached the tail. "I hope this is like that river trip you took us on, Jean, or else I'm not gonna make it long. I hate sea travel. All that rocking of the waves... uggggh." He clambered up onto the tail, casks of fresh water carried under both arms.

"Consider this, then," Nina told him, flying easily to the top of the whale. "Tunlan is quite a long ways away. What would be worse? A high-speed trip lasting only a few days, or a slower one that took all week?"

"Come on, be nice," Sten told her, smirking, as he scampered up the whale's back quickly. "And yeah, I know how ridiculous that is to hear from me."

"Cheer up, everybody!" Katt grinned, doing the same with just as much agility despite the bulky packages of food she was carrying. "We're riding across the friggin' ocean on a _whale_'s back! How is that not cool?"

"She's got a point," Bow agreed, making his way up the slope slowly but surely. "Gotta admit, this right here? Never thought I'd see the day. Riding a whale. Enough said."

"All the more reason to enjoy the journey, yes?" Jean said, hauling himself up next to him. "Ah, life is such a wonderful adventure!"

"Right." Ryu chuckled, stepping around the whale's blowhole and sitting down at the front of its head before leaning over. "Hey, big guy! You can understand me, right?"

In response, the whale spouted, showering them all.

"Think that was a 'yes,' chief," Sten muttered.

"Cool," Ryu continued, ignoring the dirty looks they were giving him now. "Listen, we need to go to the Isle of Tunlan. Know where that is?"

The whale spouted again as it swam away from the coast, quickly picking up speed until it was knifing through the water towards the east, back steady and flat despite the waves crashing all around them.

"Feeling okay?" Katt asked Rand.

"So far," he grunted, eyes closed. "As long as I don't look. Ask me again in an hour."

The trip was boring, but there were worse things in life. They continued east across the ocean, the whale carrying them without complaint, for several long days; it was fortunate that they'd planned ahead and brought water and food, since there was no way to stop for any. Even so, it wasn't long before they were all sick of nothing but dried rations.

A week after departing Kilgore's manor, they finally sighted the Isle of Tunlan, a tropical paradise south of Camlon and west of Auria. The only inlet was at the south end; from there, the sides of the island rose until the northern side, a sheer forty-foot cliff. That, of course, was where the capital city was located, the only major place of habitation on the island. Palm trees dotted the gentle uphill slope, and tropical birds flitted among them.

It would have been picture perfect, were it not for the giant, ectomorphic stone golem lurching its way up the beach as the whale approached.

"Is that... normal?" Nina asked, raising an eyebrow, as they watched it lumber around from a safe distance offshore; the whale had halted there at Ryu's request.

"Oh, one of _those_ things," Sten grunted, glancing at it. "I hate those things. It'll take us all day to kill that."

"I don't think it's seen us yet," Bow pointed out. "It's just keeping on going."

"Looks like it's walking off," Rand said, shaking his head. "Good grief. If that's the kind of monster they have on this island, it's a good thing it won't take us long to get up to the city. Spending all day fending freaks like that off isn't my idea of a good time."

"All right, take us in," Ryu called down, and the whale obliged, bringing its tail up to the shore. They climbed off, and once they had, it turned around again to call a loud, strangely melodic farewell. Only then did it dive under the ocean once more, as they waved farewell. Once it was gone, they turned and began hiking up the island. "With luck, we won't even need to go into the city or bother any of the natives. The circus should be set up outside the walls. We'll just go in and take care of business, simple as that."

"So what's the plan?" Sten asked. "I'm guessing we probably shouldn't just stroll in there. Bunch of mugs like us try that, they'll figure out something's up real fast."

"Well, there's me and Nina," Katt suggested. "We pretend we're on a double date, that's four of us covered."

"Such a pity we did not consider such things earlier, or perhaps we could have brought _mademoiselle_ Sana along for _monsier_ Sten as well, yes?" Jean sighed. "And _mademoiselle_ Silvia for _monsieur_ Bow, as well as dividing myself from _mademoiselle_ Seso. Then we would all have a perfect cover."

"Not sure I'd want to put up with Sana on that whale for a week," Bow grumbled. "Besides, I already took Silvia to this place. Don't get your hopes up; it's not gonna be worth the price of admission." He glanced at Jean and Sten. "If Rand's with Katt, then the three of us could probably pull off the three drunken stooges routine."

"Whatever works is cool." Sten shrugged. "We should go in first, then. Once the show's over, we go talk to the guy in charge, then?"

"You got it." Ryu nodded. "The good news is, if he's a demon, chances are he won't be able to resist trying to screw with us _somehow_. We'll just get some face time and let him give us enough rope to hang him."

"Unless this one's intelligent enough to know we can take him, and decides he'd prefer that _didn't_ happen," Nina pointed out. "Logically, it's only a matter of time until we run into one of them who figures that out."

"Maybe, but it's not gonna be this guy," Bow grunted. "You've never seen him. Trust me, he's not the sharpest block off the quarry."

"Doesn't mean he won't be a coward," Katt added. "If he's dumb, but knows we could splatter him all over the island, he might just play it cool."

"In which case, we intimidate him." Ryu shrugged. "Might be a little tricky for us, but I'm sure we can manage _something_ along those lines if we really try our best, right guys?" They all laughed rather nastily at that, and continued up the island, until the walls around the actual city came into view about an hour later. "All right, there it is... and there's the circus." A huge, brightly colored tent had been set up outside the walls, and there was a trail of people walking out of it, back towards the nearby capital.

"Looks like they're just finishing up a show," Bow pointed out. "Bad timing on our part, I guess."

"Maybe not," Sten said thoughtfully. "Alternative suggestion. I've been thinking, and this place doesn't really try to hide the fact that it's shady, right?"

"Not even close." Ryu shook his head.

"Right," the Highlander continued. "So if we went in there looking like we were trouble inspectors, our reception wouldn't be too friendly, which is why we were gonna try and blend in. But if we slid in at the end of a show and said we wanted to sort of talk to the boss about the sort of business that it's best the authorities didn't hear about..." He left it hanging.

"If _I_ was a crooked, demonic circus ringmaster, that'd be the sort of thing that'd turn _my_ eyes into zenny signs," Rand agreed, then made a face. "I can't believe I just said that with a straight face. What is my life?"

"Sounds good to me," Katt chimed in.

"All right, we'll give it a shot," Ryu decided. Reaching the circus, they slipped through the crowd into the first area of the tent; a complicated system of curtains and tarps inside sectioned it off almost as well as actual walls. A couple of bruisers were standing at either side of the entrance, and a bored-looking young man with dyed pink hair lounged behind a counter.

"Show's over," he told them laconically without even looking. "Next one's in four hours if you want a ticket."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Ryu replied, leaning on the counter and doing his best to look sleazy. "Actually, we're here on business. How's that Grass Man doing, these days?"

"You kidding?" The man behind the counter snorted. "Nobody gives a shit about him any more. We're already planning his farewell performance." Opening his eyes, he looked Ryu over and smiled slightly. "Maybe that'd be more to your liking. Two weeks from now, we're putting him on stage one last time, along with a certain monster. Ever heard of a creon?"

"Thought those were supposed to be extinct," Ryu said glibly, fighting a chill. They'd seen creons before, when the city of Capitan had been infested with the insectoid monstrosities. "Grass Man by himself probably wouldn't stand a chance against one."

"That's the idea." The counterman laughed cynically. "It's what you call a specialty show. Some folks pay a lot of zenny to watch something like that."

"Tempting as the idea sounds, we might have an even better alternative," Ryu explained smoothly. "See, we know this guy who's _interested_ in Grass Men, and he asked us to stop by here and talk with your boss about that. Could be you guys might be able to make even _more_ zenny than you would at the show, if you know what I mean."

"That a fact?" The counterman's eyes narrowed. "The boss might just be interested in something like that. Problem is, we can't let anybody go through without a ticket, even if the show's not on." He glanced at the toughs, who nodded. "But hey, if you guys work for a big spender like that, a hundred zenny a head should be chump change, right?"

"A hundred zenny per ticket?" Sten sputtered. "That's ridiculous!"

"Easy, man," Bow cautioned him. "The big man'll reimburse us for this if the deal goes off, no sweat."

"What he said," Ryu agreed, forcing himself to hide his wince. "Let's pony up, people." Walking forward, each of them put a hundred zenny on the counter, some of them muttering more than others.

"Pleasure doing business with you." The man tossed a string of tickets at Ryu. "The ringmaster will be in the back, with that grass man's cage and old man Watts."

"Right." Ryu nodded, glancing back at his team and jerking his head towards the back, and they walked past the bruisers. The stage was empty, as were all the seats around it, and the bar as well. Walking further back, they passed stacks of equipment, and cages containing animals and monsters. More of the staff were taking care of everything, but they didn't seem to care much about the intruders backstage; perhaps they assumed that if they'd been allowed through, there was a good reason.

"That's a creon, all right," Nina murmured as they passed one cage, and the giant blue insect slammed against it, hissing at them. "That confirms _that_ suspicion of ours."

"Seems that way," Sten muttered back.

At the rear of the backstage area was a cart that had been converted into a cage on wheels, with red curtains over the barred front. The Grass Man sat inside, back to the wall, staring into empty space, a humanoid of green leaves and white-pink petals. An old man was in there as well, putting bowls of food and water on the floor; he'd been running the bar when Ryu and Bow had been there last.

"Come now, Watts, don't be all day at it!" The ringmaster of the circus boomed from outside the cage. Tall and buff, he wore a sparkling blue tunic and tights, along with a cape and a ridiculously tall top hat. His long silver hair was elaborately curled, as was his gigantic mustache, and his grin gleamed as much as his clothes. "We can't take any chances on letting the property escape so close to the final performance, after all. Dilly-dally, and I might just accidentally lock you in there with him!" He laughed, then turned, seeing Ryu approach. "Aha! And who might you be?"

"My name's Ryu Bateson, and these are my team, the _Dragonkin_," Ryu said, nodding slightly as he checked the Dragon's Tear, and was unsurprised to see it showing the noxious black that identified a demon. "We're a group of... private adventurers. One of our clients has asked us to stop by and see if you'd be interested in a business opportunity involving leafy over there." He inclined his head towards the Grass Man.

"Is that so?" The ringmaster murmured, twirling one end of his mustache. "Interesting. My name is M.C. Johnathan Tusk, and I am owner and leader of the Circus Maxitusk. I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Bateson, although..." He glanced at the cage. "I can't exactly see why you'd be interested in this useless creature. Nobody wants to see him any more, although we _do_ have high hopes for his farewell performance." He suddenly lunged at the cage, rattling the bars. "You hear that, grass? Everybody's going to come to see you get eaten, and creons always save the head for last! Hahahahaha!"

The Grass Man showed no sign of even hearing him, although the old man's eyes narrowed as he stepped out of the cage through a door in the side, locking it behind him.

"You see?" Tusk sneered, stepping back. "Pathetic. He just sits there all day and all night. He must get up to eat and drink... and other things, of course, if Grass Men even do that... but we never see him move. He's practically dead already. What could anybody possibly want with this useless sack of offal?"

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," the Grass Man said abruptly, and everybody stared at it, startled. Its voice was light and androgynous, identifiable as neither male nor female, and it continued staring at empty air as it continued. "Does this amuse you, M.C. Tusk?"

"Ha! You can talk?" Tusk demanded, recovering from his surprise. "Well then, all the better! You'll be able to scream and shout when the creon eats you, piece by piece!" Turning back to Ryu, he clapped him on the shoulder. "What do you think, Bateson? Hilarious, isn't it? A monster vegetarian show!" His eyes, as black as the night sky, sparkled like there were stars inside. "Maybe instead of blood, he'll spill salad dressing instead, hahahaha! Oh, I'm looking forward to this! You are too, aren't you? That's what you're here for, to make sure you have tickets! I should have known!"

"Sounds like fun, all right," Ryu lied, forcing a grin he didn't feel and shooting the others a glance, signaling them to do the same, though it would be difficult; Katt, in particular, looked about two steps away from throttling Tusk with her bare hands. "But as they say, business before pleasure. We're actually here to discuss an alternative. Our client would like to know if, perhaps, you'd be interested in letting us give the poor flower child a new home... for a price, of course. Specifically, a very _large_ price. Interested?"

"Tempting, tempting," Tusk murmured, stroking his mustache. "Money does come before personal pleasure, I agree. But you see, this farewell performance is going to be a _very_ profitable undertaking. Based on our forecast, we expect to rake in somewhere around 900,000 zenny. If your employer can match that price, well, then we have ourselves a deal. Otherwise..." He shrugged helplessly.

"Nine _hundred_ thousand," Sten repeated flatly.

"A bit steep?" Tusk asked, shaking his head. "Such a pity. Then it seems the vegetable's fate is sealed... although... there is one other option." His eyes narrowed. "There are other rare and fantastic beasts in this world. Perhaps if you were able to capture one and bring it to me instead, I would trade you for it. For example, an uparupa."

"I've heard of those," Nina murmured, her voice cold and clinical. "They're rumored to be highly difficult to capture, but we should be able to pull it off."

"That sounds more like our kind of business anyways," Katt agreed, her voice taking on an exaggeratedly vicious tone. "We might even be able to take it alive. Mostly. After a couple tries, anyways."

"Yeah, okay." Ryu held out his hand, and Tusk clasped it. "We bring you this uparupa thing, you hand over pinkie?"

"So long as it is before the final performance in two weeks." Tusk chuckled. "Seeing the uparupa demolish the creon should be an acceptable substitute. You'd better hurry, though; I'm not going to delay the salad toss show if you're not back in time!"

"The uparupa normally live in seaside caverns around Tantar," Watts, the old man, spoke up suddenly. "You'll need bait, though, and the only thing that tempt uparupa are the owlfruit, found only in a certain forest north of the Windia-Camlon border. You've chosen the exact right time; the owlfruit will be ripe, but the uparupa pack won't migrate there to devour them for another month. You'd never be able to pick one off from that mess, but if you get some owlfruit and find the right cave now, you might have a chance."

"And did I request your input, Watts?" Tusk asked dryly. "No, I don't believe I did. Perhaps you should stay out of this, hmm?"

"Sorry, boss." Watts turned away, a resigned look coming over his face.

"No sweat, chief," Ryu told him. "Just want to help your boss make money, right? Man, I wish the mugs I had working for me went out of _their_ way to pitch in. I gotta yell and cuss at 'em all day to do anything except kill things. They like that part, at least."

"I imagine so, yes." Tusk chuckled. "Well then, good luck, mister... oh, wait!" He snapped his fingers. "In order to keep the uparupa sedate once you've managed to weaken it, you'll need the Hold spell. Do any of your group's mages know it?"

"Well?" Ryu glanced over his shoulder. Exchanging looks, everybody except Katt shook their heads.

"I've never even heard of it." Nina spread her hands.

"It's not a very popular spell these days, I'm afraid," Tusk explained. "They haven't taught it publicly for a long time. Fortunately, my ancestors knew the secret, and I've passed it on to all my boys here. Why don't I send one of them with you to help you bring the uparupa back once?" He smiled, dark eyes glittering once more. "I'm afraid ordinary bonds wouldn't work with one of those, you see. Even a steel cage... well, they're quite feisty." He clapped his hands. "Bob!"

"Yeah, boss?" A surly-looking ruffian looked up from where he was piling rope in one corner. "What's up?"

"These fine fellows are going to catch an uparupa for us," Tusk explained, gesturing at Ryu and company. "Be a good boy and accompany them so you can use Hold and make sure it doesn't escape, would you?"

"Okay, boss." Bob walked over and nodded perfunctorily at the males of the group, while leering at the women. "Be glad to help you out, heheh."

"We'll head over to the Owlwoods first, then," Ryu said, jerking his head towards the front of the tent. "Come on, you lazy blokes, let's get out of here. Jean, you know that lodge north of the border, right? Think you can Warp us there?"

"Of course, _monsieur _Ryu," Jean said after a long moment. "I assume you would like to spend the night there?"

"Beats camping out on this hellhole," Ryu grunted. "We can head out back to look for the fruit the next morning. Let's go."

"Remember, two weeks!" Tusk called after them. "Or else your prize is going to be chopped sprouts! Hahahahaha!"

Walking outside, they Warped to the lodge, Bob following them laconically. Once they walked in, fortunately, he stuck to himself, paying for his own room before taking a corner of the tavern to lurk in with his ale. The proprietor was much more friendly to Ryu and the others; several of them had passed through recently, and the others had met him years ago. After getting rooms, they retired to a table in the tavern well away from Bob, ordering dinner and drinks. Nobody was much in the mood to talk, for obvious reasons, but Ryu made an effort anyways once their food had come.

"All right, let's get this on the table," he said, shaking his head. "I don't like this job any more than you guys do. Honestly, I'm not sure how this even happened. We went in there looking for an excuse to do a little more demonslaying-he's definitely one, by the way-and we come out taking a _job_ from him. How _did_ that even happen?"

"This is why I always used to tell you to let me do the talking," Bow drawled. "Bad things happen when you try to do it."

"Shaddup." Ryu shoved him. "Anyways, I'm not happy with this act, either, but it's for a good cause. If we can get the grass man out of there, that's what's important. I can live with catching some critter."

"It is terrible, putting a grass man on display in a carnival like that," Jean murmured, nursing his wine. "And to feed it to such a beast... I am not a naturally violent man, _mon amis_, but I must confess, I would not mourn _monsieur_ Tusk should it become necessary to deal with him in a more permanent fashion."

"Don't think any of us would," Rand grunted. "Problem is, unless _he_ starts something with _us_, we gotta do this the legal way."

"Can't say I'm a fan of our new buddy, though," Katt grumbled, glancing over at Bob. "The sooner we get this over with, the better, just so we don't have to put up with him for any longer than we have to. Go back to double watches at night when we're out in the open?"

"We're gonna have to," Ryu agreed reluctantly. "One to look out for monsters, and one to keep an eye on him."

"Speaking of watching out for things..." Sten glanced at Ryu, Katt and Nina. "You guys remember those asshole slavers who were here last time we came through?"

"Of course we do." Nina nodded as Katt made a rude noise. "As much as I'd prefer that I didn't. Why do you ask?"

"Been listening in on the chatter around here," Sten explained. "Seems those asses went out in the Owlwoods about a week ago looking for that ivy-haired girl they wanted to sell again. This time, they didn't come back, and neither has anybody else who went out there recently."

"Great." Ryu buried his head in his hands. "So there's probably something nasty out there we'll need to watch out for tomorrow. Is there _anything_ that's going to go right for us today?"

"We do still have ale," Bow pointed out. "And wine, too. As long as there's that, it could be worse, you know?"

"Ah, yes, the alcohol-centric system of optimism," Nina murmured. "So long as one is not out of alcohol, life is good. When one is out of alcohol, life is bad. All else is irrelevant."

"Something like that," Ryu muttered as they all dug into their meals.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

_ALL WE ARE IS ENTERTAINMENT _


	19. Chapter 17: The Uparupa Hunt

_**Chapter 17: The Uparupa Hunt **_

"Let's see how you like an early winter, asshole!" Ryu yelled, transforming into the ice whelp. Inhaling, he spat a cloudy mass of freezing gas at their enemy, a gigantic blue vegetative head the size of a cart, covered in wartlike growths and dangling roots. Disturbingly, it had a massive, ugly humanoid face, with shining green eyes that leered down at them as it hovered in the air. Watching the freezing magic cover it, Ryu reverted to his normal form and crouched down; he was tired, but it wasn't the bone-deep need to stop moving he'd felt when he first started transforming. "Ha! How's that?"

"Crunchy-style!" The head retorted, both its own mouth and the growth on top of it spoke in unison, deep bass and beautiful singsong echoing eerily together. Said growth was a pretty human girl with ivy for hair, wooden skin and a dress of white flower petals; it was the beast's lure to attract prey into the glade in the back of the Owlwoods. Floating forward, it suddenly rammed Ryu, crushing him to the ground before retreating over the massive crater it had emerged from. "Yay! I like you!"

"Pain," he grunted, prying himself off the floor slowly, despite multiple broken bones. "Little help here?"

"Bit busy!" Rand grunted, casting healing magic over Nina and Katt as all three of them took a lightning spell from one of the beast's two sprouts, identical lures that floated separately, roots dangling from beneath their dresses. "Get you in a second!"

"I got it!" Bow called, healing Ryu's wounds. "There you go, buddy. And now..." Sighting carefully, he watched Sten and Jean stalk the other sprout until he had the right angle, and fired a bolt straight into its eye. The decoy went down, and as it did, Sten and Jean tore through it with knives and rapier, finishing the job. "Right, that's one down!"

"Suiky!" The monster shouted, its lower mouth glowing with the same green light that filled its eyes. "Come here, darling, mama Owlgernon'll help you!" Turning away from them, it levitated the dead sprout up to its lure, and the girl atop the beast embraced the corpse before pressing their lips together, prompting a haze of green magical energy to cover the sprout, as its wounds began to heal.

"Are they..." Sten stammered. "Is it doing what I..."

"Who cares?" Ryu growled, shaking his head to clear his own distraction. "Nail the big one while it's distracted!"

"This one's down, too!" Katt growled, ramming the end of her battlestaff through the other sprout's chest as she stood on it, fallen to the ground. Pulling it back out, she jumped into the air towards the main enemy. "Come on, asshole, no more hiding behind your kids!"

"Danielle!" Owlgernon shrieked and roared in unison. "It's okay, baby, I've got you!" Releasing the fully revived Suiky, it called the other sprout to it as well.

"Now!" Nina called out. "Magic, while they're all together!" As she spoke, she called up a pyramid of flames, enveloping all three. A moment later, Jean, Sten and Rand all responded in kind; as Rand lashed the three enemies with electricity of his own, Jean threw huge rocks of ice that slammed home into the giant plant, and Sten nailed it with a detonation of air pressure. The beast buckled, roaring, and both sprouts went down a second time in flames.

"How dare you!" The monstrosity and its lure both raged. "I'll show _you_ the winds of winter!" The vegetative face's mouth gaped, and it spewed cold breath over the four of them as it spun around. They buckled, but the other three were charging in, Katt actually leaping into the air high enough to land on top of it, behind the lure. Before it could respond, she'd rammed her staff straight through the top of the lure's head; with no bones, it was completely skewered.

At the same time, Ryu aimed at the point on the underside most cratered by the magic, carving into it with both arms. Chunks of plant matter flew as he kept on hacking and slashing, and a glowing green core was soon exposed. As soon as it was visible, he ducked out of the way, and a moment later a bolt flew straight and true, puncturing the core. One direct shot was all it took; the glowing green liquid inside spilled out, nearly dousing Ryu. Fortunately, he got out of the way in time; it smelled vile.

"Don't..." The face bellowed haltingly as it grew limp. "Don't... take me too... lightly... ohhh... I don't... feel... so... good..." Moaning, it crashed into the ground and died, collapsing into a heap of foul-smelling plant matter as the magical energy filling its core bled out. Within moments, it was nothing more than a brown, decayed pile of compost.

"What the hell was _that_ all about?" Sten asked after a moment. The others shrugged.

"I'm starting to feel like being a dragon isn't as impressive as it used to be," Ryu growled irritably as Rand and Bow healed them all. "Kuwadora was one thing, but this freak... sure, it worked, but she didn't even notice."

"Aren't there supposed to be multiple levels of dragon transformation?" Nina pointed out. "When you had that incident with Sana, you turned into an adult dragon, not a whelp. That should be the second level. You look like you're ready for it, too; turning back isn't hitting you as hard as it used to."

"Yeah, but how's he gonna learn to do that?" Bow pointed out. "You need to learn it from somebody, right? And there ain't exactly anybody left to teach that. Don't think just trying to fuse with Sana again would be a good idea."

"Noooooooo," Ryu agreed. "Let's just go, people. I'll figure something out. Right now, we have _definitely_ earned that owlfruit."

"Damn straight," Katt grumbled. "It is _way_ too early for this shit."

They'd woken up shortly after dawn, and after a quick breakfast, headed out back to the Owlwoods in search of the fruit; Bob had slept in, to nobody's surprise or care. Once they'd entered the woods, however, they'd heard a girl singing beautifully. Following the music had brought them to a clearing with multiple strange plants, like giant lantern flowers, growing in the back. The girl had been standing before the plants, and when they'd accosted her, she'd revealed her true form before calling up her sprouts and attacking them.

"Ah, this must be the owlfruit, yes?" Jean asked, pulling a golden fruit from the bloom at the end of one plant. It was the size of an apple and shaped like a snowman, two connected spheres of dissimilar size, a soft golden color. Bow, Katt, Rand and Sten pulled four more from the others; they seemed firm, but not tough, and looked ripe and juicy. "They seem to be quite a delectable treat, indeed! It is no wonder that the uparupa are willing to cross the countryside every year just to sample them, yes?"

"They do look pretty good," Katt agreed, staring at hers. "You know... it's not like these critters won't go for them if there's just a little missing, right? Like... just one bite, just to see what they taste like... that'll be fine, won't it?"

"We'd better not," Nina told her, shaking her head. "We don't know just how much fruit we'll need before we're done. Five pieces isn't exactly an overstock. If we catch the uparupa and we still have some left, then we can try it."

"But it won't still be totally ripe by then!" Katt protested.

"Business before pleasure."

"Awww..."

"It won't take us _that_ long, with any luck," Ryu pointed out as they started walking back towards the lodge, keeping well away from the reeking heap of compost. "Which is for the best, since we're on a bit of a time limit. Jean can warp us neat the coast of Tantar, and we can start looking for seaside caverns right away today." He made a face. "As soon as our guest pries his carcass out of bed, anyways."

"Are you sure we can't just leave him here?" Rand muttered.

"It's tempting," Ryu admitted. "But we probably shouldn't. That story about needing the Hold spell was bullshit; Tusk sent him along to keep an eye on us. I don't think he's a demon himself, but he's probably in on the conspiracy. I don't really know what game those two are playing, but five zenny says he can contact Tusk at any time if we look like we're skipping out on the deal."

"And if he does, Tusk will 'seize the moment' and kill the Grass Man early," Sten realized, narrowing his eyes. "I get it now. You're right, boss. We're going to have to play along if we want to save that poor sap."

"How do we get into these messes?" Rand groaned, rubbing the tiny shell plate atop his head. Nobody really had an answer for him.

It ended up being several more hours before Bob awakened, which the group spent waiting impatiently. To pass the time, Ryu and Katt sparred, while Rand and Bow discussed more advanced white magic spells. Nina did the same with Sten; the Highlander didn't use magic much, but he had a natural affinity for fire and air, one the Windian Princess seemed intent on pushing to its full potential. Jean, on the other hand, produced a pad of paper and a pencil and began sketching the others; nobody was really sure how to feel about that, but they didn't complain.

When Bob _did_ pry himself out of his room shortly before noon, bawling for ale and meat, he insisted on gorging himself before they left, increasing the group's irritability. Once he was done, Jean Warped them to Tantar, and they began combing the coast for caves; according to Nina, uparupa only lived in ones deep enough that no trace of sunlight shone through. Unfortunately; all the caves they found were too shallow, and several days passed fruitlessly. They kept double watch at night, one man watching for monsters while the other kept his or her eyes on Bob, who slept slightly apart from them.

"There's another cave," Sten pointed out as they walked south along the beach on the fifth day of searching. "Think this'll be the one?" It was a clean-looking opening out of the side of a small cliff up ahead, the bottom three feet of it underwater. Fortunately, it was still early enough in autumn that the day was warm, and they were all used to treading water by then.

"They must be here somewhere, yes?" Jean told him cheerfully; even with their unpleasant companion, the Creeper Prince could never stay in a bad mood for long. "Eventually, our luck will strike gold. Come, let us hope this will be the one!" Breaking into a jog, he raced ahead of them towards the cave, waving his rapier and actually whooping as he entered the water.

Everybody else exchanged a long look, even Bob.

"What the heck does his optimism run on, anyways?" Bow asked. "It can't be natural."

"Perhaps it's a blessing from St. Eva," Nina said with a straight face.

"Ugh."

"Come on, let's get after him," Ryu told them, shaking his head. "If there _is_ an uparupa in there and he tries taking it on all by himself, it probably won't be pretty."

"Even Jean wouldn't be _that_ stupid, would he?" Rand asked.

Everybody thought about that for a moment, then took off as fast as they could run (or fly, in Nina's case) towards the cave.

"_En guarde!_" Jean was shouting as they neared it. "Ahaha, not bad, but here! And here, and here! Oho, watch yourself!" Looking inside, they saw that he was engaged in what appeared to be a fencing duel with a floating, bloated fish. Light blue with comically tiny fins, so obese that it was nearly spherical, it would have been a joke were it not for the single long, thin horn protruding from its forehead. Said horn seemed to actually have an edge to it as well as a point, and Jean was happily exchanging jabs and parries with it.

"Does this guy... do this sort of thing a lot?" Bob asked after a long moment.

"Yeah, more or less." Ryu sighed. "Hey, Jean! Need any help?"

"Ah, _mon-yeouch_!" Jean yelped as the fish pierced his shoulder, and fell back on his rear. Pulling back, the fish took aim again, this time to kill.

"That'd be a yes!" Sten growled, throwing one of his numerous knives. It only slightly penetrated the fish's thick, leathery hide, but it attracted its attention away from Jean. Turning, it charged them, and Ryu cut it out of the air. His saber was heavy enough to slice through, and it expired, deflating like a balloon once it was punctured.

"Somebody heal Jean," he grumbled, sheathing the sword again. "You okay, man?"

"A moment's diversion, nothing more," Jean assured him as Bow healed the wound. "Not that I am ungrateful for your assistance, of course, _mon amis_." Standing back up, he pointed his rapier into the cave; it stretched off into the darkness, the water still filling it. "Shall we proceed, then? I have a good feeling about this one, yes?"

"Let's hope so," Katt grumbled; the ocean came almost up to her chest. "Fighting in water ain't exactly my favorite thing in the world."

"I just hope the ceiling doesn't get any lower," Nina murmured, conjuring up a glowing sphere of magical light for them to see by.

"There's a side cave over there," Sten pointed out up ahead. "I'll go take a look." He waded ahead through the water and peered in, then yelped as a flock of harpies with pink feathers and blue hair swooped out over him. "Whoa!" Their leader's talons raked him across the arms, and he fell back quickly, driving her away with his knives.

"Oooh, a delivery!" She screeched. "Look, girls, lunch!" She paused as she looked the rest of the group over, and they advanced slowly, Katt and Rand cracking their knuckles. "Um... awful big meal, actually. Not sure if we can eat all this..."

"So let's just put them to sleep!" Another one suggested. "Then we can eat all we want!" She started to inhale deeply, but Bow nailed her between the eyes before she could breathe out, and she plummeted into the water.

"Sister!" The third one shrieked before diving towards Rand. "All right, that does it! You're all-oh, no." The big Farmlander had drawn back his fist to meet her, and his punch smashed her all the way back into the cave they'd emerged from. A moment later, there was a muffled thud from back in the darkness, followed by a splash.

"Um..." The first harpy stammered. "Wrong address?"

"Nice try," Katt told her, leaping off Rand's back to smack her out of the air with a downward swing of her staff.

"Nuts," the harpy moaned as she took the hit on top of her skull and went under.

"Yeah, I don't think that was it," Bow grumbled, reloading his crossbow. "Let's keep going and try the next one."

"I'll check it," Rand volunteered. A few minutes further into the seaside cave, they saw another side tunnel, and as he'd promised, the big man went in, only to yell as a pack of blue, flying imps flew out, yipping and jabbing at him with crude stone spears. He swatted at them ineffectually, until Nina blew them away with a flaming pyramid. "Thanks."

"No problem," she replied. "I'd rather not call 'next', though. I'm not exactly the most durable of us."

"Oh, like I am?" Sten muttered, then sputtered as Katt shoved his head under the water.

"Behave, children." Rand sighed.

"Come on, let's go." Ryu shook his head. "_I'll_ check the next one." Fortunately, that turned out not to be necessary; soon up ahead, the cave floor rose out of the water, and they climbed up onto dry land. Beyond that, it suddenly expanded into a massive chamber, the floor scattered with bones from local wildlife, both normal animals and monsters.

"Either something very bad is about to happen, or we just struck gold," Bow predicted, as Nina increased the light, revealing a row of low, wide caves in the back wall. A strong, animal musk filled the entire chamber, and as Ryu approached one, he saw a pair of green glimmers reflecting the light in the very back of it.

"Jackpot," he murmured. "We'll have to see one to be sure, but unless I miss my guess, we have our uparupas, ladies and gentlemen."

"They are supposed to be large, but very low and wide," Nina murmured, examining the holes. "These seem like the right shape of burrow."

"Then we have succeeded!" Jean crowed. "Marvelous!"

"Not quite yet." Sten shook his head. "It's not a win until we actually nab the critter, and I don't think we want to go in there after one."

"No way," Rand agreed. "You couldn't fit me in there with a plow."

"I would find some difficulty in that as well," Jean admitted.

"And even those of us who _could_ get in there wouldn't be able to fight like that," Katt pointed out, then glanced at Bob. "Any ideas?"

"Don't look at me, babe." He raised his hands, smirking. "I'm just here to handle the goods once you've got it down."

"Figures," she growled, ignoring his leer. "Well? Anybody who's actually smarter than me got a plan?"

"Let's try putting an owlfruit down in front of one," Nina suggested. "Then we'll all back off, and jump it once it comes out."

"Works for me." Ryu rummaged around in his pack and pulled out one of the fruits, wrapped in cloth. "Let's give it a shot." The fruit still looked ripe, and its delicious scent overtook the cavern's odor quickly.

"Oh, man, it has been _way_ too long since breakfast," Katt moaned. "We had _better _have some left over." Bow, Jean and Sten all nodded in agreement.

"Then let's do it right the first time," Ryu told them, and they all moved back, away from the fruit. "Wait for it... wait for it..."

After several minutes, the uparupa poked its head out, sniffing at the air. It was not a cute animal; though it appeared to be a rodent, its flesh was a leathery greenish-brown, and the only fur aside from a tan ridge down its back were the large pink ear tufts. Its body was broad and flat, as was its head, with a massive jaw that took up most of its face. There were strange, reddish appendages growing from above its eyes that twitched, as did its tail, which was raised to curl above it like a scorpion's despite being thin and ropy.

"_That's_ an uparupa?" Bow whispered. "What the hell's the big deal about _that_ ugly thing?" Sten shushed him as the uparupa crept slowly out of the cave, then suddenly lunged for the owlfruit, snatching it up in its jaws.

"Now!" Ryu yelled, dashing forward. "Dogpile!"

Screeching, the uparupa backpedaled, but Rand, Katt and Sten had planned ahead. Grabbing them in his huge hands, the big Farmlander pitched them like balls at the rodent's back, and they each landed on a shoulder, grabbing hold. Katt clung on with her unnatural strength, while Sten grappled, long arms and legs reaching around it and pinning the foreleg. The uparupa bucked like a wild horse, throwing them both off, but they'd kept it from escaping long enough for the rest of the group to get there.

The fight was vicious, but short; despite the uparupa's ferocity, it stood no chance against the seven of them once they had it surrounded, even if they had to be careful not to permanently damage it. A few minutes was all it took before Katt managed to break one of its legs, and it fell forward on one side, twitching and squealing.

"Cool," Ryu said, sheathing his sword; he'd had to use the blunt side of it in the fight. "Now then, let's-"

"Please..." The uparupa hissed, voice high and nasal. "Please don't... don't... hurt? You say... don't hurt? Please?"

"Whoa, whoa, what the hell?" Bow yelped, as everybody's eyes widened. "It _talks_? What _is_ this?"

"Not... well," The uparupa continued. "Not... speak your... speak. Not well. But... try. Please don't. Please don't."

"Shit," Ryu said, looking around at the rest of his team. "We didn't count on this. This wasn't part of the plan."

"Why not?" Bob asked, walking over. "Nice work. Had me wondering if you guys were for real with all that clowning around earlier on in, but you took this freak down real good. Now all we have to do is haul it back to the circus, and Tusk'll give you your flowerboy to do whatever the hell you want with. Easy as pie."

"Shut up," Katt snarled. "It's _intelligent_, you sick shit. It's _talking_ to us. They _all_ must be, in here." She gestured around to the other caverns; more green pairs of eyes were shining out from each, watching them.

"Big deal," Bob scoffed. "Aren't you guys supposed to be pro mercs? Don't tell me you still actually give a crap about morals and shit? Gimme a break. You want your plant, you bring the boss back his uparupa, or your trophy is mulch. All there is to it, and feeling bad about it's just gonna slow you down. You won't even need to worry about the laws; these freaks aren't a recognized Clan, after all. So stop whining and let's just haul the stupid thing back already, will you? The sooner I'm out of this shithole and back to the circus, the better."

"Right, that just about does it for me," Rand decided, glaring down at Bob. "Anybody else had more than enough of this crap?" The other six all nodded in agreement, and he reached down and grabbed Bob by the head. "Cool."

"What the hell are you doing?" Bob squealed, drawing a knife, only for Sten to snatch it from him. Flailing around, he tried to break out of Rand's grasp and failed as the big Farm clansman dragged him over to another uparupa hole. "Hey, stop! Cut it out, dammit!"

"Thought Katt told you to shut up," Rand said clinically, shifting his grip to Bob's waist and shoving him, head-first, into the hole. Ignoring the hireling's kicking and cursing, he continued ramming him in until his feet disappeared into the darkness. A moment later, there was an enraged squeal followed by a scream from Bob and several violent noises, and then the cavern was silent once more.

"You realize that we're gonna have to go deal with Tusk right away, now," Sten pointed out. "Five zenny says the shithead was reporting in to him regularly via magic. If Tusk doesn't get another call soon, he'll kill the Grass Man. And we still don't have any plan for how we're going to justify killing _him_."

"Don't worry, I think I know how to get Tusk to start the fight," Ryu told him before turning back to the uparupa, who was still watching them warily as it lay on its side, breathing heavily. "Sorry about that, man. We didn't know. Bow, could you...?"

"On it," Bow agreed, healing the beast.

"You..." The uparupa groaned, slowly standing back up and looking from one of them to another mistrustfully. "You no take? You let go?"

"But of course, _mon ami_," Jean explained, bowing. "As _monsieur _Ryu said, we had no knowledge of your intelligence. Had we been aware, this never would have happened, I assure you. As it stands, all we can do is apologize, and beg for your forgiveness, yes?"

"You silly," the uparupa said after a moment. "But funny. Like. Wait." Running back into its hole, it reemerged a moment later, carrying a blade in its mouth; it appeared to be a well-crafted claymore. Dropping it on the ground, it spoke again. "Nasty man come, try catch us. He die, leave this. Me take because shiny. Now give you, because nice. No try to catch again. Bye-bye." Tail wagging, it vanished into its hole once more.

"Hey, not bad," Ryu murmured, picking the sword up and testing its balance in one hand carefully. It was about three and a half feet long, with a fairly broad, double-edged blade and a cross hilt. The steel glimmered in an oddly reverberating way when it caught the light as he moved it around. "I like it."

"I should hope so," Sten said, eyes wide. "That's Guntz steel, from the Builder Clan. One of their smiths must have made that sword. Do you have any idea how expensive those things are? Trust me, boss. You'll want to keep that."

"Damn straight." Ryu nodded. "I'll have to remember to get a sheath made for it as soon as we get the chance." He narrowed his eyes. "Right now, though, we've got business to take care of back at the circus. Everybody ready to go slay a demon?"

"He says it like it's just going to get lunch," Katt commented to the others. "That settles it. We _are_ getting too used to this."

"You still haven't explained what this plan of yours is," Bow pointed out. "How're we gonna get Tusk to start this?"

"Let me put it this way." Ryu glanced around. "Out of all the the demons we've met so far, what was always the key to getting them to lose their tempers?"

"If I had to pick a single unifying factor?" Nina murmured thoughtfully. "I'd say it would be when their plans start going wrong. They all construct elaborate plots, and it seems to infuriate them when things don't follow their script."

"She's got a point," Katt agreed. "Hell, I think Augus actually put it that way. Bitched about his script."

"Exactly." Ryu glanced at the uparupa hole. "I think I know what they were going for here. If Tusk's a demon, he probably knew already that these guys were sentient. He wanted to force us to bring one in, if we wanted the Grass Man alive. To screw with us. Make us do something we normally wouldn't. Figured we needed the guy so badly we'd do this, even if we didn't like it, and we'd never forgive ourselves for it. So what happens if we go marching back there right now, and tell him we changed our minds and he can go to hell?"

"Tricky, tricky," Sten said, rubbing his chin. "Could go bad on us if he controls his temper after all and tells us to walk. We'd be shit out of luck in that case." He smiled coldly. "Doubt that'll happen, though. Not a guy like that. If a cold customer like Trout lost it, there's no way a live wire like that will keep his head. I'd say the odds are in our favor."

"And then we will be able to administer justice with our hands free, yes?" Jean smiled brightly. "An excellent plan, _mon amis_!"

"Let's do it, then." Ryu nodded. "Warp us back, and we'll take care of this before he figures out something's wrong with his stooge."

"Wait, wait, you're forgetting something," Katt pointed out. "The owlfruit, remember? We've still got to try some."

"Politeness would dictate that we leave it for our hosts, to make up for our unintentional rudeness," Nina suggested, but her eyes were curious as well.

"That's why I want to try it here," Katt explained. "That way after we all have a little we can leave the rest for them. Unless it's really good, of course."

"Oh, brother." Ryu sighed, but got the rest of the fruit out and tossed one to Sten, who quickly sliced it. "All right, fine, but only one bite. Like Nina said, we should leave the rest for the uparupa, even if that guy didn't seem to be holding any grudges."

"Here you go, folks." Sten passed six of the seven slices out to the others; the fruit was soft and wet inside, and there was a glowing green seed at the core that they ignored. "Bone appetite, or whatever."

"_Bon appetit_, _monsieur_ Sten," Jean corrected him, grimacing slightly.

"Whatever," the Highlander shrugged as they all took a bite. A moment passed, and then they all spat in unison, making disgusted noises. Despite its delicious smell, the fruit tasted more like Ryu imagined the oil he used to polish his armor would, and once bitten into, it had the consistency of wet leaves. Even Jean was revolted.

"Okay, you know what?" Ryu said after he'd recovered his breath. "I'm sure the uparupa like this fruit very much, so I say they can have them." Setting the rest of the fruit down on the floor, he shook his head. "Well, our curiosity's definitely satisfied, so let's get back to business. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I'll skip lunch." The others mumbled and grunted in agreement.

"Me and my big mouth," Katt muttered under her breath as they walked back towards the front of the cave; the Warp spell only worked under the open sky. Once they were outside, Jean cast it once more, and took them back to the Isle of Tunlan, just outside the circus tent.

It was a beautiful night, and the moon was high.

Everybody blinked.

"Did we fall into some kind of timewarp or something?" Katt asked after a moment. "I gotta admit, I didn't see _this_ problem coming."

"We forgot to take timezones into account," Nina murmured. "If it's early afternoon in Auria, it would be a few hours before dawn in Tunlan."

"Huh?" Katt's eyes crossed.

"I'll explain it to you later," Bow told her. "What do we do, buddy? Barge on in there anyways, or what?"

"No, let's give it a few hours." Ryu shrugged. "Those of you with magic can take a quick nap and recharge it."

"That _would_ be appreciated," Rand admitted. "Especially if we're going to be fighting a demon after."

"Go ahead and get some sleep, then." Katt nodded. "Me and Ryu will keep the watch." They started a fire, and the others dozed off around it, leaving the two of them to look out for monsters. For once, neither of them spoke much, even once they were alone; they simply sat by the fireside on a convenient log, and when Katt put an arm around him and leaned her head against his shoulder, he didn't mind at all. No monsters came, and eventually, he actually dozed off for a moment.

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Hey, wake up." Katt elbowed him in the ribs. "Sounds like the carnies are starting to stir."

"I wasn't sleeping," Ryu said quickly, opening his eyes.

"Sure you weren't." She winked. "Come on, let's get the rest up." The others awakened quickly for once, and after a quick spot check on their weapons and armor, they began walking over to the tent.

"You know, we could save ourselves a lot of trouble if I just crept in there and took care of business _before_ they wake up," Sten suggested, testing the point of his knife on the pad of one long finger.

"Tempting," Ryu said dryly. "But at least one of them is a decent guy. Maybe some of the others are too. Besides, it's too risky. Even if you didn't get caught, there's a good chance cutting Tusk's throat would just piss him off."

"Thought that was the plan anyways?" Bow joked.

"Yeah, but only with the rest of us in there with him," Rand chimed in. "I mean, if Sten _wants_ to go solo with the guy..."

"Tempting," Sten echoed Ryu sarcastically. "But I'll pass."

"Thought so." Ryu chuckled, then raised his voice. "Hello, the tent! Anybody in there? Wakey wakey, rise and shine! Daylight's burning, and time is money! We got business!" A long time passed before a groggy carny shoved the flap open and glared at them.

"You assholes got any idea what time it is?" He growled. "Where's Bob? And the big rat?"

"Ran into some technical difficulties," Ryu explained. "That's what we're back to talk to your boss about. He awake yet?"

"Getting there, thanks to you." The goon scowled. "He ain't gonna be in the best of moods."

"Thanks for the advice." Ryu moved to walk past him, but stopped as the carny held out a hand. "What?"

"You know the deal," the man said smugly. "100 zenny each."

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Katt started to yowl, then closed her mouth, growling, as Rand put a hand on her arm.

"We'll talk to Tusk about that, too," Ryu muttered grumpily, and they all paid up, grumbling. Smirking, the carny ushered them into a tent, and led them back to where the grass man was caged once more, before raising his voice.

"Hey, Watts! They're back to see Tusk again!"

"So I see," the old man murmured, raising his head from the small fire he was sitting next to; a tin coffee pot was hanging over it. "I'll take it from here. He should be along momentarily. You can go back to sleep now."

"Yeah, whatever." The carny walked off, muttering.

"Sit, young ones," Watts invited them, producing several mugs from a bag. "And have some coffee, while we wait for my glorious leader to arrive." He glanced at Ryu and Bow. "We're a long way from Auria, after all. It must have been quite the trip."

"You could say that," Bow agreed, nodding at the others and taking a cup, allowing Watts to pour him some coffee. "I was wondering if you'd recognized us. Been a while since then, after all. More than three months, probably closer to four."

"You could say I have a good memory for faces," Watts murmured, pouring more coffee for the others as they all sat down and took mugs. "I didn't really peg you for mercenaries back then, though."

"Just because we work freelance doesn't mean we don't try to run a clean operation," Ryu explained, sipping his coffee. "You seem like a decent guy, so I'll fess up. We were trying to turn up the sleaze on purpose the last time we talked to your boss."

"I thought it might have been something like that." Watts smiled for a moment before growing somber. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for my own coworkers. This place has turned savage over the last year, as our star attraction can testify." He glanced over at the Grass Man's cage, which had a curtain over it, and shook his head. "I've done everything I could to make the poor fellow more comfortable, but I'm the only one left here who cares at all. They all treat me like I'm a senile old duffer because of it, but I've been with the show too long for them to kick me out."

"You're a good man," Rand told him quietly. "A rare thing, these days."

"Not good enough to risk my life freeing him, though," Watts admitted. "I pray your deal with the ringmaster goes well, and I can put all this behind me. Helping the poor lad's the only reason I've stayed around this long at all; my riddling act doesn't really mesh with the rest of the show these days. Besides, I'm getting too old for all of this. Time for me to find somewhere I can settle down, I think."

The group all exchanged a long glance.

"You've been an entertainer all your life, then, I take it?" Nina asked cautiously.

"Born and bred, young lady," Watts assured her with a wink. "Riddles, stories, jokes and more. I was part of this entourage back when we were just a dozen lads in wagons charming small villages into putting us up for the night."

"Huh." Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Listen, how would you-"

"All right, all right, what's going on here?" M.C. Tusk demanded, stalking in. The ringmaster was wearing ridiculous blue silk pajamas with gold trim, but his hair and mustache were as immaculate as ever. "Where is Bob, and where's my uparupa? Or are you going to pay me the zenny, after all?"

The group exchanged another, different glance.

"You might want to step back," Sten advised Watts, who nodded quickly and retreated behind the Grass Man's cage.

"It's like this, see." Ryu explained to the angry ringmaster, smiling slowly. "Bobby boy had a bit of an _accident_ with that uparupa you sent us after. Turns out the damn thing was a lot more dangerous than he anticipated. We tried to help him, of course, but by the time we got it off of him..." He shrugged. "Too little too late. Oh well, no use in crying over spilled ale, right? Looks like you've got plenty more where he came from."

"Ridiculous!" Tusk snapped. "Bob was well aware of..." He trailed off, dark eyes narrowing. "Well, that's beside the point. What of the uparupa, then? You _did_ catch it, at least?"

"Without _monsieur_ Bob?" Jean spread his hands innocently. "We could not bring the creature here without the Hold spell he alone knew, yes?"

"Are you telling me you came back here to get me to give you _another_ one of my men to tag along?" Tusk growled.

"Actually, not at all." Ryu shook his head. "See, we've been talking it over and we've decided to bow out of this one. Sorry to waste your time, more sorry you wasted ours."

"You _what?_" Tusk roared, as Watts poked his head around the edge of the cart to stare at them. "But the Grass Man..."

"Can go to hell, same as you." Katt sneered at him. "Sucks to be the flowerboy, but we're not putting our asses on the line for him against something like that. We _saw_ what that thing did to Bob. Forget it, Tusko."

"You can't do this..." Tusk growled, clenching his fists and actually shaking with rage. "This isn't how it works... don't lie to me, you fools..."

"How many times do we have to tell you?" Ryu said sarcastically. "We'll give you nothing. Deal with it, already. Are you some kind of idiot, or what?"

"_Enough!_" Tusk bellowed as rows of actual tusks, three on each side, ripped out of his cheeks. "If you think you're so funny, then I'll just kill you too! Yes... that should make things much more simple! Time to die!"

"What the-" Watts yelped.

"Told you to stay back!" Sten reminded him as M. C. Tusk swelled, expanding further.

"I'll kill you all!" The ringmaster shouted redundantly. His demonic form was a huge, rotund, humanoid mammoth with leathery blue flesh and a thick coat of shaggy white fur. Six tusks lined the sides of his long trunk of a nose, under tiny red eyes, and his massive fists were held at the ready in a surprisingly professional stance. "This will be the show of a deathtime!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Ryu yelled, transforming into a flame whelp and blasting the demon with a massive fireball. Hit right in the chest, M.C. Tusk's fur burst into flame, and he began beating at himself frantically. Changing back, Ryu slumped forward, then straightened up, glaring. "That won't do it alone! Let's go!"

"Right!" Katt growled, charging. "Come here, big guy!" Ryu ran alongside her, with Rand behind the two of them, while Jean and Sten circled around to the sides, knives and rapier held at the ready.

"Indeed!" M.C. Tusk shook himself like a dog, and the flames actually flew off, leaving him scorched and charred but still clearly alive. Taking up his stance again, he watched them approach fearlessly, his trunk making a strange, continual noise almost like music. "My name's M.C. Tusk, and I rule this house! I fear none alive, neither man nor mouse! When I call the curtain, your lives are my due! So get yourselves ready, 'cause I'm gonna slap you!"

"What the hell is he-" Sten started to say, then grunted in pain, as did the other four. In a blur of motion, Tusk moved like lightning, his massive fists lashing out to smash them. In less than a second, his flurry of jabs impacted with all of them, knocking Katt and Sten out of the air and slamming the other three away with more force than a falling rock.

"Yeah!" The demon raised his fists in the air triumphantly as they all went down, trumpeting, then snatched Bow's crossbow bolt out of the air. "Nice try, but I never die!"

"Shit," Bow muttered. "This could get ugly. How the hell does a guy that big move that fast, anyways?"

"Ask Augus," Rand grunted, sitting back up. "He was just as bad. I think it's safe to say that getting in close is a bad idea."

"What I'm wondering is what's up with that weird singing, or whatever the hell he's doing," Ryu muttered, getting back to his feet. "I mean, it's pretty obvious at this point that demons are all insane, but this guy takes the cake."

"If getting physical doesn't work, we'll use magic!" Nina suggested, ignoring that. "His fur seems flammable. Sten, with me!"

"Right!" The Highlander put his hands together. "Might as well give it a shot!" The two of them focused, and pyramids of flame erupted on either side of M.C. Tusk, blasting him with enough fire to light up an entire house in one go. "Haha! I did it!"

"Magic's the way to go, all right!" Bow tried another shot, but once again, M.C. Tusk batted the bolt aside. "Damn!"

"You think you're hot stuff, the baddest of bad!" The demon bellowed, trunk making the strange noise again. "But if you keep it up, I'm gonna get mad!" Shaking the flames off just like before, he clenched both of his fists, and the ground beneath their feet began shaking, slamming them around the tent like they were caught in a landslide; every time they bounced off the ground was like hitting a wall at a full run.

"Earth magic!" Nina yelped; she'd looked like she would be unaffected for a moment, flying above the ground, but then Rand had smacked into her and she'd fallen to the dirt. "He's more talented than he looks! Ooh!"

"No kidding," Rand grunted as the quake subsided and he and Bow cast healing magic over the group. "We're dishing it out pretty good, but so is he. This one's gonna come down to whoever can take less punishment."

"Sorry to spoil it, but that'll be me!" M.C. Tusk bragged. "I'm a demon who wins, constantly! You gotta be rough, you gotta be tough, and I gotta say kids, you just ain't got enough!" He raised his fists in the air again. "Yeah!"

"This can no longer be tolerated!" Jean, of all people, snarled as he charged again, eyes flat with a cold anger. "Your entire existence is an insult to the entire field of poetry! As a _true_ artist, I shall slay you forthwith, and purge the world of your blasphemy!"

"Suits me!" M.C. Tusk boomed. "We'll see!" He took up a stance and began jabbing with one stance as Jean deflected his punches with his rapier. For a few seconds, it looked like the Creeper prince would actually be able to hold his own, until the demon caught him right on the jaw with an uppercut that lifted him off the floor. As he flew, an odd, blue haze of magic rose from his body, dissipating a moment later with a female-sounding groan.

"Oooh." Ryu and Bow winced.

"Knew it," Sten and Rand muttered, then paused, looking around for Katt.

"Ya-ha!" The Woren yelled triumphantly, rising up from behind M.C. Tusk's head as Jean fell. Before the big demon could turn, she brought her bronze battlestaff down on his head with an audible crack, and he reeled. "Get him! Now!"

"Right!" Ryu charged again, and brought his sword slashing out, not at the demon's torso or arms, but at one of his tree-trunk feet. Seeing this, Katt realized his plan immediately, and as she dropped back to the ground, she brought her battlestaff around again, jabbing the same foot with the tri-pointed edge of it. A crossbow bolt slammed into it a moment later, followed by a thrown knife, and with a bellow of rage, M.C. Tusk toppled, falling over onto his side.

"You think that you've won?" He raged as they closed in on him, raising his fists. "I've got white magic, too! I'll recover my health, and then I'll-" He cut off, falling suddenly silent, as a magical sigil appeared in the air above him, the same as when Jean had cast the Hush spell on the stone doll.

"Good work, Jean," Ryu said with a smirk, then blinked as he saw the prince, lying completely unconscious on the floor. "Huh?" He glanced around at the other mages, who all shrugged, then suddenly realized what had happened as he glanced at the Grass Man's cart and saw one delicate hand of petals pointing at M.C. Tusk. Chuckling, he glared down at the fallen demon. "Nina, Sten? If you'd care to finish this?"

"Gladly," Nina murmured, and Sten grunted his own assent. Casting their spells of flame a second time, they poured fiery wrath onto the helpless demon, and he wailed in agony.

"No way! No way! I don't want to die!" M.C. Tusk yelled as the magic fire became infernal black flames, the same ones that consumed all demons when their time had come. "But if that's the ticket, I'm not gonna cry! So you'd better not laugh 'cause it's my last stand! It's too late for you, too! God's time is at hand!" He trumpeted one last time and raised his fists, already blazing bones, then collapsed into a skeletal pile of ash. "Yeah..."

"Weirdest death curse ever," Sten said after a long moment.

"What the hell..." A voice from the back of the tent said slowly, and the group turned to see the rest of the carnies lining up against the curtain separating the area from the rest of the tent, backs pressed against it and eyes wide. "Boss?"

"Here we go." Bow sighed.

"Figures," Rand agreed.

"No, wait." Ryu held up a hand, and Katt and Nina both nodded. "Think we've seen this before." He turned his gaze to the carnies, and they all shrank further back. "As you saw, your late boss ended up selling his soul and became a demon. Not a good career move under any circumstances. Now this is just advice, but if I was you boys, I'd give some serious thought towards my own moral compass, and consider adjusting it just a tad before you end up like him."

"We'll clean up our act, sir!" One burly stooge promised. "We swear it! Honest!" He glanced around, and the others all nodded frantically. "We'll, uh, we'll leave you alone with the vege... I mean, the Grass Man now. There's a flap in the back you can let yourselves out of. Old man Watts knows where it is. Uh, see you!" They slipped back through the curtain as quickly as they could while still maintaining some semblance of dignity.

"Does that count as our good deed for the day?" Katt asked.

"Sure, why not." Rand shrugged, rousing Jean with the Renew spell. "Come on, Jean. We took him down."

"Ah, but of course!" Jean replied cheerfully, rubbing his head; his scales had reverted to their original coloration. "There was never any doubt as to our eventual triumph, no?" He paused. "Something is amiss. I can no longer hear _Mademoiselle_ Seso's voice."

"It seems that unconsciousness breaks the fusion," Nina guessed. "Hopefully, she'll just be back in her house. You should be able to fuse again once we return."

"Who _are_ you guys?" Watts whispered, stepping back around the cage, face pale.

"Like I told Tusk, we're just a bunch of old-fashioned adventurers," Ryu explained with a smile. "We're the _Dragonkin_. And demon-slaying is something of a bad habit of ours by now." He glanced at the cage. "Not that we don't appreciate the assistance. Thanks."

"It seemed appropriate," the Grass Man said, opening the door in the side of the cage that Watts had used to feed and water it, and stepping out calmly. "I'm sure you would have triumphed even if he'd gotten the spell off, but it saved you some unnecessary time and pain, and I prefer to be efficient about such things."

Everybody blinked.

"Um," Bow eventually said. "Does this mean... you could have gotten away any time you wanted to?"

"Are you screwing with us?" Rand asked slowly.

"Yeah, what are you trying to pull?" Katt demanded. "Are you stupid or something? Why'd you stay a prisoner?"

"You could have been killed!" Nina agreed.

"Ah, you must have had a good reason for not running away!" Jean suggested brightly.

"Seems that way." Sten nodded. "So, mister Grass Man, why _didn't_ you leave the cage?"

"I was advised to wait here for some people who would eventually come to rescue me from this place," the Grass Man explained. "A group of adventurers, led by a young man with blue hair and green eyes."

"By who?" Ryu asked quietly, the others suddenly falling silent.

"A strange old man," the Grass Man replied. Now that he could see it more clearly, Ryu realized that what he'd taken for a leafy green torso was in fact the odd being's clothing, a robelike garment with shoulders made of petals, as were the feet of its boots. At least, he _thought_ so; it was still entirely possible they were all grown from its body. Its arms and legs were slender and pale, and its face delicate and pretty in an androgynous way, with golden eyes and a pink bud instead of hair, like an unbloomed rose. "He came to the circus to speak with Tusk, and then with me in private later on."

"And he told you we'd be coming to save you?" Ryu repeated, glancing around. Nobody else looked amused or happy any more; even Jean was frowning slightly. "Don't suppose there's anything else he said?"

"He said that when I met you, he would like me to bring you to him," the Grass Man continued. "That he lived in a cavern directly above the Sima Falls. More importantly, he said that you, too, would be aware of the presence of demons in this world, and that if I wished to undo their corruption, you would be the ones to ask for assistance."

"I know of this place," Jean murmured. "There is said to be a strange hermit who lives there, yes, although I have never met him myself."

"Then I think we'll be taking this stranger up on that request," Ryu decided grimly. "I want to have a _long_ talk with this guy, all right." He kept his eyes on the Grass Man as he continued. "So, you knew about the demons. Did Tusk let it slip?"

"Not at all." The Grass Man gestured at a small potted tree in the corner of the tent. "Even in my captivity, this tree kept me up to date on events in the world outside, including the plague befalling the land known as Gate. I take it that is why _you_ sought _my_ aid. You need me to help you find out exactly why that happened. Correct?"

Everybody blinked again.

"Uh, yeah," Bow agreed. "This... might be kind of a stupid question, but... how did that tree know about all this? It's... it's a _tree_. It doesn't get up and go down to the pub for a few rounds after it gets off work to hear the latest gossip."

"The Breath of Nature," the Grass Man explained, walking over and touching one branch of the tree fondly. "Through it, I can commune with plants, and they with each other. The stronger the plant, the greater the communion. This tree linked my mind with another, close by here, and then another, all the way to the land called Gate." It closed its eyes. "A terrible thing has befallen all that lives in that part of the world."

"So you know why it's happening?" Katt asked excitedly.

"Unfortunately, I do not," the Grass Man said quietly. "The Breath of Nature has its limits, and the plague in Gate is not a natural thing. It is the work of another demon, one so great and terrible that M.C. Tusk would tremble in his presence. His power looms over Gate like a fog, and I cannot penetrate it to learn more."

"Yeah." Ryu somehow kept his voice calm. "Yeah, we know the guy."

"I suppose we should have known it wouldn't be that easy," Nina murmured. "There's a Wise Tree near Gate, though, is there not? If we took you there, would you be able to learn more from it?"

"Perhaps," the Grass Man agreed. "However, if you don't mind my advice, I would suggest instead that we consult another of the Wise Trees. The one in the place known as Gate..." Its face took on a wry expression. "It may be inappropriate for me to say this of my elder, but it is somewhat... foolish, for a being known as a Wise Tree, as well as prideful and vain. I've never liked it much. Is it rude of me to say that?"

"No, no, it's fine," Sten assured him, as they all relaxed slightly; that admission had somehow made the alien Grass Man seem a little more like a person. "Trust me, we get what you're saying. We know people like that, too. You're the expert, here; if you think we'd be better off asking this other guy, you'd know better than we would. Who is it, anyways?"

"Its name is Gandaroof," the Grass Man explained. "And it is the Great Wise Tree. What you would call the leader of my Clan. It is the eldest, and wisest, of us that lives. It is in the center of the place called the Sea of Trees, south of the place called Sima."

"North of Fog Valley." Rand snapped his fingers. "I know that place." He grimaced. "It's gonna be tough to get through, though. It's the world's biggest forest."

"Shame we don't have somebody from the Forest Clan helping us out," Katt suggested, then paused. "Oh, shit. Sorry, Bow. I wasn't thinking."

"It's cool." Bow forced a chuckle; his mixed heritage meant he hadn't inherited the Breath of either of his parents' Clans. "I don't even think about it, myself."

"I'll be able to guide you," the Grass Man assured them. "I might not be able to walk through trees like those with the Breath of Wood, but navigating through a deep forest is easy when the trees themselves will point the way."

"Guess it would, wouldn't it?" Bow shook his head, as if ridding himself of the downcast mood by force, and grinned. "Pretty cool."

"Is it?" The Grass Man blinked, surprised. "Cool, I mean?"

"Of course it is!" Sten chuckled. "So you don't mind helping us out?"

"It seems to be the most logical course of action," the Grass Man replied calmly. "You wish to end the plague in Gate. I have the same goal in mind. Thus, an alliance with that in mind would be appropriate, would it not?" It smiled slightly. "I suppose I am lucky in that regard. Had you no interest in solving the problem, I would have had to hire you, and my kind have little knowledge of or use for what you call money, so that would have been difficult."

"A little," Ryu agreed. "As it stands, though, it looks like we've got ourselves a deal." He stuck out his hand, and after a moment, the Grass Man took it. "Ryu Bateson. You, uh... you have a name, right?"

"I do, yes." The Grass Man hesitated then, glancing away, before continuing. "My given name is Gus. Gus Aspara."

"I must admit, you do not look like a Gus," Jean said after a moment. The others all nodded in agreement.

"I agree." The Grass Man coughed. "I prefer 'Spar.'"

"Spar it is." Bow nodded, then frowned. "There's something I have to know, myself, though. Look, I, uh... I don't know how to say this, but... are you a guy or a girl?"

"I was kind of wondering," Katt admitted.

"Neither." Spar shook its head. "My Clan do not have genders; we reproduce asexually. I am neither male nor female."

Everybody considered that for a moment.

"So... what do we call you?" Rand asked eventually. "I mean, like... do we use 'he' or 'she' when we're talking about you?"

"Gender-specific pronouns." Spar made a disgusted sound. "Really, they're so inconvenient. I suppose 'it' would be the best answer."

"You want us to call you an 'it'?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that seem a little... I don't know... insulting?"

"Not nearly as much as an inaccuracy would be," Spar replied. "Which would you consider more insulting, young man? Somebody who continually referred to you as 'it,' or as 'she'?"

"Point made." Ryu made a face. "Well, we'd better get going, then. I don't think anybody's going to report us for killing Tusk or anything, but it'd still probably be a good idea to move out."

"Indeed." Spar glanced over at Watts, who had stayed towards the back of the tent, keeping out of the conversation. The old man had recovered from his shock, and was now watching their conversation with more curiosity than anything. "I owe you my thanks, Watts. You were a good friend, and did what you could to help me in my captivity."

"Just 'cause it was legal, doesn't mean it was right, what they were doing to you," the old man replied, shaking his head. "Even if it looks like you were just waiting for these guys anyways. You're an okay guy, Spar. Good luck."

"That reminds me." Ryu snapped his fingers. "You said you were looking for a place to retire. What would you say if we told you there was some new city starting up over in Auria, west of Mt. Fubi, and that they had some houses they were offering to new citizens to persuade people to move in and populate the place?"

"I'd ask what the catch was, sonny," Watts said keenly.

"Smart man." Bow chuckled. "Catch is, it's _our_ city, and we operate out of there. It's not exactly going to be a law-and-order kind of place, either. But the folks back there are all good guys. Having a retired entertainer around could come in handy."

"Guess I can stop by and take a look," Watts agreed, heading towards the rest of the tent. "I'll just go grab my stuff, then. West of Mt. Fubi, you said?"

"I will be glad to Warp you there, _monsieur _Watts," Jean offered. "And then I shall be back in a flash, yes?"

"And _then_ we'll head over to the Sea of Trees, after we go see this old hermit living in a cave," Ryu said, eyes narrowing. "I can already tell _that_ one's going to be a doozy."

As Jean had promised, he Warped Watts back home, then returned to where they were camping out for the evening, down on the beach. They could have gone into the city and gotten rooms, or simply returned to their home, but for some reason, everybody was in the mood to spend the night down on the beach. Jean had brought drinks back with him, and they roasted some fish over the campfire; after the day they'd had, it was good to relax. The Prince of Simafort took out a guitar from his pack and played a few tunes with surprising skill, and they passed the bottles around, watching the stars.

"Hey, there's a Maniro," Bow pointed out after a while, glancing out at the waves. "Looks like he's coming this way."

"The Maniro Clan," Spar said somberly; he'd had his share of wine, but if it had affected him in any way, Ryu couldn't tell the difference. "An aquatic species of sentients, evolved from fish. Their defining trait as a Clan is their highly avaricious nature, which tends to take the form of great proficiency in the field of commerce. Though they have no actual country of their own, their capital is the undersea city-state of Prima, the largest city in the world with the possible exception of Evrai, the heart of the Church of St. Eva."

"All right, we get the picture," Katt grunted. "Yeah, here he comes... no way!" She blinked, then grinned and waved. "Hey, Gobi! What are the odds, huh?"

"What the-?" The Maniro stood up on the beach, glanced over at them, then walked over, smiling as well. "You guys again? What are you doing here, huh?" They'd met Gobi before, Ryu more than once; he was a traveling salesman who swam across the world marketing his wares to whatever markets would give him the highest prices. Despite the age reflected in the length of his white head-fins and the silver tint to his orange scales, he was still energetic and cheerful.

"We could ask you the same thing, man." Ryu motioned for him to sit down by the fire, and he did so cheerfully, accepting one of the bottles from Jean. "We just got finished with a job. Seemed the ringmaster of this traveling circus had made a few enemies. The kind who hold grudges for a _long_ time. We took care of it."

"Remind me never to refer any of _my_ enemies to you." Gobi shook his head. "As for me, got a hot tip that the market in Tunlan was prime for magically enchanted accessories. Diamond earrings, lucky charms, iron bracelets, that sort of thing. I'll spare you the sales pitch, though, since you're sharing your wine with an old man." His eyes glittered. "Unless you _want_ to hear it, of course. Group like you could do good to have some of that stuff on hand."

"Maybe next time." Sten shook his head, smiling. "Somehow, I get the feeling that buying from a guy like you is best done sober. No offense."

"Kid, where I come from that's a _compliment_." Gobi chuckled.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised by this." Rand rolled his eyes. "How do you do business up there, anyways? Don't tell me you speak the language."

"Nah, but zenny's universal," Gobi explained. "The free market up there runs on it. Don't have to say a word; just put what you've got on the counter and wait for the people to make you an offer. My kind of business."

"Here's to your profit, then," Katt declared, and the group raised their tin cups to the stars.

"Right back atcha, kids," Gobi replied cheerfully. "Looks like you've got a couple more guys. Expanding the group a bit, huh?"

"I am Jean, and this is Spar," Jean introduced them, with an unusual lack of flamboyance. "And any friend of my friends is my friend as well, yes?"

"All we really need now is another black mage," Nina added, smiling slightly. "Not that I mind my workload, but it would really be better for the group if we had another one to double what we could do when it comes to elemental violence."

"If you're willing to put up with splitting the paycheck further, sure." Gobi shrugged. "Your call."

"Zenny's nice, but you have to live long enough to spend it," Sten pointed out. "Sometimes a slow buck's better than a quick one."

"Bite your tongue!" Gobi joked, and they all laughed. "Yeah, I've been hearing stories about you guys. Sima, right?" He shook his head. "Nasty stuff."

"You have no idea, _mon ami_," Jean replied, shaking his head. "But the pay was good, and that is what is important, yes?"

"You've got your head on straight, kid." Gobi pounded him on the back. "Heard a few other things, too. Like something about a new town?"

"It's a long story," Ryu muttered, grimacing.

"I'll have to hear it another time, then." He stood up, handing the bottle back. "It was nice chatting, but I kind of need to get up to Tunlan before it gets any later if I want to find an inn for the night. The way this keeps happening, I'll probably run into you again in another month or two. Try not to get killed before then, huh?"

"Same to you, man." Bow chuckled. "Don't go getting any angry mobs running you out of town on a pitchfork."

"I've been outrunning those since before you were born, kid." Gobi winked, walking off up the beach.

"You have met that man before, I take it?" Spar asked once he was out of earshot.

"Couple times." Ryu nodded. "He's an okay guy."

"He seems to be an affable individual," the Grass Man agreed. "However... there is something odd about him. I'm not sure what."

"I'm glad to see that somebody agrees with me," Nina said wryly. "It's some sort of very strange magic, but I don't know either." She glanced at Jean. "Is that why you didn't introduce yourself fully, like usual?"

"Ah?" Jean blinked. "No, no, no, no, no. _Monsieur_ Gobi seems a fine fellow, to me. It is just..." He frowned thoughtfully. "A Prince of Simafort... if some people learned that such a man was employed in this group, it may cause difficulties, yes? I had considered that perhaps it would be best if I was simply Jean. Was that wrong?"

"No way, man." Sten grinned. "You're learning. Pretty slick. I'm with you on Gobi, though. He's probably just had an interesting life, like Niro."

"That _does_ kind of happen on occasion," Ryu agreed, looking pointedly around the circle, and they all laughed, dropping the subject. Jean played a few more songs, and they joked and laughed and talked of minor things, and the issues of tomorrow were forgotten for tonight.

All in all, Ryu thought, it didn't get much better than that.

_IF I HIT 'EM HIGH HIT 'EM HIGH HIT 'EM HIGH _


	20. Chapter 18: The Old Man In The Cave

_**Chapter 18: The Old Man In The Cave**_

"There it is, _mon amis_," Jean said as they clung to his back, riding the form of the giant frog he'd been granted by the Breath of Rivers across the lake high in the mountains of Sima. On the west side, in a tiny cove with only a single winding trail leading off into the heights, a cavern mouth faced the lake. It was sunset, and they could see the glow of a fire inside. "It seems that our host is in residence. Fortunate, yes?"

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it," Ryu agreed, hopping off as they reached the shore. Once they were all off, Jean joined them onshore and transformed back to his normal form. "All right, let's go say hi to the nice man." He led them into the cave, following a short tunnel before emerging into a larger chamber, where a campfire was indeed built in a pit in the middle of the floor, smoke rising into what seemed to be a natural chimney in the ceiling. A blanket was lying on the floor in one corner, and a couple crates were stacked in another, apparently containing the resident's possessions.

"Warm yourselves by the fire, sons, and the morning will come soon," the old man said, quiet and calm, as he turned a spit with several wild birds on it over the flames. Despite his age, he was still clearly tall and strong, with a face that had been handsome once, despite the horizontal scar across his forehead. His hair was long and white, and the robes he wore were red, but it was his eyes that caught one's attention, green and burning with some ancient, deep-felt anger. "I'll tell you stories of a better time, in a place that we once knew."

"The cryptic old wise man card?" Bow asked dryly. "Really? That one's older than _you_ are, gramps."

"Ha!" The old man barked. "Yeah, guess it is, isn't it? You have no idea how right you are, kid. I was joking, anyways. Come on, sit down, all of you. Dinner'll be ready in a few more minutes. I made sure to bring back extra tonight."

"How kind of you," Katt commented, taking a seat. "Makes a girl wonder how you _knew_ to expect company, though." She glanced at Spar, who hadn't said much during the trip out.

"I am surprised as well," the Grass Man agreed, though his voice was as empty of emotion as always.

"I've got my sources," the old man said, shrugging. "And yes, Miss Chaun, that means I know who you all are, so we can skip the introductions. Call me Martin. Way I see it, the less you know about me, the happier you'll be. And the less you find out I know about you, the happier you'll be, too. That sound about right?"

"Normally, I'd agree with you," Ryu admitted, narrowing his eyes. "We're not exactly keen on the whole 'destiny bullshit' bit. But this is a bit _too_ much, even for us. Who the hell are you? What's your stake in this? And why did you want to meet us?"

"Already told you, kid, it's Martin," the old man repeated casually. "My stake? You could say I'm the referee. I'm the guy who makes sure both sides play by the rules. Mainly because, at this point, I don't really give a crap who wins, Ladon or the demons. Not my problem any more, either way. As for why I wanted to meet you here..." He sighed. "That would be because there's something you're going to need, down the road, and I'm the only guy left in the outside world who can give it to you. Trust me, this was _not_ my idea. If it'd been up to me, I'd have stayed out of this."

"That a fact," Rand muttered, eyes locked on him. "And what is this thing the chief needs so bad, then?"

"The second stage of the Breath of Fire," Martin told him, face calm as they all blinked in surprise. "That's right, kids. I'm a Light Dragon. I stayed behind, when the rest of them went on. I've been waiting for you here, ever since that day."

"Ridiculous," Spar said, sharp and quick. "The Light Dragons departed hundreds of years ago. If you were alive back then, you must be... animal-based life forms simply don't live that long. It's biologically impossible."

"This from the guy who's just getting past his first _millennium_?" Martin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. Normally. But I ain't normal. There's ways that aren't exactly available to the general public. Whether it's a _good_ idea or not is another story." He stared into the fire. "Hundreds of years, kids. That's how long I've been living in this cave, waiting for you. That's how long I've known your names, and who you were." He spat into the flames. "Creeps me the hell out. I always hated that kind of bullshit. But there's no helping it. Just the way the world works."

"I am not entirely sure I like the way this conversation is going," Jean said, absolutely seriously. Nobody could say anything to that.

"Who are you?" Ryu asked, eventually, quietly.

"It's Martin," the old man replied wearily. "For the third time, it's just Martin. That's all. Back when I was born, people only had one name, and mine's Martin. Trust me, kids. You're right on about destiny bullshit. You don't want to know more. The turkeys look like they're done. Let's eat. Then I'll perform the ceremony. You can crash here for the night, if you want, and then tomorrow, you'll head on south to meet the Wise Tree, and that'll be that. If all goes well, you'll never see me again." He glanced over at them, and the anger in his eyes had faded to empty, burned-out embers. "Have some turkey."

"Thanks," Sten said, and the others all muttered acknowledgment as well, as they divided up the meat between them. They ate in silence; something about the conversation had impressed upon them all that this wasn't a normal night, and none of them knew what to do about that. It was almost tangible, just how out of their league they were by just _being_ here; something about the old man, no matter how innocuous he seemed, felt of something even greater and stranger than Kuwadora had been, and much more subtly.

"All right, let's get down to business," Martin spoke up once again once they were all done eating. "This is gonna be a little tricky. See, the _right_ way of doing this, back in my day, was that you had to make pilgrimages to the Shrines of Ladon, and fight another Dragon Clansman who'd failed the test in the past. Problem is, the shrines aren't around any more, there's nobody for you to fight, and Ladon can kiss my ass, so we're gonna have to do this a little different."

"You think?" Ryu replied sardonically. "If you know that much about us, you know my _first_ step wasn't exactly textbook. We're not going to have to go through _that_ again, are we? Because I'm not entirely sure it'd be worth it."

"This cave ain't much, but I don't want it blown sky-high, either." Martin snorted. "No, no. You'll just have to fight me, that's all."

"Oh, is that all?" Ryu asked cheerfully, then made a face. "As if I can't see where _that's_ going to lead. This is gonna suck, isn't it."

"More or less!" Martin admitted, just as cheerful. "Don't worry, you don't have to _win_. The trick'll be staying in dragon form the whole time."

"Yeah, I can't really do that," Ryu admitted. "At all."

"Here." The old man threw him a couple of dried Wise Fruit berries. "Down one of these the moment you transform, then take the next one about fifteen seconds later. It'll suck, but that should keep you going for half a minute, and that'll be all we need." He gave him a look. "One more thing. Don't hold back, or else it won't work. Now then, everybody else might want to get out of the way. Up to you, of course, but it won't be too pleasant in here soon enough."

"Don't have to tell us twice," Bow assured him as they all scrambled for the exit, even Jean and Spar.

"Smart." Martin chuckled. "All right, kid, here we go." Standing up, he stretched his arms and transformed, growing twice as tall as before as his body deformed, claws and scales and fangs and wings covering him. He became an adult dragon, a glittering golden one, with a beaklike snout over wicked fangs, his eyes reptilian and bright. His wings were massive, and his tail lashed the floor as he towered over Ryu. "Your turn now. Just pick one; doesn't matter which it is. They're all the same as far as this is concerned."

"If you insist," Ryu drawled, as he transformed into the flame whelp. The instant he became the dragon, he did as the old man had said, downing one of the berries. The Wise Fruit replenished one's magic stores, but they were mildly poisonous; one or two would only make you feel sick, but taking too many would endanger your life. As always, the berry tasted so wretched it was almost physically painful, but he ignored that in favor of launching a fireball straight at Martin.

"That's the ticket!" Martin laughed, taking the attack without flinching. "All right, my turn, then!" Even as the fire burned into his chest, he opened his own jaws and roared, and from them came a blinding white light that filled the cave, washing over them both. It was like throwing a water balloon at a tidal wave; his flames were simply drowned in the torrent of energy, and then it was around him, all over him, filling his eyes, his ears, his mind.

_Are you going to die?_ Martin's voice said, though it didn't seem audible; it was like he was speaking through the white light itself, his words entering Ryu's mind directly. _You're in _way_ over your head, kid, and you've known it since you got here. You don't stand a chance against me. If you don't figure this out, you'll die here, and you know you will. You know I'll kill you, if it comes to that. That I don't actually give a crap about anything now, even you. Not any more. So. What are you going to do about it? _

_ Fight back,_ Ryu snarled inside his mind, downing the second Wise Fruit. The old man had been right; the burst of internal energy that had transformed his body and given the whelp existence had actually stayed this time, instead of flickering out and fading almost immediately like it usually did, but now it was starting to dwindle. The fruit shoved it back, though, gave him more power, more will, and he didn't even care about the pain.

_It doesn't matter,_ he roared, spewing another fireball._ None of that matters. I'm still alive, and as long as I live, there is will. There's hope. Never give up. Don't look back for a moment, or the past will catch up to you, and drag you under. Don't look back. Don't look back. Keep your eyes forward, on the future, and fight and scream and drag yourself towards it, no matter _what's_ in your way. And screw the odds._

He felt it, then, like he was transforming a second time on top of the first, which he immediately realized he was. The fire filling his body and soul exploded, growing hotter, wilder, and stronger. His round whelp's body warped, growing larger and lean, as his arms and legs and neck and tail all lengthened. His claws extended, as did his horns, and his face shifted, losing its cuteness and becoming the intimidating visage of a predator reptile. Last of all, his wings stretched to their full width, no longer stubby and useless, as he roared his triumph.

"There you go," Martin said, smiling, as he returned to human form. "You got it, kid. Knew you would."

"What the hell just happened here?" Ryu asked as he did the same, eyes wide. "And what the hell did you turn into... hey, wait a second here." He examined himself, surprised; despite what had happened, there wasn't a scratch on him.

"Gold Dragon," Martin explained. "Back in the day, the second stage gave you a fourth standard form, a different one for Light and Dark Dragons. Dark Dragons kind of got the better end of the stick there; the Black Dragon wasn't anything special, but it was good enough. The Gold Dragon, on the other hand... well, it's damn useful against the undead, but it's completely use_less_ otherwise. Doesn't even hurt." He chuckled, glancing down at the slight burns on his robes. "As for your other question, we synchronized our Breath of Fire, and I was able to draw yours out."

"Cool." Ryu suddenly fell to one knee, as the exhaustion hit him all at once; it was just as bad as when he'd first transformed, a sudden bone-deep weariness that threatened to knock him out by force if it had to. "I take it I don't have that Gold Dragon thing, then. I've got all the others, though, right?"

"Fire, Ice and Thunder Drake forms are all yours," Martin agreed. "Not Gold, though. The Breath of Fire in your bloodline's too weak for that. And before you ask, no, we can't just do that again to get you up to the third stage."

"How did I know it wasn't going to be that easy?" Ryu rolled his eyes.

"Because it's never that easy," the old man retorted, and they both chuckled a little.

"Fair enough," he agreed. "So, does the third stage give me five?"

"Try one." Martin was still smiling, but there was little humor in it now. "And it won't be a standard. The third stage is the one that's personal, and the dragon you become then will be given shape and form out of your own heart and soul. What you are at the end of it all, when nothing is left but yourself. You'll need to find another Dragon Clansman to draw that one out for you; doing it this way only works once per person." He raised his voice. "All right, the rest of you can come back in here! We're done!"

"I honestly don't know if that makes sense or not," Ryu muttered as the group ran back in. "Hey, guys. It worked. Not up for a demonstration right now, though."

"Just save it for the next asshole, then," Katt suggested, punching his shoulder and nearly flooring him. "Whoops, sorry. Didn't figure you'd be _that_ beat."

"He's gonna be like that for a while, until he gets used to this, too," Martin explained as Bow helped Ryu back to his feet. "It'll still exhaust him then, of course, but he won't feel like he was thrown over a waterfall and missed the river."

"Is it that bad?" Bow asked sympathetically.

"Don't think I could walk out of this cave if I tried," Ryu replied, wincing. "Looks like we'll be taking you up on that offer to crash here, old man." He paused, then glanced at Spar. "Uh, you do... well... sleep, right?"

"Correct." Spar nodded. "I do not require as much as most animal-based lifeforms, but a few hours of slumber is required at periodic intervals in order to prevent exhaustion, brain damage, and eventual death."

"Right then," Ryu said after a moment, before turning back to Martin. "Guess we owe you a thank-you, at least."

"No charge." Martin sighed heavily. "I've lived with that weight on my shoulders for a long time. It's good to have it off."

"Didn't we already talk to you about that 'mystery mentor' act?" Sten pointed out dryly. "Come on, man."

"Hey, you never said I couldn't joke about it, did you?" Martin shot back. "Even I'm not serious all the time, you know."

"Could have fooled me." Ryu shook his head. "Seriously, though. If you're supposed to be neutral... why go out of your way to help us? You said you had to do this, but you don't seem like the kind of guy who takes well to _having_ to do anything. Why? Why even bother?"

"You won't give up, will you?" Martin closed his eyes before continuing. "Because our lives are parallel. That's why. Now answer me this, in return." Opening his eyes again, he stared at Ryu. "When you go into your pretty little cathedral on Sunday mornings, not that you have been lately, and you bow your head and listen to the priest droning away out of a book you've heard a million times before... what do you pray for?"

"Me?" Ryu replied after a long moment. "I pray that tomorrow comes today."

"Thought so." The old man shook his head. "Hope that works better for you than it did for me. Now get some sleep." He turned away, heading over towards his blanket. "You've got a long month ahead of you."

There didn't seem to be anything more to say than that.

* * *

They'd all fallen asleep fairly quickly; after Ryu and Martin's discussion, nobody had felt like talking, so nobody did. They'd simply set up their bedrolls like they usually did when making camp in the wild; the cavern was large enough to accommodate them all easily. Some drifted off faster than others, but within the hour, the rest of the team were all fast asleep.

Only when she was sure they were all out did Nina rise from her place on the floor and walk over to sit by the fire, waiting for Martin to join her.

"I was wondering if you'd get up the nerve," the old man said eventually, sitting down next to her. "Kind of noticeable, the way you haven't said a word since you came in here. You were the only one; the others weren't exactly chatty, but you didn't make a peep, and you were looking at me like you owed me money."

"I've seen you before," Nina told him, eyes locked on the fire, as her mind reached into a past she'd tried to put behind her. "When I was young."

"Have you?" Martin asked, sounding mildly curious.

"You came to Windia once a year," Nina recalled, thinking back to when she'd first realized the routine. "Nobody in the city or the castle except my parents seemed to know who you were, but they were all ordered to let you through. I never saw you talk to anybody, or do anything, except what you came for." She took a deep breath before continuing. "You went down into the royal family's crypt, all by yourself, and then left hours later, and trying to follow you down there was punishable by death. My parents said they'd tell me who you were when I was older, but..."

"But your wings sprouted, before that happened, and that put an end to that," Martin said, voice no longer amused. "If I ever find out who was responsible for that stupid superstition, they'd better hope they're dead. That's one of the things I'll never forgive myself for, and I've got a lot of those. If I'd been more on the ball, I'd have seen that one coming and taken care of it long before you were born. "

"Who _are_ you?" Nina whispered, though she already knew the answer. She'd known it the instant she realized he was a Light Dragon.

"A ghost of the past," Martin said somberly. "The name I was born with is no longer mine to claim. My time has passed, and it's left me behind. Now, I'm just the weird old dragon man who lives in a cave up in the mountains, and my name's Martin. That's it. That's all you're getting, Nina. I'm sorry, but staying out of this is the only real way I can help you kids now. If I got involved, any chance you had of actual free will would go straight out the window, and destiny would throw the rope around your necks."

"I'm still not sure how much of it I really believe," Nina pointed out, shaking her head. "Demons are one thing, but gods? I'm a Windian, born and bred, and we're not exactly religious as a general rule."

"Good," Martin growled, green eyes blazing. "Smartest course of action. Keep it up. Even _if_ the gods are real, that's no excuse to go _believing_ in them. Trust a god, and you'll pay for it, sooner or later. Hell, look at _Myria_. A thousand years since she died, and even the most devout believer in St. Eva who scoffs at the thought of the old gods will still twitch at her name. Call her a god or a spirit or whatever you want, kid, but there was nothing like her. Even Barubary's on the other side of the line. He's still mortal."

"And Ladon?" Nina asked after a moment. "He seems to want to help us as much as possible, but he won't tell us anything about destiny or fate. He says the same things as you; that if he does, we won't have a choice in matters any more. I wouldn't worship him, but calling him a friend is another story."

"So, _now_ he feels remorse?" Martin snarled. "Too little, too late. You're one of the smartest ones in your group, your highness, so I'll tell you this much. Don't trust a word out of Ladon's mouth. The reason he's only doing so much to guide you is because of the rules we set up, to keep him and the demons from just grabbing you kids and throwing you wherever they want. If it weren't for that, he'd be doing a lot more than just giving vague advice, and you wouldn't like it one bit. Just be glad he _has _to play nice this time."

"You claim that he's not truly our friend, then?" Nina raised an eyebrow. "Bold words, Martin, and I'm not entirely convinced that you're impartial. You seem to have a grudge against him. A personal one."

"You could say that, all right," Martin muttered, the green fire in his eyes dimming. "Look, Nina. He doesn't do it on purpose. Even I'll concede that much to the old bastard. He honestly thinks he's guiding you, being a good mentor, helping you live and learn. He _wants_ to be your friend; _he_ knows, he doesn't have many of those. And the last person who'll join your little group... well, it's somebody he has a special attachment to."

"You refer to Deis," Nina murmured, and she didn't mean her old roommate back at the Aurian Magic School, though she suddenly, idly wondered just why she'd been given that particular name. "The legendary sorceress of Wisdon, who awakens from the sleep of eternity to aid the heroes of the Light Dragons when the time comes to save the world, and returns to her slumber once her work is done. The last of the long-extinct Indigo Clan, according to herself, a Clan with no presence in history aside from her."

"After going through more booze, smokes and gambling than anybody else in the world could live through," Martin added dryly, but his tone was oddly affectionate. "She'll be a good friend, though, and a loyal one. Try to cut her a few breaks when she joins up; this is going to be a new one on her, and it might be a bit tricky for her to get the hang of not cluing you guys in to everything she knows. She'll take to it in the end, though. She's never come right out and said it, but I always thought that if she could be a normal person, she would."

"I'll do my best," Nina promised. "I seem to be missing something, though. Why not trust Ladon, then, as much as her?"

"Because Deis won't use words like 'expendable,' 'necessary,' and 'sacrifice,' to refer to her friends," Martin explained coldly. "Ladon tries, like I said, but when it comes down to it, he can't help himself. He calls it seeing the big picture. Let a few men die, or worse, for the sake of the rest of the world. In the end, it always comes down to that for Ladon, and he always chooses the same thing, no matter how much he hates doing it. He'll apologize, and he'll mourn, and he'll never forgive himself... but he'll still do it."

"I read a history book once," Nina said after a long, silent moment. "It claimed to quote you, and the others, verbatim. One of those quotes was about Ladon, and Myria. 'Pieces on a chessboard,' it said you said."

"Yeah, that was me, all right." Martin chuckled without humor. "Says it all, really. I think it's got something to do with being a god, whether you spell the word with a capital G or not. Something about being one... you don't look at other people the same way. Ladon's not as bad as Myria, but he's bad enough. Neither one of them ever stopped to question their own actions, to wonder if maybe they weren't doing the right thing. I don't think they know how. End of the day, pieces on a chessboard. All there is to it."

"What of St. Eva, then?" Nina asked gently. "I believe the Namandian faith doesn't center around any divinity, but I must confess, ever since Ladon began speaking to me, I've been wondering about St. Eva as well. Is he real, too?"

"Oh, he's real, all right," Martin admitted, the blaze in his eyes flaring up once more. "And trust me, that is one subject you _really_ don't want me to say _anything_ more on, or it would ruin the whole game, right then and there."

"All right," Nina agreed. "It was more idle curiosity than anything else." They watched the fire burn for a little longer, quiet and still, before she spoke again. "Will it... will it be all right, in the end? For us, I mean?"

"That's one thing even I don't know, kid," Martin said quietly. "But if it helps, I'll be wishing you luck. That much, at least, I can do." He smiled at her then, and there was something deep and painful and ancient in his eyes. "You know, you don't really look all that much like her. Only a little bit, in the face, but not the eyes. That's about the only thing about this whole business that I actually like. We never really look the same." Standing up, he stretched. "You'd better get some sleep now, kid. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for you."

"They usually are, in our line of work," Nina conceded, standing as well and walking back to her gear, then paused, looking over her shoulder. "Thank you, greatfather."

Martin didn't speak, but the smile he gave her and the almost tangible gratitude in his own glance were enough.

* * *

They left the next morning, without a word to Martin, who didn't rise from where he was sleeping. Once they'd had their breakfast, Jean Warped them down to the southern border of Sima and got them through without a hassle, to the Sea of Trees on the other side. As Spar had promised, it provided navigation for them by means of listening to the forest around them, and the trip proceeded fairly well over the next week, aside from the predatory basilisks that stalked the woods. Those proved slightly troublesome.

"All right, this one's dead too," Ryu grunted, pulling his sword out of the chest of the ugliest bird he'd ever seen, aside from all the others they'd previously killed. It was a bipedal land hunter, feathered in blue and red aside from its long, scaly neck and tail. Its clawed feet bore ripping claws, and its beak was wickedly curved, but a sufficient amount of metal, muscle and magic had killed it, like any other monster. "Good work, Spar."

"It seemed appropriate, under the circumstances," the Grass Man said calmly, retracting the long, ivy-like whip it'd wrapped around the basilisk's neck with one flick of its wrist. "It certainly stopped it from disemboweling me, as it was attempting, and I believe that was the maximum priority at the immediate moment."

"Yeah, something like that," Katt agreed, pulling the end of her staff out from the underjaw of the basilisk's mate with a slight grunt. "Gotta admit, that was pretty cool of you, just standing your ground and facing off with it like that."

"Was there something else I should be doing?" Spar asked her curiously, blinking.

"Never mind."

"At least it wasn't another cave bear," Bow pointed out, reloading his crossbow. "Those things _really_ suck." He glanced at the forest up ahead, indistinguishable from that around them; as deep in the trees as they were, even the sunlight was filtered through the overhead canopy of branches and leaves, and moss grew everywhere. "You said we're almost there, right?"

"Correct." Spar nodded. "We should arrive within the hour. Shall we press on?" Turning, it began leading the way through the trees once more, the rest of them following close behind.

"Hey, boss?" Sten asked quietly, inclining his head backwards. "Mind if I have a word with you, real quick?"

"Sure." Ryu fell back, and the Highlander did as well, until the two of them were several feet behind the rest of the party. "What's up?"

"There's no real diplomatic way to put this, so I'm just going to come right out and say it," Sten admitted with a grimace. "Look, this might be a bit hypocritical of me, considering how _I_ joined up, but... how long do you figure Spar's going to be staying around?"

"Well, it's not really hiring on, is it?" Ryu reminded him. "We just need its help for the same job it needs ours on. Once we've got this mess with the Wise Tree taken care of, we'll probably go our separate ways." He raised an eyebrow. "Is there some problem between the two of you that I haven't picked up on? It doesn't seem like a bad guy... er... bad fella."

"Not a _bad_ guy, no," Sten hedged. "Just... _weird_, boss. I mean, setting aside the fact that it's, well, an _it_, even without that... does it even _have_ any emotions? Like, at all? It's like nothing ever even seems to bother it."

"You, too?" Katt muttered, falling back behind the pack to join them. "Yeah, I've got sharp ears. Big deal. I gotta agree with Sten, Ryu; I don't not _like_ Spar, but I don't think I _do_ like it, either. It's just... weird." She grimaced. "It's been months since Augus' little game, and I still get pissed off just thinking about it, but Sten... it's like it doesn't even care what Tusk was doing to it."

"We're not exactly the most normal crowd around ourselves, if it comes to that," Ryu defended the Grass Man weakly, but mentally, he had to admit that they had a point. There was something about Spar's emotionless, logical personality that was off-putting, even alien, and its asexuality didn't help matters.

"There's not normal, and then there's staring down a charging basilisk without even blinking," Katt pointed out. "And it doesn't sleep nearly as much as it acts like it does. A couple hours, tops, and then it just fakes it the rest of the night."

"Hey, there's something I hadn't thought about until recently," Sten joked. "We could have it stand watch for most of the night and it wouldn't mind. Let the rest of us get more sleep." Katt kicked him in the shin. "Ow!"

"Jean likes it," Ryu said, glancing up ahead to where the Prince was chattering cheerfully with Spar.

"Jean likes _everybody_." Katt snorted. "Remember how long it took him to stop thinking Kuwadora wasn't that bad a guy?"

"Point," Ryu conceded. "Bow and Rand seem to be getting along with it okay too, though, as far as I can see."

"Rand's probably just glad to have somebody else with a working brain in this outfit aside from him and Nina." Sten chuckled.

"Did I hear my name?" The princess asked lightly, drifting back to join them. "I take it we're discussing our newest companion."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. "These two don't really care for it."

"I'm not exactly warming up to it myself," Nina admitted. "Maybe if there was anything it actually seemed to care about, but..."

"Yeah, but you don't warm up to _anybody_ in just a week, do you?" Katt smirked, and Ryu relaxed a little; if both her _and_ Sten were making jokes, then nobody was really all that serious about this.

"A fair point," Nina conceded, then frowned thoughtfully. "There's something else to keep in mind, however. We haven't seen any statues of Ladon since it joined us, have we?"

"Shit," Katt muttered, and Sten said something heavily accented in a different language under his breath that sounded similar. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Ray couldn't hear him," Sten recalled. "Neither has anybody else in that town. I asked the old man to check that, when we brought that thief back to clear Bow's name. Speaking of which, neither did she." He shook his head. "_Schiesse_. If this destiny bullshit says Spar needs to stick with us for the long haul..."

"We are here, _mon ami_s!" Jean called back, and they all fell silent, moving forward to rejoin the group. "Look, see the Wise Tree!"

"Holy shit," Bow murmured as they walked into an open, shaded grove. The reason for the lack of other trees within fifty feet was readily apparent; the Wise Tree's branches were simply _that_ broad. To say it was the largest tree Ryu had ever seen would be a gross understatement; its trunk had to be at least thirty feet across, rising up from a spread of roots like a serpent's nest to tower up, and up, and up into the heavens for what was probably almost a mile before spreading out into a mass of leaves and branches that completely blocked out the sky from where they were standing.

"Huh," Rand grunted. "Well, _I'm_ impressed."

"No kidding," Katt agreed, shaking her head in awe. "And this thing _talks_?"

"Not without another of our kind to translate," Spar explained, its voice even quieter than normal. "Once we reach elderhood, we lose the ability to communicate verbally. Only through the language of the forest can we speak then."

"Wait, wait, wait." Sten held up a hand. "One of _us_? Does this mean that when you get old, _you're_ going to turn into one of these Wise Trees?"

"Correct." Spar smiled slightly. "The Wise Tree is the final stage. What's known as a Grass Man is the young adult. I believe, if we translated my lifespan to equate to yours, I would be roughly around the same relative age as most of you."

"So... how old are you actually, then?" Rand asked, scratching his head.

"It has been 1,120 years since I first sprouted," Spar said blithely, ignoring the various shocked reactions from the others around it. "I have been in my second stage for 160 of those years, before which my memory is somewhat murky; our first stage doesn't really have that much mental functionality."

"Doesn't that get kind of lonely?" Bow wondered after a long moment. "I mean... if all your friends get old and die?"

"There is a reason my kind tend to avoid socialization with the rest of the world," Spar noted quietly, and for the first time, its golden eyes actually showed something other than calm appraisal. "Befriending members of other Clans is... well, it's not recommended, for precisely the reasons you've stated." It actually frowned for a moment as it continued. "By seeking contact with other Clans, I suppose I would be considered something of a rebel among my people." It turned its head to glance up at the Wise Tree. "Gandaroof has never really approved of that."

"_You're_ a..." Katt started to demand incredulously, then paused, mulling it over. "Well... maybe. But why's it matter what this old geezer thinks about that?" She glanced up at the Wise Tree. "Er, no offense."

"We are a difficult Clan to offend," Spar assured her. "As for your question, I believe it's considered appropriate to honor one's parent in your culture as well, yes?"

"But of course!" Jean agreed, then paused. "Well... perhaps it depends on the parent, in some cases, yes? And yet..." He blinked as the zenny dropped. "_Un momente. _This Wise Tree... it is your father?"

"Parent," Spar clarified, a flash of irritation crossing its features for a moment. "Gender-specific pronouns. Honestly." It shook its head. "But yes, Gandaroof seeded me. I suppose that makes my recommendation to seek its assistance, out of all the Wise Trees, somewhat biased, but I really do believe it to be the most intelligent."

"Hey, we trust your judgment, man," Ryu told him, and the others all nodded. "If you say this guy's our best call, we'll go with him."

"I see." Spar smiled slightly. "I appreciate your confidence in me. Well then, let's get down to business, shall we?" Turning to the Wise Tree, it advanced slowly, until it was standing as close to the tree as it could without stepping on the roots. Leaning forward slightly, it pressed its hands against the trunk. "Gandaroof. I have returned." A long moment passed, and then the wood of the trunk began rippling, like a lake when a stone was thrown into it.

"Eh?" An old man's voice, creaky and ancient, said as a wooden face appeared, rising out of the trunk as if from water. It was the face of an elderly male human, its eyebrows and beard massively overgrown, and it squinted down at them, larger than Rand's entire body. "There you are, Spar! You're late!"

"My apologies, elder," Spar replied, lowering its head respectfully. "There were... extenuating circumstances, but we're here now." It glanced back at the others. "When I bid you farewell, intending to go travel the world, you told me that when I returned to see you next, I would be accompanied by those who I would be bound to assist. These are the ones you told me of. They seek to uncover the demonic corruption that fills their society, and purge it from the world, a goal I find myself in agreement with. We've come here seeking your wisdom." It nodded at Ryu, who took that as his cue to step forward.

"Sir," he said, dipping his own head momentarily. "My name's Ryu Bateson. I'll be honest; we're mercenaries, and we're doing this for profit more than anything else, but we _do_ want to stop this problem. Any help you could give us would be appreciated."

"Very good," Spar murmured under its breath. "My kind appreciate honesty." It turned back to Gandaroof then and continued. "Please, elder, tell us what you know of these demons, especially those in the place known as Gate."

"I already told you, you're late!" Gandaroof growled. "Too late. The demons have found me already, Spar. They've cast some sort of curse on me, and clouded my memory. The knowledge you seek, that I've been keeping specifically for you all ever since I became aware of this threat... I can't think of it. It's like a fog inside my mind."

"Is that even possible?" Sten asked skeptically.

"It is," Nina murmured, narrowing her eyes. "A mentat. The demons have a mentat on their side. Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"What the heck is a mentat?" Rand asked, and most of the others nodded in agreement, though Sten's eyes had widened as soon as she'd said that word.

"A mentat is a very rare kind of mage," Nina explained. "They specialize in mind magic, in illusions and psychology. What a black mage can do with elemental destruction, or a white mage with healing power, a mentat works with by altering other people's minds, or even their own. History claims they could even transport themselves _inside _one's consciousness, using something called 'the world of dreams.' It's a subtle, deadly art that's been forgotten by society; there hasn't been one recorded since the Second Dragon War."

"Mote, the Red Dreamer," Ryu remembered from his childhood history lessons, clenching his fist. "One of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit."

"Kuwadora said something odd," Jean recalled, stroking his chin. "He claimed that he needed to request assistance from an ally of his, in order to cloud my father's mind, an ally he did not seem particularly fond of. I believe he said the name was Aruhameral."

"That doesn't sound like a common name from any culture _I've_ ever heard of." Sten frowned, and the others shook their heads. "Sounds more like the sort of name a Demon Lord has. We thought there might have been another one down here."

"So, where is he?" Katt cracked her knuckles. "We'll find the bastard and bust his head. Problem solved, right?"

"I don't know that, either," Gandaroof grumbled. "The cur is crafty. He could be anywhere in this forest."

"The other trees are unaware, as well," Spar reported quietly. "If he is here, he's able to conceal himself from them."

"You'll have to go to Tunlan," Gandaroof explained. "The Second Dragon War... that reminds me. There was an artifact there that the heroes of that War used to counter that Red Dreamer you spoke of. Tunlan's national treasure, the Therapy Pillow."

"I remember that." Bow snapped his fingers. "Mote had put one of their guys into a coma. They used that Therapy Pillow to go into his mind and break the curse so they could wake him up and recruit him."  
"Ah, I see!" Jean beamed. "Should we be able to convince the people of Tunlan to loan it to us, we will be able to enter your mind and break the curse the same way!"

"And _then_ you'll be able to tell us what's going on." Ryu nodded decisively. "That settles it, then. We're going back to Tunlan."

"One problem, boss," Rand reminded him. "We don't speak music, remember? That Magic Hood will let us understand what _they're_ saying, but talking back's not gonna work. Something wrong?" This was directed at Sten, who'd gone pale as he was talking.

"Nah." The Highlander shook his head quickly, glancing away. "It's nothing."

"Well, okay," Ryu said, knowing better but also knowing not to pry. "Let's head back home, take a break, then talk this over. Maybe we can find a translator to hire or something. We'll come up with a plan."

"Very well." Spar looked up at Gandaroof, and hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Please don't do anything dangerous, elder. We will return once we have the Therapy Pillow, and then we'll help you. I promise."

"Don't you do anything dangerous either, Spar," Gandaroof told it sternly. "You're far too reckless. Be careful out there."

"You know what we were talking about earlier?" Katt muttered, she and Nina drawing close to Ryu. "Forget about it. Think I just changed my mind, and you know _that _doesn't happen often. Spar's an okay guy. Girl. Something. Whatever."

"I think it'll do just fine," Nina murmured, glancing over at Sten, who was staring off into space now. "Besides... it's not the one I'm worrying about now."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed, then shook his head and raised his voice. "All right, people, it's late, so we can head back tomorrow morning. Bow, Katt, I trust you'll be able to hunt something up. Rest of you, make camp. Spar, I don't suppose there's a body of water with fish in it anywhere close by around here?"

"Yes, I'll show you," Spar said, turning to him. "This way." As they walked off through the trees, it glanced at him. "Why are we staying here? Wouldn't it be more time-efficient to go back to this home of yours?"

"Not that much." Ryu shrugged. "Might as well just Warp back first thing tomorrow and then take the day off. Wouldn't really change much, and this way, you can spend a little more time with Gandaroof, first."

"Ah," Spar said quietly. "Sentiment. I see." It thought for a moment. "If I could ask another question... is there a reason you, Bow and Katt are the only ones who provide our meals on a regular basis?"

"We're the only ones who know how," Ryu explained. "Fishing isn't as easy as it looks, and neither is hunting. Bringing in game is a lot different from fighting off monsters. _You_ have to go looking for _it_, not the other way around. Never had much talent for it myself, but fishing's a different story. Always had a knack for that. If the others had any skill at finding food, they would too. Make sense now?"

"Indeed." Spar nodded as a deep stream came into view. "The most efficient use of respective skills. I should have guessed sooner." It glanced around. "With that in mind, I assume it would be appropriate for me to begin doing my part as well. With the Breath of Nature, I'll always be able to locate fruits and nuts. Would that be an appreciated contribution to our meals?"

"You kidding?" Ryu grinned. "Nina might _hug_ you if you start bringing that stuff in on a regular basis."

"She would?" Spar blinked. "Ah. I will... be prepared for that, then." It coughed. "Well then, if you'll excuse me."

"See you back at the camp," Ryu called as it walked out, then chuckled under his breath, dropping his line in the water.

Dinner went well that evening for all involved; Ryu hauled in a couple of fat mackerel, along with Bow and Katt's contribution of a pair of pheasants. Everybody else was pleasantly surprised when Spar brought back an armful of apples, as well as a couple bulbs of garlic to season the meat. As Jean put it, the only thing they were missing was ale and wine, but for once, even Bow was content with fresh water.

Despite the good food, though, everybody had noticed by now that Sten was in an odd mood; he was silent and grim for the rest of the evening, speaking only when spoken to and even then as little as possible. It was disturbing, coming from the normally talkative Highlander, but nobody questioned him about it; even Jean could tell how bad an idea that would be. Instead, they simply chattered with each other about unimportant, casual things, doing their best to pretend nothing was wrong. They slept well that night, and in the morning, Jean warped them back to the town east of Mt. Fubi.

The ruined city had undergone a lot of change since Ryu and Bow had first come upon it, four months ago, on a job for the Ranger's Guild. Their own home was at the rear of the town, a square, four-storied building that towered over the rest of the community, with the squatter residence of the Fusion Clan family next door. From there, neat houses extended to the south in three rows of three; there were more ruined residences beyond them, but at the moment, the carpenters hadn't started rebuilding those.

"So, this is your town," Spar murmured as they walked on in. "Are all of these domiciles inhabited, then?"

"Think so," Bow told him. "We've been working on it. I think Lacquer might have grabbed one for himself."

"Can't really blame him for that," Rand commented. "His uncle's a bit... yeah. Weren't there some other guys coming in?"

"Yeah, some of our old-" Ryu started to say, then grunted as a pair of burly men ambushed him and Bow, jumping out of a couple of nearby trees to pull them into noogies. "Oy!"

"Dogi!" One of them yelled cheerfully. He was a heavy guy in his fifties, with short-cropped blonde hair and a close-trimmed beard, wearing a forest green jacket and pants. "You're getting sloppy, man!"

"Bateson!" The other chuckled, nearly identical to his brother, although his hair and beard were dyed blue, and he wore a red jacket with blue pants. "Still alive, huh? Pretty impressive! How you doing, buddy?"

"Get offa us, you apes!" Bow sputtered, he and Ryu forcing the laughing men away from them. "Sheesh, you two. Aren't you supposed to be retired now or something?"

"Doesn't mean we can't pull one over on you two mugs!" The blonde-haired one snickered, glancing at the rest of the group. "So, mercs now, huh? Looks like you're doing well for yourselves, with a place like this. Nice to meetcha, folks. Name's Azusa, and this shiftless bum is my brother Maclean."

"'Scuse me?" Maclean glared at him. "You're the one who's never held down a house in his life before this, pal! You wanna say that again to my face?"

"Sure thing, bro!" Azusa taunted him, both of them apparently unaware of the looks the group were giving them now. "Shiftless. Bum."

"That does it!" Maclean hollered, diving on him. "Come here!"

"Should we... do something about this?" Rand asked slowly as the brothers rolled in the dirt, fighting and swearing.

"Nah, let's just keep walking." Bow shook his head. "They'll be at this for a couple more hours."

"You have interesting friends," Nina murmured as they stepped around the brawling brothers. "Why are they here, again?"

"They're a couple of rowdies, but what Azusa doesn't know about hunting would probably kill you if you tried to eat it," Ryu explained. "And Maclean's just as good at fishing. They're the ones who taught us how, back when we were a couple of brats. Until we can get a real economy going, they'll keep the rest of the population fed."

"There's another Ranger moving in, too, right?" Katt remembered. "Some other guy from your neck of the woods?"

"Hanz." Bow nodded, glancing over at one of the houses that looked like it was undergoing remodeling. "That'll be his. He'll be running the local general store; probably live above it. We'll have to stop by and see if he needs any help setting it up once he gets here."

"That reminds me, we should all probably have Kay take a look at us, now that we're back in town," Ryu pointed out. "Not much point in having our own in-town doctor if we don't let her make sure we don't kill ourselves, right?"

"We're really getting into this whole town thing, aren't we?" Rand asked, smiling slightly. "Old man Watts grabbed the last empty house, I take it. You're right, Spar. They should be all filled up now. We oughta talk to the carpenters about building some more."

"So then, we've got a meeting with the carpenters and appointments with Kay." Katt sighed theatrically. "So much for our day off."

"Eh, we'll take another." Ryu shrugged as they approached their house. "No big deal. Anything else?"

"Jean!" The door to the Fusion Clan family's house banged open, and a pretty, shy-looking young woman with pale skin and long blue hair ran out. Despite her demure appearance, the minimal amount of clothing she wore was anything but modest; combined with a ridiculous amount of gold jewelry, it made her look more like she belonged on the docks than in a place like this. Dashing over to the Prince, she threw her arms around her neck. "You're all right! I was so worried! When that huge brute..." She trailed off, unable to finish.

"There, there, _mademoiselle_," Jean murmured, hugging Seso back. "All is fine. My comrades were able to slay the villain even without my assistance." He glanced up at the others, and they all nodded, heading into their own home and leaving the two of them alone.

"Well, he'll be busy for a while," Katt commented after closing the door. "Hey, Niro! We're back!"

"Is that what all the ruckus is?" The old man snorted; he was sitting behind the counter in the front room, feet on the desk as he glanced through a book on magic. "Should have figured. See you found your guy."

"Greetings," Spar said, bowing slightly. "My name is Spar. It's nice to meet you."

"Niro Mani!" He replied cheerfully. "Guessing you'll be taking one of the rooms we still got left?"

"That will not be necessary." Spar shook its head. "I don't require-"

"Oh, no you don't." Ryu cut him off. "You're hanging out with us, and that means you get a room. You can take the one on the second floor, at the end of the hall."

"I... see," Spar said slowly. "It is economically efficient for all of us to live in the same residence. Nevertheless..." Its eyes dimmed. "I have never actually had a place to live in, before. This is the first time anybody has ever offered me one. Are you certain..." It trailed off.

"Wouldn't have said it if we didn't," Bow assured it. "Come on, I'll show you the way." Putting an arm around Spar's shoulder, he led it into the back.

"Might as well come too," Rand agreed, following them.

"Think I'll head up to the roof for a bit." Katt shrugged. "Coming, Nina?"

"That sounds nice," the Windian agreed, and the girls headed back as well.

"Everything still okay around here?" Ryu asked Niro, sitting down in one of the chairs scattered around the lobby; he idly noted that, sometime since they'd entered the town, Sten had slipped off without being noticed.

"Same old, same old," Niro grunted. "Jean dropped off some fella from the circus a few days back, and he moved on into that last house, so the carpenters have been talking about rebuilding a few more once they're done expanding their places."

"That's right, they wanted to open some businesses up themselves." Ryu snapped his fingers. "Should help once we start getting travelers through here. I'll have to drop by later today and talk to them about it."

"Probly a good idea." Niro raised an eyebrow. "How about you folks? Seso was too hysterical to really talk much in the way of detail when she popped back up here again out of the blue. Still don't know why that happened."

"Try not to overthink it," Ryu suggested, shaking his head. "Another demon, another dollar. Wasn't too bad, really."

"Hearin' you talk like that makes my blood run cold, son." Niro rolled his eyes. "What about this Spar guy, then? He on the team, or what?"

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest." Ryu frowned. "Up to it if it wants to stick around after we finish up this part of the job, really. It's not bad, I'll give it that much, and we _could_ use another jack-of-all-trades on the team."

"It?" Niro blinked.

"Long story." Ryu shrugged, walking past. "I'll explain later."

"Ain't they all." The old man chuckled, returning to his reading.

As Katt had predicted, the rest of their day was a busy one. Once they'd all taken a little relaxation time, they held a team meeting to discuss the events of the previous days, mostly for Niro's benefit, though Sten was noticeably absent; nobody had been able to find him. After they'd finished bringing the old man up to speed, Ryu went over to meet with the carpenters, and after some discussion, they decided to plan on rebuilding six more houses.

Next, he took his turn seeing Kay; it seemed that Rand, Jean and Nina had already stopped in while he was busy with the others. The doctor was stern with him, explaining that all three needed to take better care of themselves whenever they broke any bones, even if white magic healed the injuries. Ryu himself had had most of his ribs, an arm and a shoulder busted by the Demon Lord Kuwadora, and she didn't hesitate to let him know exactly what shape his skeleton would be in in another couple years if he didn't follow her advice, which he promised to do.

Once he was done, he dropped by Watts' house to make sure the old man was settling in all right, then went home, telling Niro to spread the word that the team would be having a meeting that evening before dinner. He spent a few hours relaxing in his room then, before heading up to the roof to watch the sunset; autumn was moving on, and the days were growing shorter. After the sun had gone down, he walked back down to the buildings' meeting room, and waited for everybody else to drift in, one by one.

"All right, let's get this over with so we can enjoy tomorrow," he said once they'd all arrived. "It looks like our next step is figuring out a way to communicate with the people of Tunlan. That's going to be more than a little tricky."

"You think?" Bow rolled his eyes. "At least we've got the Magic Hood, so that's half the problem solved. Man, who'd have thought that mess would actually end up coming in handy down the road?"

"Still doesn't help us actually communicate with them," Katt pointed out. "We'd just end up with a lot of people telling us they have no idea what we're saying."

"More or less." Ryu nodded. "I'm guessing this is a long shot, but I don't suppose there's any chance any of _us_ are musically inclined?"

"I can play the piano a little," Nina said dubiously. "I'm hardly a virtuoso, though. And it's not really something you can take with you into town."

"Yeah, if we were hauling a piano everywhere we went, we'd get some pretty funny looks," Rand agreed. "Besides, playing music's a bit different from communicating though it, right? Not sure it'd work anyways."

"Probably not," Ryu conceded. "Think we'll be able to find some kind of translator we can hire, then?"

"Highly doubtful, I am afraid, _mon ami_," Jean told him. The Prince had returned to the coloration that meant he'd fused with Seso once more; nobody had asked about it, for obvious reasons. "Among the countries of the world, Tunlan is unique in that they do not send ambassadors to other courts, nor do any others send any to them. The communications barrier is simply that insurmountable, which indicates to me that translators are so rare as to be almost nonexistent."

"Great." Ryu slapped his face. "So we can't talk their language, and we're not likely to find anybody else who can, either. How the hell are we going to pull this one off?"

"There's one way," Sten said quietly, the first words he'd spoken to anybody all day. The Highlander had shuffled into the meeting room, downcast, and then stared at the table without looking up the whole time so far. "The Therapy Pillow and the Magic Hood aren't the only artifacts left over from the Second Dragon War. There's another. When the last hero went to Tunlan to get that thing, he needed the Magic Hood too, and something else. A magical flute, enchanted so that any bum off the street could play it perfectly enough to talk to them."

Everybody else except for Spar exchanged cynical glances.

"Bingo." Ryu sighed. "All right, where is this thing?"

"Highfort," Sten said flatly, and suddenly, the situation was no longer even slightly amusing. "The capital of Highland. My old digs."

"Crap," Bow said after a moment.

"Is there an issue?" Spar asked politely. "I seem to be missing something here."

"Sten is..." Nina started to say, then paused. "I suppose it's... well, one could say..." She trailed off helplessly.

"It's complicated," Ryu summarized it. "Look, man. I don't know what exactly it is, and I don't care. You don't want to talk about it, and we can respect that. If you want to stay here with Niro for this one, we'll understand."

"Won't work." Sten shook his head. "My Clan's highly militaristic. You could say that we're actually all one huge army of mercenaries; we sell our swords to other countries and global powers. That makes us about as xenophobic as they come. There's no way you'd make it into Highfort without one of us vouching for you. I'm the only way you'll get in through the gates. Problem is, if anybody recognizes me..."

"Straight into the slammer?" Rand guessed.

"As if." Sten's eyes dulled. "Try a firing squad."

"What did you _do?_" Katt blurted out, then winced as a pained look came over Sten's face. "Sorry, sorry. Wasn't thinking."

"A possibility comes to mind," Jean said after a long, awkward moment. "Your fur, _mon ami_. Brown is not the only color among your kind, is it?"

"Not at all," Sten replied, looking up at last. "Blonde, orange, red, black... but using dye won't work. They'll be able to smell it, and it'll be a red flag."

"_Non_, I had something more subtle in mind," Jean assured him. "_Mademoiselle_ Sana has expressed interest in attempting the art of Fusion with you, yes? When I did so with _mademoiselle_ Seso, as you can see, my own coloration was altered. Perhaps if you try it as well, it will change yours, and you will be less recognizable?"

"That's... actually a pretty good idea," Ryu told him, blinking. "That might work. Are you feeling all right, Jean?"

"Eh?" The prince blinked. "I am perfectly healthy, _mon ami_. There is not something going around, I hope? _Mademoiselle_ Kay mentioned nothing of the sort to me."

"Maybe," Sten murmured, looking a little more like his old self. "If we stay out of towns and villages, just to be on the safe side... I'll be able to talk us through the front gate by saying we have business with the Ranger's Guild. Then if we can get through to the Elder in there, maybe you guys could convince her to let you borrow the flute. It's not like anybody ever actually uses the damn thing. It's just a national treasure."

"Get in, talk the old lady into getting us the loot, get out, huh?" Bow nodded. "Sounds like my kind of job."

"And keep an eye out for any Demon Lords while we're there," Ryu added. "There's probably one somewhere around, but the old lady said he wasn't being obvious about it, so that's a good sign. If we can pull this off without getting his attention, all the better. We do _not _need another round of what we went through with Kuwadora."

"_Nobody_ needs that, man," Bow half-joked, and the meeting broke up with everybody in a better mood than when they'd come, for once. "Come on, let's get some grub." They went over to the Rivab's for their meal, and after a couple rounds of after-dinner drinks, they turned in. As he undressed and fell onto his bed, Ryu mused to himself that the town finally actually _felt_ like home. It was good to be back.

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

The next morning, nobody commented on the new, bright fuchsia hue of Sten's fur; it certainly went a long way towards making him look like somebody else. They took the day off, as Ryu had promised, simply enjoying themselves relaxing with each other and socializing with the others in town; there were enough of them now that various social circles were beginning to form, which the team easily slipped into.

The day after that, they went down to the shore, called up Grandpa the whale, and rode him south, to a sheltered cove Sten knew on Highland's west coast. The southeasternmost country of the world was highly complex, geographically; it held three different environments within its borders, all vastly different. The western portion was heavily forested, almost as much as the Sea of Trees; it was this that they moved through at first, with Spar's help, dodging more hunting cockatrices and prowling Kimoto bandits.

To the southeast was the great desert of Arad, the largest in the world; according to Sten, ancient Highlanders had once lived there before expanding their territory west and north. It was apparently a total deathtrap, and they planned to avoid it completely. The northeast part of the country was a series of sheer cliffs rising up from the sands, almost like stairs, leading into the mountains; it was there that Highfort was located. As Sten had suggested, they avoided towns and villages as they headed higher and higher up the cliffs, closer and closer towards their destination.

"Just how tall is this place?" Katt asked as they drew close, a week after setting out. Highfort had been sighted several days ago, but rather than indicating their nearness to it, that simply drew the eye to how tall the fortress truly was, a nest of towers of various heights with bridges connecting them like a spider's web.

"From here, or from sea level?" Sten asked her. "It's not even connected to the mainland. The fort is built on top of a spire of rock rising out of the ocean, and it goes all the way down inside that, too. We'll have to cross a bridge to get to the front gate."

"That doesn't seem like a sound idea," Nina murmured, frowning. "What if there's an earthquake?"

"There's some kind of quake resistance mechanisms built into the place," Sten explained. "Lost technology. I never really understood how it all worked myself, but apparently, it'll keep it from falling over."

"Lost technology, huh?" Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Kuwadora was all over that. Five zenny says this Demon Lord will be too."

"Stay out of the basement, then," Rand grunted. "Got it."

"All right, there's the edge of the cliff up ahead," Ryu said as they approached it. As Sten had said, there was indeed a narrow bridge spanning the gap over the ocean to the pillar of stone. Atop it, a circular outer wall rose above the cluster of towers for a hundred feet. "Yeesh. Wouldn't want to attack _this_ place."

"Kind of the idea, boss," Sten muttered quietly, looking up at it. "It was supposed to be the most impenetrable fortress on the face of the planet when they built it."

"I believe that it is safe to say that they succeeded admirably, then," Spar told him; even the Grass Man seemed impressed by the massive edifice.

"Yeah." Sten remained still, as if frozen to the spot, staring up at it. "Listen, boss... do we... do we really have to do this? Now?"

"I'm afraid so, Sten," Ryu told him solemnly, the others all remaining silent. "I'm sorry. But we have to."

"Yeah..." The Highlander chuckled bitterly. "I was afraid of that. It's just... I never wanted to come home. Ever." Shaking his head, he walked onto the bridge and yelled up at the wall. "Hey, sergeant! Independent contractors, from over in Auria! We've got business with the Elder of the Ranger's Guild!"

A few moments passed, and then with a mechanical grinding noise, the massive gates at the end of the bridge swung open.

"No turning back now," Sten muttered, more to himself than to them, and glanced over his shoulder. "All right, people, let's form up into two ranks. We're not soldiers, but we can do our best to look like professionals, at least. Katt, Spar and Rand behind the boss. Bow, Nina and Jean behind me. Don't ask too many questions, and don't poke around where we shouldn't. Let's get this over with and get out."

"Right," Ryu agreed, giving the others a glance. This wasn't the first time Sten's personality had abruptly changed, falling back into what Ryu assumed were old habits, but it had never lasted longer than a few moments before. They fell into rank, like he'd said, and proceeded across the bridge and through the gate.

"Hey, what the-!" A guard just inside the door yelped in a harsh, guttural Highland accent, nearly dropping his spear. He was a big, muscular Highlander in a spotless, blue-and-gold uniform with a flat cap and decorative shoulders, and the armor he wore under it looked equally perfect. Recovering, he glared at Ryu. "All right, assholes, real funny. I don't know what the guys up top think they're doing, but there's no foreigners allowed in here, so you can just head right back out."

"I'm speaking for these guys, bud..." Sten started to say, then trailed off as he locked eyes with the guard, whose jaw dropped. "_Schiesse. _Corporal Gane?"

"General Sten?" The guard whispered. "You're alive?"

"_General?_" Katt yelped, eyes widening.

"_No_," Sten said firmly. "Not a general. Not any more."

"General Sten..." Gane repeated slowly, still thinking it over, eyes wide. "What happened? Everybody thought you died at Goonheim, with the 21st."  
"Heh." Sten turned to stare at a wall, face blank. "Yeah, I know. Probably would have been better if I had, really."

"Sten?" Bow asked quietly. "What was... what's Goonheim?"

"Goonheim was a town in Fog Valley, in northern Carmen," Rand explained grimly. "Something like a town, anyways. Be more accurate to call it the biggest bandit's nest in the world. The Ogre Clan were building up their numbers there, so the Church of St. Eva hired the Highlanders to take it out, and my people let it slide just this once; we knew that we'd probably be the Ogres' number one target pretty soon if we didn't. I don't know the details, but... they say it was pretty ugly."

"Ugly?" Sten whispered, as he started to shake like a leaf. "It was hell on earth. We sent in three companies, into _fucking_ Fog Valley, in the middle of a summer drought,to attack a heavily fortified enemy encampment. No supplies, no water, no way of getting through those walls, and never knowing when they were going to come out and butcher us some more, just for kicks... and all we could do is wait there, because we'd made it that far, and we had to hold our position and hope backup would arrive before we all died like pigs..."

"You can't know what it was like," Gane agreed, staring at his hands. "Not unless you were there. There's never been anything like it ever since, thank Ladon for that much..." Shaking himself, he straightened up. "But just when we thought it was all lost, General Sten-"

"Shut up, Corporal!" Sten snapped, whirling on him, rage in his eyes. "Don't _ever_ bring that up again. _Nobody_ should ever talk about that. And don't go spreading the word around that I'm back, either. As far as Highfort's concerned, I died out there, you hear me?"

"Huh?" Gane blinked. "What are you talking about, General? When everybody hears you're back, they'll call you a hero! They'll-"

In a blur of motion, Sten smashed him across the face with the butt of one of his daggers, drawing it faster than Ryu could see.

"Sten, what the _hell?_" Katt demanded, lunging forward to pull him away from the soldier.

"If you _ever_ call me a hero again, soldier, you'll be able to put in for disability pay," Sten told Gane quietly, apparently uncaring that she was holding him back. "Do it twice, and your family will be picking up a pension. You hear me? I'm not a General any more, and I'm sure as hell not a hero. I'm a _deserter_, Gane. I _ran away_. I faked my death so I could get out, and I've been running ever since. I'm a coward, and I always was. I just never let it show."

"Sten?" Gane whispered, backing up until he was against the wall. "What are you saying? You're, you're not a..."

"Yes I am," Sten cut him off, slipping out of Katt's arms like his own were dislocated, prompting a surprised grunt from her. He made no further moves towards Gane, though, simply turning to stare at the wall. "The only hero of Goonheim is Turbo. He's the one who stayed on the field through that slaughterhouse to fight to the end." Shaking his head, he turned to glance at Gane. "I'd heard he made it out alive, too. How's he doing these days? He's got to have made it up to General by now, right?"

"Sten..." Gane frowned then. "I probably shouldn't talk about that. Not if... not if you're not enlisted any more." He shook his head. "Funny you should bring him up, though. He's been looking forward to seeing you again."

"He's what?" Sten went white. "He... _knew_? That's impossible!"

"Not him," Gane explained. "Shupukay. She started going on about how you'd be coming home soon, a few days ago. Everybody else thought she'd lost it, but Turbo... I don't know how she knew, or how she convinced him, but he's been waiting, ever since."

"Shupukay," Sten hissed, going even paler. "Shit. _Shit_. And Turbo... how the hell am I supposed to face him after what I did?" He buried his head in his hands, shaking again. "I can't do it... I never should have come back here!"

"Hey, Sten," Ryu said quietly. "It's okay. Calm down. Now that you've got us in, if you want to just hang out somewhere, we'll take it from here."

"He'll find me," Sten whispered. "He'll find me, and he'll... he'll..." Trailing off, he raised his head to stare at Ryu. "Boss...?"

"We're not going to make you do anything you don't want to, Sten," Nina told him, eyes dark and sympathetic; she knew, more than any of the others, what it was like to never be able to go home again. "I'm not going to say that we understand, since I don't think we could if we tried, but we're still your comrades. We've got your back."

"Maybe..." Sten began looking around jerkily, eyes darting. "That guard station down below. Is there anybody who knows me in there?"

"No, none of the guys on duty were at Goonheim," Gane told him, biting his lip. "But Sten... aren't you even going to go see her Highness?"

"You know better than that, Gane," Sten said somberly, looking down at his feet. "Her, most of all... I can't face her. Not after what I did." He walked past him, towards a staircase in the side of the narrow entry room. "Look, Gane... don't tell anybody about this, all right? I shouldn't have come back, so... let's just pretend I didn't."

"Sten, man." Bow put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. We'll handle this, and then we'll get out of here."

"Sorry about this, guys," Sten replied, not looking at them. "I didn't mean for this to be a problem for you, but... looks like you'll have to get the flute without me. I'm... I'm sorry." Without another word, he walked down the stairs, and none of them tried to stop him.

"Who are you guys?" Gane asked, as if remembering them for the first time since he'd seen Sten; Ryu got the feeling he wasn't too bright. "You're the general's friends?"

"Comrades," Jean said somberly; even he was affected by the mood. "Freelance adventurers, the _Dragonkin_."

"You mean mercs." Gane raised an eyebrow. "An independent band, huh? What're you here for?"

"Got some business with the local Elder of the Ranger's Guild," Ryu explained. "Don't suppose you could tell us how to find her?"

"I probably shouldn't." He frowned, stroking his chin. "But then, I probably shouldn't let you through, either, and the general wouldn't like it if I didn't do that." He nodded sharply. "If you're the general's friends, you're an exception. All right, Elder Gundred's in a meeting with some of the general staff right now. Keep going straight through from here until you cross two bridges, then head up the stairs on the right. The first door on your left is the war room, but don't go in there; General Shupukay isn't the kind of woman you want to cross."

"You mentioned her before," Katt recalled. "She have some sort of history with Sten?"

"I'd better not talk about that either." Gane winced. "I don't mind letting you guys through, but if General Shupukay finds out I actually said anything about her..."

"That bad?" Rand whistled.

"Worse." Gane grimaced. "She's a tactical and mechanical genius, really eloquent, and beautiful to boot, but she's got a bad temper and a strong will, and her personality is... well, let's just say she doesn't have many friends." He shook his head. "Look, just stay away from her, all right?"

"No worries," Ryu assured him. "We're not here to cause trouble. We'll wait outside that room until Elder Gundred comes out, then get our business done with her quick and easy."

"All right." Gane returned to his post. "Get moving, then. Don't want to have to explain to my sergeant what's going on here if he comes down here."

"Yeah, no," Ryu agreed, as they walked past.

Nobody talked much as they continued into the depths of Highfort. Despite its sky-high construction, the insides of the towers were dark and cramped, the halls narrow and winding; without Gane's directions, they'd have been hopelessly lost. Strange mechanical device abounded, as Sten had told them; some strange booths seemed to be a kind of device meant for raising and lowering people tens of stories, and other bizarre devices simply puttered along without any apparent purpose other than releasing steam.

The bridges were an entirely different story; straight and narrow, they seemed to be the only means of moving between towers. Looking around them as they walked across, they saw dozens more above and below, though no two were ever on the exact same level. Despite the high stone rails on either side, they couldn't help shivering slightly as they looked down to the wave-washed shores far, far below; the stone pillar was hollow in its center all the way through, and many windows could be seen on the inside of it.

Several Highlander guards gave them odd looks as they passed by, but nobody questioned their presence, apparently assuming that if they'd made it in this far, they had good reason for being there. Keeping their pace quick but casual, they soon found the door they'd been directed to, and leaned against the walls around it, waiting for the meeting to pass.

"Sounds like they're having a pretty spirited discussion," Katt said after a few moments, leaning her head to one side.

"No kidding," Bow agreed, wincing. "That one lady's got a pretty expressive voice, doesn't she?"

"You can hear what they're saying?" Spar asked, blinking. "Through a closed door? That's quite impressive."

"Anything interesting?" Rand raised an eyebrow.

"They're talking in Highlander," Bow muttered, narrowing his eyes. "I don't really speak it, but I know a few words here and there. I think they're saying that one of their companies is mutinying, down in the southwest. They're having some trouble putting it down. The chick who's doing all the yelling wants to just crush them with weight of numbers... and use rookie companies to do it instead of veterans."

"They have a real winner on their hands there, all right," Nina murmured sardonically. "That must be Shupukay."

"Sounds like she's the only girl in there except for the Elder," Katt agreed. "And she's staying quiet. I don't know a word of this gobbledygook, but I think the other guys in there are trying to stand up to Shupukay." She winced. "Ooh, that sounds like it hurt."

"Should we really be listening to this?" Jean asked, looking uncomfortable. "It is not truly proper, no? As well as none of our concern."

"Oh, yes it is!" Bow hissed, eyes suddenly widening. "Now she's talking about some new super-weapon they've been pouring the treasury into. She says... crap, she's saying once it's done, they're gonna start conquering other countries instead of hiring out to them!"

"Elder Gundred's talking now," Katt growled. "Still can't understand it, but I think she's refusing to go along with... oh, no, you idiot, don't..."

Everybody heard the sharp crack of bone shattering, and a scream cut short.

"Crap," Ryu hissed. "So much for the plan. Let's get out of-"

"_Was zur Hölle?_" An elderly male Highlander in an elaborate red uniform demanded, opening the door, before switching languages, probably for their benefit. "General Shupukay! Foreign spies, listening in on our meeting! Guards!"

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" A female Highlander said, walking out, as soldiers rushed out of various doors and halls to surround them, most of them bearing crossbows. She was in her mid-twenties, with cinnamon-colored fur and a bright pink, short and pointed wig atop her head. Tall and lean, her features would have been attractive save for the cruel sneer that seemed to be her standard expression. Her uniform was red and gold, and she wore a rapier at her hip. "Intruders, are you? Impressive, getting this far."

"General Shupukay, I presume," Ryu said, raising his hands and giving the rest of the team a look indicating that they should do the same; no matter how good they were, surrounded by dozens of crossbows was a no-win situation. "I assure you, we can explain this."

"Shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay!" She grinned, her bright red eyes dilating and contracting rapidly, and most of them froze, as Ryu glanced down at the Dragon's Tear and saw that it was inky black. "I'm sure you could, but I have no interest in your storytelling ability. The fact of the matter is that foreigners are not allowed within these walls, and especially not in hearing distance of a classified war council."

"We didn't-" Katt started to object, then tensed up as the light dawned. "Oh, _shit_."

"Didn't hear anything?" Shupukay guessed mockingly. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that? Guards! Take them to the dungeons, immediately, and lock them up in a couple of our _family size_ cells." She laughed, turning and waving a hand, as the crossbow-bearing guards approached.

"Buddy?" Bow asked quietly.

"Go along with it," Ryu growled, staring at Shupukay's back. "She's got us dead to rights for now. We'll have to count on an outside chance." _Sten, don't let us down. _

"Oh, that reminds me, somebody tell Colonel Turbo his old friend has arrived," Shupukay added with another smirk as she walked back into the meeting room, and Ryu's last hope sank with the click of the door behind her.

_IT PUTS MY BACK UP PUTS MY BACK UP AGAINST THE WALL _


	21. Chapter 19: The Memories Of War

_**Chapter 19: The Memories Of War**_

_Something's wrong,_ Sten thought flatly as he threw down his cards, chuckling sheepishly; he'd lost the hand again. He'd been playing with the off-duty guards in the station's lounge all afternoon, and had been careful to only win one hand in five; that was bad enough to keep them in good humor, but not so much as to make them suspicious. As Gane had said, none of them had recognized him, and had accepted his story of being a freelancer without question.

_Why do you say that?_ Sana asked inside his mind. Normally, the fiery Fusion Clanswoman would have responded to that line with snark and sarcasm, but she'd picked up on his mood, and seemed to share it. Sten still wasn't sure how he felt about the whole fusion thing, but it seemed she enjoyed it; ever since they'd done it, she'd been in his head, seemingly in a kind of relaxed, half-asleep daze, though that hadn't stopped her from running commentary until they'd actually arrived at Highfort. That had sobered her, as much as everybody else.

_They should have been back by now,_ Sten explained mentally. _It's sunset. They shouldn't have taken this long no matter how it went. Something's definitely gone wrong. Dammit, Ryu, what the hell are you doing? _

"Hey, Stan," one of the guards said cheerfully in the Highlanders' guttural native tongue, a language spoken by few outside of the country, and only the Breath of Sands kept him from jumping, kept his body still and his blood cold; he'd been using it ever since he came down to the guard station. "What do you suppose is keeping your buddies? You've been down here all day."

"Trying to get rid of me, Bors?" Sten joked in the same language; despite how long he'd been away, he still remembered it.

"You kidding, Stan?" The guard shot back. "I've made more money off of you than I do on my paycheck!" They all laughed at that. "I'm just saying, maybe you should go check up on them. Just in case, you know?"

"Yeah, maybe," Sten admitted, thoughts racing. _But I can't risk... I can't... I can't... can't... _

_ You can't leave them,_ Sana interjected. _Can you?_

_Can't leave them. _He seized that thought, focused on it to the exclusion of all else, poured all of his concentration into it. _I can't ditch those guys. Not after everything they've done for me. I can't run away again. Not this time. If they _are_ in trouble... then I _have _to go help them. No matter what I have to risk to do it._

_Good_, Sana told him after a moment, seeming to smile. _I'm glad._

_Everybody needs something to believe in_, he thought, drawing upon the Breath of Sands even more as he stood up. He knew he was pushing it; too much, and he'd be risking actual death instead of only the deathlike state the Breath simulated. It was the only way to calm the shakes and the panic, though, and there simply wasn't time for any of that now. "Yeah, okay, I'm gonna go see what's keeping them. Figures that I take my eyes off them for one day, and they start screwing everything up."

"Always the way, Stan," another soldier joked, and they all laughed again. "Just watch out for General Shupukay. It won't be pretty if she runs into you."

"Shupukay?" Sten asked casually, playing dumb. In his mind, though, just hearing her name again brought back a flood of memory, like it had with Gane.

_He stood atop the hill, watching the slaughter without a word, his face calm and cold. They'd won the battle that day, and with it, the war; the rest would simply be cleanup. As soon as the men were done here, he'd sent them out to hunt down survivors; once all of the enemy in the hastily-built fortress were dead, there was no point in wasting trained soldiers on work that could be left to conscripts. _

_ When his instincts screamed at him, he didn't panic, simply whirling around with a knife in his hand. The woman attempting to stab him in the back was still too slow, just as she had been every time before, and her reach was shorter than his own. Before she could realize he was counterattacking, he'd cut her arm and shoved it away, and she had to stumble back, her sneak attack ruined. _

_ "Damn," Shupukay hissed, eyes pulsing with hate, though her smile was rueful. "Got me again, General." _

_ "You always strike too soon," Sten explained, sheathing his knife again. "A knife is no good if you're not close enough to use it to its fullest capability. You were the one who wanted me to teach you how to fight with them, Major. Don't come crying to me if you get scratched up." _

_ "I wasn't _crying_, General," Shupukay assured him, voice low. Stepping up next to him, she surveyed the carnage. "Looks like you've won it again." _

_ "The idiots thought our first strike was a diversion." Sten scoffed. "Damn lizards always think they're savvier than anybody else. By the time they figured out the diversion came _second_, it was already all over." _

_ "You didn't use my suggestion, then," Shupukay murmured, turning her head to glance at him. "And after I put so much time into it." _

_ "It would have worked, I'll admit," Sten conceded. "But it would have gotten twice as many of our boys killed." _

_ "So?" Shupukay scoffed. "You sound like Colonel Turbo. They're _supposed_ to die in the service of our country, General. That's what grunts are _for_. Next you're going to start telling me water isn't supposed to be wet." _

_ "We lost plenty down there already, Major," Sten told her, raising an eyebrow. "There's more than enough gore around to get you off." _

_ "I thought that's what I had you for?" Shupukay smirked again before turning back to the slaughter. Despite their jokes, there was something even more than lust in her constantly shifting eyes as she watched the carnage; it was reverential, almost religious. "I see you _are_ taking my advice over the Colonel's when it comes to surrender, though."_

_"Turbo's too soft-hearted sometimes," Sten agreed. "These Kimoto scum only understand one thing. I don't want this happening again, and that means making today's lesson a very clear one."_

_ "They die," Shupukay murmured. It wasn't a question. _

_ "They die." Sten nodded grimly. "Every last one of them. The wounded, the crippled, the elderly and the young. Nobody walks away from this on their side. Maybe then, they'll actually learn. And even if they don't, it'll make them afraid. Either way, at least we'll be able to go a few years without those lizards doing what they did to this village again." He'd have said that any qualms he'd held had been banished once he saw what the Kimoto had done to the Highlander villagers, but that would have been a lie; he'd been planning to end it this way before he'd even arrived on the field. _

_ "And people tell me that _I'm _scary." Shupukay's eyes danced with hate as she looked into his, but it was a passionate hate, one so fierce it wrapped around into something else again when they were alone. "You really do think the ends justify the means, don't you?" _

_ "If there's a hell, I'm going to it." Sten shrugged. "But a lot of other people won't. Come on, let's go back to camp. We've got a few hours more to catch up on our sleep before we'll need to give some more orders." _

_ "Sleep, is it?" Shupukay rested a hand on his shoulder lightly, as deathly cold to the touch with the Breath of Sands as always; as far as he knew, she'd never once relaxed it, even when sleeping. "Is that what you wanted to do with our time?" _

_ "Well." Sten had to smile as well. "Mostly sleep." _

"A female general," Bors explained darkly, as the others all sobered as well. The real world fell in around Sten once more; his memories had passed in the blink of an eye. "She blasted her way to the top ranks faster than anybody in the history of Highland. Jumped two ranks straight to Colonel right after she won the Battle of Goonheim, and once that happened, there was no stopping her."  
"She what?" Sten blurted, then quickly recovered. _I sent her away so she _wouldn't _do that! _"Way I heard it, it was some guy named Turbo." Again the fog of memory threatened to trickle in, but this time he held it back; he didn't have time for that shit.

"Colonel Turbo?" Bors shook his head. "Nah, man. It was Shupukay. She's a genius, I'll give her that much, but..." He shivered. "Something about her just gives everybody the creeps. Nobody's ever been able to prove anything, but a lot of people think she actually tries to get as many of our boys killed as she can without losing a battle."

"Sounds like a pretty sick customer," Sten replied, and meant it more than they could ever know. "I'll watch my ass. Thanks."

_But you and her were..._ Sana murmured in his mind. _Why? _

_Reasons_, Sten thought shortly as he went back upstairs. _Political reasons, and personal ones. Sorry, but I don't like thinking about it. _Gane was still standing guard, and he glanced up sharply as Sten emerged from the stairwell. "Hey, Gane. My buddies come back yet?"

"Not yet," Gane said quietly. "You worried too, Ge... Sten?"

"Yeah," Sten agreed, fighting to keep from falling back into old habits of command. "Listen, I'm gonna go check up on them. If anybody asks..."

"You were never here." Gane nodded. "I remember. I might not be the smartest soldier, but I can follow orders, Sten."

"You always could," Sten conceded. "Good man." _That's the problem with this Clan. Too many of them aren't too bright, but they know how to follow orders, even if they're..._ He cut that thought off viciously as he kept walking past Gane. _No. Stop. Shut up. It's not my business any more. I gave up any right to that when I deserted._ The little alcove down the hall still held the polished, gleaming black Statue of Ladon; idly, he wondered if his friends had seen it when they'd walked past. He would have stopped to ask the old man if he knew anything, but he couldn't with Gane there; he was fairly sure seeing his old CO talk to a statue would cross the line, even for Gane.

_Sten?_ Sana asked quietly. _Is there... anything I can do?_

_Heh._ Sten chuckled mentally, but it was to hide his shock; he hadn't really realized just how badly this was getting to her until she'd said that. She wasn't the kind of girl who _ever_ talked like that. _Just stay with me, okay? I don't want to get heavy on you-we agreed to keep this casual for a reason-but just this once... I don't think I could do this alone._

_I will,_ Sana promised. _Don't worry about it. I'm not the kind of girl who reads too much into this. Can I ask what was with that statue of Ladon, though? It wasn't like most of them. It was still kept in good condition. I've only seen one like that before in my life, when my granny took me on a trip to see it as a kid. _

_My Clan still worships the Dragon God._ He stepped out onto the first bridge, fighting a surge of nostalgia; he'd been five the first time he walked onto this bridge, and he still remembered what it was like to look down, down, all the way to the ocean below. _Like yours, right? It's one of our best-kept secrets._ _We do so much work for the Church of St. Eva that we can't let it get out. If anybody asks, we just say we're not really religious people. _He chuckled. _Like _that's_ going to happen with an entire Clan of soldiers. I was raised on Ladon's teachings, and I believed, up until Goonheim. _

_ He talks to you, now, though, doesn't he?_ Sana asked, sounding wistful. _You and the rest of your team. I used to wish he'd speak to me, actually say something, just once, when I was young. I always thought the Fusion Clan were the only ones left in the world who followed Ladon. What was it like, the first time he did? _

_The first time?_ Sten chuckled bitterly. _The first time, I was a wandering bum sleeping in a gutter in a town in Windia because my traveling entertainer act had won me enough zenny for ale, but nothing more. When that statue started talking to me, Sana, I just thought I'd finally snapped. Didn't really come as a surprise._

"Hey, look at that!" A man suddenly called down from high above him, mocking and sardonic, and Sten froze. "There's some guy down there who looks just like my old war buddy, Sten Legacy! Who'd have figured, huh? Small world, right, pal?"

"Turbo?" Sten whispered, staring upwards, as memories poured in once more.

"Ooooooh, _Turbo._" The Highlander standing atop the lowest tower sneered, leaning over the rail to stare down at him. He was golden-furred, shaggier than Sten, wearing baggy purple pants and a red coat open over a white shirt, with his nunchaku hanging from his belt as always. His face was strong, but not handsome, though his short beard helped a little. What caught Sten's attention, though, was that his brown eyes held a savage, burning rage that hadn't been there when they were both young. Turbo had changed, and not for the better.

_"Ah, Colonel." Sten looked up from the map on the table as his number two man stormed into the tent. "I'd like to have your opinion on a matter of-" He broke off as Turbo nailed him across the jaw with a contemptuous punch, and the guards in the tent all drew their weapons. _

_ "Don't even try it, monkeys," Turbo snapped, scowling down at Sten. "Or else I'll ram every last one of those right up your asses." _

_ "Stand down, boys." Sten waved, and they backed off, some more reluctantly than others. "Colonel Turbo has a special dispensation when it comes to insubordination, as I'm sure you all recall." Pushing himself back up, he glanced at Turbo, amused. "All right, out with it. What did I do _this _time?"_

_"You gave orders to have Colonel Kemmler _crucified_, that's what!" Turbo snarled. "What's wrong with you?" _

_ "Does the word 'treason' mean anything to you?" Sten drawled, unconcerned. "Kemmler sold troop information to his wife's brother in Prima so they could bargain us down further, Turbo. Are you telling me I _shouldn't_ make an example of him?" _

_ "I didn't say that." Turbo shook his head, sitting down across the table from him. "Of course Kemmler has to die. That's inarguable. But _crucifying_ him? That's going too far, and you know it, Sten." _

_ "It's called making an example for a reason, Turbo," Sten explained patiently. "The _point_ is to discourage anybody else from following Kemmler's example. If there's a better way to do that than crucifixion, I'd like to hear it." _

_ "You could always ask Major Shupukay," Turbo said quietly. "I'm sure she'd be able to come up with something." _

_ They remained silent for a moment, staring each other down, before Sten deflated with a heavy sigh. _

_ "Dammit, Turbo," he muttered, staring at his feet. "It's not like that." _

_ "Oh, it's not?" Turbo asked derisively. "No, no, I don't want details. That's between you and her, and better you than me, buddy, no matter how hot she is. What I'm worried about is that she'll rub off on you. Being practical is one thing; somebody's gotta do it, and you were always the best in our class at that. But crucifixion, Sten? That's going too far, and you know it. Kemmler might have sold us out, but he served the country loyally for thirty years until he did. He doesn't deserve to die like that. If you're going to kill him, do it clean." _

_ "This isn't about me, Turbo," Sten said quietly. "It's about what's best for Highland. Right and wrong come second to that." _

_ "Then take it before the princess," Turbo told him. "And let_ her _decide what's best for Highland. And for you." _

_ Sten's head snapped up again, and he narrowed his eyes, meeting Turbo's. His old friend stared back, unafraid, and they remained like that for the better part of a minute before Sten glanced away a second time. _

_ "That won't be necessary," he said flatly. "All right, Turbo. You win. Kemmler's head comes off tomorrow at dawn. I'll hold the ax myself." _

_ "Sten, that's not-" Turbo started to say. _

_ "Dammit, Turbo," Sten snarled, looking at him again. "I said you _won_. If I'm going to kill him, I should damn well be able to do it with my own hands." _

_ "It's not that," Turbo assured him. "It's just... remember what happened the _last_ time you tried using an ax? Not your best weapon, Sten." _

_ They both dwelt on that for a moment, before Sten started to laugh, and after a moment, Turbo did too. _

_ "All right, all right," Sten gave in after the laughter had died down. "You do it." _

_ "Sir, yes sir." Turbo smiled. "Now then, what did you want to talk to me about?" _

_ "Our next field assignment." Sten gestured at the map. "Over in northern Carmen. Place called Goonheim." _

"Oooh, Mister Turbo, _ooooh,_" Turbo continued to taunt, the memory snapping away. "Well, well, will you look at that. It _is_ my old buddy Sten!" In an instant, his mocking tone vanished. "What the _hell_ do you _mean_, 'Turbo?' Huh? Is that all you've got to say for yourself, _deserter? _'Turbo, Turbo!' Like a little lost schoolgirl who misses her big brother! You're pathetic!"

"Turbo, I..." Sten held up his hands, but that only enraged the other man more.

"Stop saying my name, dammit!" Turbo roared. "You stinking piece of shit, where do you get off, coming back here after what you did? No, wait, let me guess, 'you're sorry,' right? Well? Am I? Huh?"

"I..." Sten stammered, mind frozen. "I..."

"I knew it!" Turbo screamed, growing even angrier, if possible. "I knew that was what you were going to say, you _monkey!_ Did you really think that cheap dye job would keep me from recognizing you? Or did you plan to just sneak in and out without ever getting up the balls to face me down? You don't even _care_ about how this place has gone to hell without you! I'm going to take every single drop of blood out of your hide!"

"Wait, Turbo!" Sten yelled. "Not now! I've got-"

"Enough of your bullshit!" Turbo drew his nunchaku, flourishing them once before leaping from the top of the tower. "Time to pay the piper, General Sten Legacy!" Flipping as he fell, he landed on the bridge without flinching, and immediately charged low to the ground, whipping his nunchaku out at Sten's legs.

_He's gone berserk!_ Sana told him. _You'll have to take him down to get him to stop, or else he'll kill you!_

"Shit!" Sten snarled, diving forward into a flip of his own as he drew his knives. It was with his feet that he struck, though, laying a double kick into Turbo's face. He knew this was going to be ugly; he was at a severe disadvantage, fighting only to injure against an enemy intent on taking his life. As Turbo fell back, he pulled his nunchaku in and up, knocking Sten away from him before he could use his knives. Sten tumbled to the side, only barely managing to keep from going over the edge, and sidestepped away as Turbo lashed out with a sweep kick.

They were on opposite sides of the bridge from where they'd started now, and for a moment, Sten was tempted to just turn and bolt further into Highfort. He knew that would be folly, though; if Turbo didn't kill him from behind, he'd call for guards to clap him in irons. Instead, he turned and swiped at Turbo's ankles with a knife, even as he dove to the side again to avoid the nunchaku coming down on his head. It caught his shoulder, though, slamming him to the floor, and before he could rise Turbo lashed out again, cracking ribs and sending him skittering over the side of the bridge.

Only quick thinking saved Sten from falling to his death. Gritting his teeth, he cast the Bomb spell at a point below him, and the force of the atmospheric explosion blew him back through the air. Stunned, Turbo froze for an instant, and Sten took the opportunity to throw a knife as he flew through the air, piercing Turbo just below the shoulder. Hissing, the blonde Highlander fell back, clutching the wound, and Sten landed with a grunt before scrambling back to his feet.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're so pissed off at me," he said quietly, carefully watching Turbo for any signs of attacking again. "All things considered, can't really say I blame you, either."

"Of course I'm pissed off, you bastard!" Turbo snarled. "But you don't even get that, do you? Desertion is one thing, but... dammit, Sten, all this time, we all thought you were dead!" Something flickered in his eyes, and he relaxed slightly, looking away. "The last time I saw you alive was when you led the 21st into the fray, and then..."

"I know." Sten shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"It was a suicide charge," Turbo murmured, staring over the side of the bridge now, and in a flash of insight, Sten suddenly realized he wasn't the only one who'd carried the ghosts of Goonheim in his head ever since. "Everybody knew it. There was no way you'd be able to get through. Only time me and Shupukay ever agreed on anything. But you wouldn't listen, you went on and did it, and now..." He gritted his teeth. "Now, you tell me you were planning to desert? You threw away everybody in the 21st's lives just so you could get out?"

"_No,_" Sten hissed, rage filling his mind as he remembered how they'd died. "Say that again and I'll gut you like a fish, Turbo. No, I never planned on running away. I was just an idiot, who made a stupid call, and my men paid for it."

"So your plan was to die a hero?" Turbo growled. "Was that it? That's just as bad as running away!"

"I know, I know." Sten hung his head. "That's all I've been doing ever since that day, Turbo. Running away. That's why I couldn't come back. I couldn't face you."

"I don't care about _me_, you stupid shit!" Turbo turned back to him, rage growing again. "What I'll never forgive you for is leaving the Princess like that! You _knew_ what would happen here, without you around!"

"I heard," Sten admitted. "They say Shupukay's running the show these days. I thought you would be able to..." He shook his head. "Listen, Turbo. There's people in there. Friends of mine. I think they're in trouble. If you want me to answer for what I did, I will. I'll come back and face a trial. But I need to get those guys out, first. I can't leave them, Turbo. It's the first time I've ever come back for anybody, ever since that day."

"And I'm supposed to be impressed by that?" Turbo roared. "That the man the Princess fell in love with is such a spineless monkey? You're worthless, Sten Legacy! If you want to save your friends, save your own ass first!"

"No, wait!" Sten started to yell as Turbo raised his hands and began to chant, but it was too late. The blonde Highlander had been even more specialized in magic as Sten; there was only one offensive element he'd ever been ever to master. Earth. "Don't! You idiot, what do you think you're doing? You'll kill us both!"

"Let's go!" Turbo said as the bridge began shaking uncontrollably. "If you want me out of your way, show me you're still you! Prove you're not just a worthless piece of shit! From here, it's a good minute before we'll hit the water! If you want to survive that landing, you'd better take me out first, Sten!"

With a horrible grinding of stone, both ends of the bridge broke off, and it fell into the void, bearing Sten and Turbo with it.

"Fine," Sten hissed, giving in to his old instincts and mindset at last. "You brought this on yourself, Turbo. I tried." He brought his hands up and began to speak the words of magic himself, of a spell he'd never been able to master back when he was a general.

"Too little, too late!" Turbo crowed, running forward again, nunchaku whirling. Straight into the pyramid of flames that Sten called up around him. Screaming, fur blazing, he rolled on the ground as Sten dove for him, and struck him sharply behind the ear with the hilt of his dagger. Even then, he still groaned and struggled, until a second blow finally knocked him out.

"Shit," Sten growled, staring over the edge; as Turbo had said, they were far enough up that they wouldn't hit the water for some time. Even so, it would likely be fatal to somebody as busted up as Turbo was, unless he did something about it.

_Do you have a plan?_ Sana asked as he moved Turbo so that he was lying flat on his face. _You've got a plan, right?_

"Yeah, I've got a plan," Sten muttered, walking back away from his old friend to stand at the other end of the bridge. "It's a godawful plan, but it's the best I can come up with." He waited, as the water grew closer, and then at the last instant, cast another Bomb spell, this time _below_ the falling bridge. With luck, the concussion would provide enough force to nullify some of the inertia of their fall, enough that Turbo would live.

Unfortunately, he failed to account for the slight wooziness caused by his own injuries. His aim was off, more towards Turbo's side of the bridge than his own, and as a result that end snapped up like a seesaw, catapulting Turbo through the air. Where he landed, Sten didn't see, on account of what happened to _his_ end of the bridge. Slamming downward, it shot him into the depths of the ocean like an arrow from a bow.

_Yup_, he thought as he swam for the surface. _Definitely_ _a bad plan._ Reaching it, he burst from the water, gasping for air, and immediately looked for Turbo. His friend had washed ashore at the base of the southeast tower; swimming over, Sten checked him and sighed gratefully; somehow, he'd survived. "Guy always did have me when it came to durability."

_He needs medical help, though,_ Sana murmured. _And there's no white mages around._

"No, but there is a medical _station_," Sten recalled, opening up the old, rarely used door at the base of the tower. "Here we go!" A Spring of Life was inside, its magical waters filled with healing energy. Set in an alcove, it had a thin rim keeping it from spilling across the floor, and the carved head of Ladon set in the wall above and beyond as a fountainhead; how it didn't overflow was a mystery, as there was no drain. The fountains had once been common across the world, apparently, but now only a few remained, and Highfort contained several at opportune places.

Dragging Turbo inside, Sten forced him to drink until he could no longer see any injuries, then set him flat on the floor. Sitting down in a corner, he watched him until his head began to nod with exhaustion.

"Good evening, Sten," a familiar, old man's voice said quietly, and he blinked, turning his head to stare sleepily at an alcove where a well-kept statue stood. As always, despite the carved, immobile features on the hunk of rock, Sten had the feeling that it was somehow looking at him. "Looks like it's been one of those days."  
"Understatement of the century, chief," Sten said dryly. For a moment, he considered asking Sana if she could hear Ladon as well when she was fused with him, but decided not to. If she wanted any part in the conversation, she'd speak up, and if she didn't, she wouldn't. "And somehow, I get the feeling tomorrow's gonna be just as bad."

"I wouldn't put any zenny on an upturn in fortune any time soon," Ladon agreed. "Even if I had any. On the other hand, if you accept ghost money..."

"Nice try." Sten chuckled, wondering for the third or fourth time about his pet theory when it came to the Dragon God. Even when he was talking to all of them together, it had seemed like everybody heard slightly different words, which had caused Sten to wonder if everybody percieved Ladon's speech in a manner that reflected their own personality. "Don't suppose you could give me any hints about what's going on here?"

"I'm not supposed to say anything," Ladon hedged after a moment. "Not about this place, or the people within it."

"How about Ryu and the others?" Sten spotted the hole he'd left. "Are they going to be okay until tomorrow?"

"They are in dire circumstances, but not immediately life-threatening ones," Ladon admitted slowly, as if carefully considering each word. "There is no absolute need for haste at the moment. I take it that you will be waiting until your old friend regains consciousness before you leave this room, then?"

"Yeah." Sten narrowed his eyes. "If I'm going to stop running away, stop abandoning anybody... Turbo still counts, just as much as they do. Once he's back up, I'll try talking to him one more time, and then... one way or the other, I'm gonna go find the guys."

"Very well," Ladon said approvingly. "Good luck, and watch your back. Not all is as it seems to be, and it has not been for a very long time."

Sten knew better than to ask about _that, _so he simply fell silent, watching Turbo once more. He stayed awake for as long as he could, but eventually his exhaustion simply overtook him, and he slipped away into the darkness.

* * *

"All right, get in there!" The leader of the Highlander guards barked, opening the cell door to reveal a filthy stone cube, the back wall lined with bunks and a disgusting toilet. "And don't get any funny ideas! Women in the next one over!"

"Do it," Ryu agreed quietly, prompting frowns from several of the group, but they all walked in obediently; the hall behind them was still filled side to side with crossbow-bearing troops. The cell was about twenty feet square, and there was room for all four of them; Spar had remained behind with Katt and Nina.

"Excuse me, sir," the Grass Man said politely. "I am neither male nor female. Which cell would you prefer that I occupy?"

"Shaddup!" The guard barked. "If I wanted questions I'd ask for 'em, flower. We know about your kind. You're with the girls. Look girly enough to me, anyways." He opened the next cell, and Spar walked in obediently, as calm as ever. Nina and Katt followed it in a moment later, the later grumbling under her breath. Once they were inside, the guard locked the doors, and the Highlanders all marched off without another word.

"What gives, Ryu?" Katt asked once they were gone. "That asshole was wide open! We could have taken him hostage, easily, and then..."

"They'd have shot him along with us," Bow cut her off flatly, walking over to flop down on a bunk and lay on his back, arms folded under his head. "You could tell, just looking at 'em. They'd do it in a heartbeat, if the alternative was failing Shupukay, and that captain would have wanted them to." He glanced over at Ryu. "Demon, buddy?"

"Oh, yeah." Ryu nodded grimly. "_Way_ demon. Probably even another Demon Lord. Elder Martha must have missed her because she's been digging in here for what sounds like the better part of the last decade. We're in it deep this time, folks."

"I can see that," Nina said, sounding disgusted; presumably, the toilet in their cell was as horrendous as that in the males'. "I always used to wonder what being jailed would actually be like. Now I wish I hadn't."

"Don't worry, I'll get us out of here," Katt assured her. "These chumps didn't know what they were dealing with." A moment passed, and then another, as she began to grunt irritably. "All right, what the hell is this?"

"Trying to pull the bars out?" Rand guessed, tapping a finger on one of theirs. "Nice idea, but it's not gonna work. Looks like these are Guntz steel. The Builder Clan use the Breath of Metal to forge it. Even your Breath of Spirit won't be able to budge them."

"Well, _that's_ bullshit," she groused. "Think I'd be able to punch a hole through these walls, then?"

"Not without alerting the guards," Spar told her. "They might not be right outside here, but I'm sure they'd hear that."

"Everybody in the entire cell block can probably hear you assholes," a female voice growled from the cell across the hall. She'd been sleeping on the bunk under a blanket; raising her head, she blinked lazily. "Shut up, will you? How's a girl supposed to get any sleep with you... raising... such... a..." She trailed off, eyes widening in recognition. "Oh, you've got to be _kidding _me!"

"Oh, _hell_ no." Bow's head snapped forward to stare in disbelief, as did everybody else's except for Spar. "Not _you_ again. That's _just_ what my day needed."

"I take it you are acquainted?" The Grass Man asked, sounding curious.

"That's one way of putting it," Patty Smith, the self-declared "phantom thief," snarked as she swung her legs off the side of her bunk, discarding the blanket. A blue-haired, pale-skinned girl in her mid-teens, she didn't really fill her out her red leather leotard that well; combined with too much makeup, it made her look like she was trying too hard. Her skills as a thief were no joke, though; she'd been responsible for framing Bow, and had led them a merry chase across half the world before they'd finally caught her, and eventually helped her escape again in the end. "I can think of a few others that come to mind."

"Ah, you are too kind, _mademoiselle_," Jean told her blithely. "I must confess a certain curiosity as to the circumstances behind your presence here, however."

"I was trying to swipe something out of here, of course." Patty rolled her eyes, stretching the large, black bat-like wings on her back. Whatever her Clan was, none of them recognized it, and it would have been rude to ask. "Duh. What about you guys? Can't say I expected to run into _you_, of all people, here."

"If it was the famous flute, we're going to have trouble," Nina told her lightly. "Since that's what we're here for."

"What, the magic hood wasn't enough for you?" Patty scoffed. "I've got no interest in that thing. Go ahead and keep it, if you can get out of here. Maybe if you're nice to me, once I figure a way out, I'll open your cells too."

"Listen, you..." Bow started to growl, but stopped as Ryu held up a hand.

"We'd appreciate that," he said levelly, meeting Patty's eyes, the same shade of green as his own. "Seeing as how the Highlanders seem to have a little demon problem. Didn't know about it when we came in, but now that we do..."

"You don't say." All trace of mockery fled from Patty's voice, as if she'd simply turned off a switch in her head labeled "sarcasm." "Another demon, huh? Highly placed?"

"One of their generals," Rand grunted. "Apparently the one who's running the show around here these days. Figures, huh?"

"No kidding." Patty flopped back onto her bunk. "Well, shit. That changes things. What are you going to do about it? I didn't know you were trying to get into this whole demonslaying business full time."

"We're not," Ryu said firmly. "But we _are_ being paid for something that's going to require us borrowing that flute. If a demon happens to get in the way of that..." He shrugged theatrically. "Whoops." Despite his flippancy, he still felt a chill when he thought about it. Demons were one thing, but a Demon Lord was an order of magnitude far beyond the likes of M.C. Tusk. Even thinking about Kuwadora was all it took to remind himself that their best bet was to steal the flute, get out, and deal with Shupukay later, preferably with a meteor strike.

"I like 'whoops,'" Patty mused thoughtfully. "All right. This demon would probably get in the way of the files I'm after, too, so if you get me out of here when you make your break for it, I'll help you out."

"Who says we _want_ your help?" Katt muttered. Everybody ignored her.

"I thought you claimed that you were going to escape, and open our cell as well," Spar pointed out. "You said so yourself."

"Yeah, well..." Patty shifted uncertainly. "I was kind of bluffing. They found all my lockpicks, even the hairpins, and took them off of me. I was just planning on waiting for my backup to come looking for me until you showed up."

Everybody shared a facepalm, even Jean; though Ryu couldn't see the girls' cell, he was pretty sure he heard three hands meeting heads from in there as well.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Patty groused. "But you've got a plan, don't you? One of your guys isn't in there with you. The Highlander. Sten, right? I'm guessing he's going to bust you out of here pretty soon?"

"Let's hope so," Nina murmured. "Sometimes Sten can be a bit... well..."

"He'll come," Ryu told her firmly. "Sten's erratic, but when the chips are down, we can count on him. He'll bail us out. I'd bet a hundred grand on it."

"Might want to get some sleep until then, then," Patty suggested, pulling the blanket back over her. "That way you'll be rested up for the action once it's go time."

"I hate to admit it, but she's got a point," Rand admitted, hurling himself onto his bunk and shaking the cell.

"Yeah, she does." Ryu nodded. "All right, people, take five. We've got nothing better to do until Sten comes along anyways." Climbing onto his own bunk, he pulled the moth-eaten blanket up to his shoulders and drifted off.

* * *

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

_The sky was a sick yellow from the smoke; there'd been more than enough fires over the past few days to taint the clouds. The summer drought had dried the fields, and the Ogre Clansmen of Goonheim hadn't hesitated to take advantage of that, releasing oceans of flames that had taken a massive toll on the Highlander mercenaries before they'd even reached Fog Valley. Things had only gone downhill from there. Outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and on the wrong side of the fortifications, the three divisions of mercenaries were being slaughtered. _

_ They were running out of food fast, and water faster; by this point, everybody was on absolutely minimal rations of the latter, and they wouldn't be able to live for long that way, even if the enemy didn't kill them first. The Ogres had every advantage, and they knew it; periodically, they would come creeping down out of the ever-present mists that gave the valley its name and tear off a piece of the mercenaries before slipping away once more. There was nothing they could do about it; attempting to chase them down in that place was suicide, and they had no chance at all of breaching Goonheim. _

_ "Shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay!" The Major snarled, quick and measured, as she always did when agitated. "I still say our only hope is to throw everything we have at them! Those pigs are cowards at heart. If we can just bring the front gate down, all the fight will go out of them!" She, Sten and Turbo were all in the General's tent, sitting at a table with the map of the battlefield on it, a depressing sight. No matter how one looked at it, they were definitely in a losing situation at the moment. _

_ "If you want to die, Major, go right ahead," Turbo snarled, putting his hands on the table and leaning forward. "Save some time and just go for a walk. It'll be faster. The rest of us will work on a plan that actually involves living to see tomorrow." _

_ "I didn't mean do it _ourselves_, Colonel," Shupukay retorted, leaning back in her own chair and smirking, arms folded. "We have grunts for a reason, you know. If we're as doomed as you seem to think we are, we might as well get _some_ use out of them while we can, don't you think?" _

_ "That does it!" Turbo roared. "I'm gonna-" _

_ "Both of you, settle down and shut up," Sten said, quiet and calm, but they both listened, turning to look at him. He was slouching, toying idly with one of his daggers, as he thought. "You're _both _wrong. A total offensive will kill us all, but staying on the defensive like this isn't going to get us out of this alive either. Retreat isn't an option; in this hellhole, we'd never make it out before they hit us from behind and wiped us out." _

_ "We could _feign_ a retreat," Shupukay suggested grudgingly. "Lure them out of the walls, then turn around and rip them apart. Fighting the Ogres in the open, one-on-one, we win. Our boys are better than they are. It's all the other factors that've been losing this fight for us." _

_ "I hate to say this, but you might be onto something there," Turbo agreed, sounding like he was agreeing to a year of latrine duty. "If me and the boys set some surprises for them all around here, and leave more in our wake..." Turbo's 13__th__ Division specialized in demolitions, and while they weren't much good by themselves in open combat, when supporting another division they were the stuff of nightmares. Normally. At Goonheim, they'd been caught _in _the nightmare themselves, just like all of the other Highlanders. _

_ "Incoming!" A guard outside screamed, and all three of them dived for the floor, not a moment too soon; one of the hideous bladed bolas the Ogres used whipped through the tent at head height, tearing through the canvas on both sides. Swearing sulfurously, Turbo jumped back to his feet and dived out through the new window, and the sounds of brutal hand-to-hand combat filled the air joined the screams of the dying. _

_ "Let's go," Shupukay hissed, rising as well, and Sten did too, both of them drawing their knives. Glancing out the tent's entryway, they saw an Ogre running past, ax held overhead as he bellowed a battlecry. As he ran by, Sten stabbed him in the neck and hauled him into the tent with one long arm, and the two of them finished him off, grim and practical; even a fatal injury might take several minutes to kill an Ogre if you weren't thorough. _

_ By the time they were done, the violence had died down; it had apparently only been a skirmish. Throwing the corpse back outside, Sten and Shupukay sat back down and waited for Turbo to return, knowing that he would bring a report of how it had gone when he did. Dust seemed to catch in Sten's throat, but he resisted the temptation to have a drink of water; they needed to ration every single drop they could. Tauntingly, the mists that kept them locked in a sightless hell refused to condense; everybody was sweating like a pig, but that was the only moisture to be found. _

_ "Twelve more dead," Turbo growled as he walked in, a few minutes after the attack had ended. "Fifteen more injured. We got five of theirs." _

_ "If they keep this up at their current rate, by the end of the week, we won't have enough men to do anything but die," Shupukay said firmly. "We need to do _something_, now. If we feign a retreat, then maybe..." _

_ "No." Sten shook his head, leaning over the map. "That attack came from the southeast, didn't it?" _

_ "Yeah." Turbo blinked. "So?" _

_ "So, Goonheim is _north_ of us," Sten explained grimly. "All these recent attacks have been coming from the southeast and southwest. They have even more than we thought. As soon as we made camp, they sent troops down to cut us off. If we break for the south, they'll ambush us and tear us to shreds." _

_ "Then we're out of options," Turbo said, putting his head in his hands. _

_ "No, we're not." Shupukay narrowed her constantly moving eyes. "There's still my plan." _

_ "I've got a better one." Sten's thoughts raced as he stared down at the map. "Your plan... they'll expect that, too. It's our only viable option aside from a retreat, at this point. They'll be prepared for that, too. But if we fake them out... have one of our three Divisions charge into the fray... the other two might be able to get over the wall if they attack from a different angle." He jabbed a finger down at the map. "Here. The east side. It's right up against the eastern cliffs. The 21__st__ will charge the gates, and then we'll take the 13__th__ and the 17__th__ up the cliff to the top while the enemy are distracted." _

_ "And then we come down on their stinking heads like a thunderstorm." Turbo slowly nodded. "It's risky. Risky as hell. But it _might_ work. And that's the best we can hope for." _

_ "Indeed," Shupukay murmured. "I agree as well." _

_ "Glad to hear it," Sten said dryly. "Well then, you have the command until I get back, Colonel. Keep them alive." _

_ "Until you..." Turbo blinked. "Wait. You're going out there?" _

_ "Ridiculous!" Shupukay blurted. "Did you take a head injury?" _

_ "Weren't you listening?" Sten gave them an exhausted, bitter smile. "One of our divisions is going to have to sacrifice itself to keep the other two alive. I can't ask the 21__st__ to throw away their lives like that unless I'm willing to do it with them." _

_ For the first time, Turbo and Shupukay exchanged a glance of agreement. _

_ "That's not how it goes, Sten," Turbo said quietly. "Generals don't do that." _

_ "No, they don't," Shupukay agreed. _

_ "Maybe they should." Sten walked past him. "I'm not you, Shupukay. If I have to sentence my entire division to death in order to win, I'll do it. But I'm going with them." _

_ "Then _I'll_ go with _you_." She stood up, eyes burning. "I'm not letting anybody kill you except me, Sten Legacy." _

_ "Oh, stop." He rolled his eyes. "It's just the three of us here. You don't need to give either of us that melodramatic bullshit. We know better." _

_ "What will you have me do, then?" She asked, apparent emotional outburst fading in an instant. "Stay here and support Turbo?" _

_ "Oh, hell no," Turbo growled. "I don't need any 'support' from _you, _thanks." _

_ "Don't worry, muscles, you're not my type." She sneered. _

_ "Stop." Sten held up a hand. "You're going back to Highfort. If we lose, somebody's going to have to tell the rest of our people how this all went down. You're it. Get one of the battlemages to Warp you back there." _

_ Shupukay stared at him for a long moment, and he stared back, waiting for her to go for her knives. In the end, though, she simply saluted and walked out without a word. _

_ "Sten, listen," Turbo started to say. _

_ "Go." Sten held a hand up. "We've said all that needs to be said, Colonel. I have my duty, and you have yours. Carry it out." He followed Shupukay out of the tent, and walked north, towards his division, and his probable death. _

_ And for the first time, Sten Legacy actually considered the knowledge that he was about to die, and realized that he was afraid to. _

Sten hit the water, thrown into it, and sank into the fountain as the shock broke him out of his dream in an instant. Coughing and sputtering, Sten rose to the surface, spewing the Water of Life all over himself, not that it made much difference considering he was already completely soaked. Clutching the rim of the fountain with one arm, he covered his eyes with the other; the sunrise was shining straight into them through the door of the tower.

"Idiot," Turbo muttered, standing over him; he'd apparently been the one to throw Sten in. "You force me to drink until I'm all better, but forget to take some for yourself? I must have rattled your skull better than I thought up there." The blonde Highlander was still looking grumpy, but the burning wrath of the day before had left his eyes.

"Gee, thanks, asshole," Sten sputtered, climbing out of the fountain. "You could have just made me drink some."

"Now where would the fun be in that?" Turbo drawled, sitting back down on the floor, back to a wall. "Especially since I _lost _yesterday. Damn. Where'd you learn _that_ trick? I always thought you were as shitty a mage as me."

"I am." Sten joined him. "The team I'm running with these days is a different story, though. Our Black Mage is this genius out of Auria. Wing Clan girl. Insisted she could help me learn that one, and whaddaya know, she was right." Chuckling, he directed his thoughts inward. _You still all right in there, Sana?_

_Yup,_ she confirmed. _We should talk, but that can wait. I'll stay out of this; it's not really any of my business anyways._

"Team, huh?" Turbo raised an eyebrow. "Those friends of yours? You never did tell me what you _were_ doing these days."

"Spent a lot of time living like a bum on the road." Sten sighed. "Ladon knows I probably deserved it. A few months back, though, I got scooped up by a team of mercs. I'm working as their knife man now. New group, but they've got a lot of promise. The _Dragonkin_, running out of southern Auria."

"_Dragonkin, Dragonkin_..." Turbo snapped his fingers. "That's right, we've heard a few things about that group. Some real mess over in Capitan, right? And then there was something big involving the Siman royal family."

"It's been an interesting few months," Sten conceded. "You, though... you haven't changed a bit, buddy." He chuckled. "Still as reckless as ever. Kind of surprised you didn't make it past Colonel. Still leading up those rowdies in the 13th?"

"Reckless, huh?" Turbo growled, and for a moment, his eyes burned again. "That's one way of putting it. And you... you've changed on the surface, but underneath, you're still the same old Sten Legacy." His fist shot out suddenly, slamming into the wall. "But you came home way too late! You idiot!"

"Turbo, I'm not here to..." Sten started to say, then trailed off, thinking about what he'd said. _The same old Sten Legacy underneath, huh._ After a moment, he lowered his head. "Maybe you'd better tell me about what's been happening here since I left."

"What do you think's been happening?" Turbo asked angrily, shaking his head. "Shupukay's in charge. The whole country, and all of our Clansmen... they've all been jumping to her tune ever since she made General." He glared at Sten. "And it's your fault. You're the one who sent her away from Goonheim."

"What are you talking about?" Sten frowned. "I thought you'd have been the one to win the day at Goonheim. When I heard that Highland had pulled that one off, I assumed our plan had worked. That you'd gotten through."

"Maybe we would have." Turbo scowled. "We got through, all right. It wasn't pretty, but we _might_ have been able to bring them down..." His eyes darkened. "And then Shupukay returned. Charged in from the north with another two companies that she claimed she'd stationed up there 'just in case.' We slaughtered them, and she took all the credit." He shook his head. "Dammit, Sten, I told you she'd be trouble!"

"Shit..." Sten's eyes widened. "She got me! In the end, when I sent her away... I was doing it to make sure it'd be you, not her, who rose to the top... but she was one step ahead of me the whole time! I should have known!"

"Huh?" Turbo blinked, surprised. "Wait, what? I thought the reason you sent her back was because you and her were... well, I thought you didn't want her to get killed if the fight went against us."

"You're such an idiot, Turbo." Sten sighed. "How many times did I tell you, it wasn't like that, between us?" He gazed up at the ceiling. "You think we were in love? Please. I don't think Shupukay even knows how, and I sure as hell wouldn't have fallen for somebody like her. She hated me, Turbo, and the funny thing was, she's so sick in the head, that's probably the closest she _can_ come to affection. At least there's _some_ emotional involvement."

"And you _wanted_ a girl like that?" Turbo asked, disbelievingly. "_Why?_ It can't have just been because she was hot."

"Hell no." Sten snorted. "No, I was trying to _stop_ this from happening, from the first day she told me she'd be 'grateful' if I made sure her promotion to Major went through. I knew if I didn't do something, she'd blast through the ranks, and I knew what a disaster that would be for Highland. Shupukay's a military genius, but she's completely ignorant when it comes to people. She didn't realize until it was too late that nobody takes the General's whore seriously."

"I get it." Turbo's eyes widened. "Everybody assumed that she only made it to Major because you and her were..."

"And that killed any chance she had of another promotion, right then and there." Sten nodded grimly, chuckling. "I was a real asshole back then. Me and her probably deserved each other. You were the only one out of the three of us who was a decent guy."

"No," Turbo said firmly. "You were cold... but you weren't a psychopath like her. Maybe you could make the hard calls, but you never threw away our soldiers' lives like they didn't even matter. Like dying was what they were _supposed_ to do."

"It's not much of a difference, Turbo," Sten pointed out.

"It's enough." Turbo shook his head. "If you'd been here, under Shupukay's leadership, you'd know. And the sick thing about it is, it's _working_. She gets our soldiers killed by the hundredfold, but she always wins, every single time. And her reputation for brutality... she's able to get more payment out of the people who hire us for our services than even you could. Highland's power in the world is rising, Sten, and it's all thanks to Shupukay."

"Huh." Sten frowned. "Eventually, though, we'll start running out of soldiers, though, won't we? When we do... somebody's going to have to do something about her. The general staff might be a bunch of spineless monkeys, but they won't let her drive our Clan all the way into extinction. If that looks like it's going to happen..."

_You're not serious!_ Sana exclaimed in his mind, shocked.

_I didn't say I _liked _it,_ Sten thought back. _But it's not our problem. We can't just assassinate a General of Highfort. All I'm saying is that eventually, the problem will solve itself, even if nobody else does it first. I _hope_ somebody would manage to bring her down before she kills too many other people, but even if nobody does..._

"You think Shupukay doesn't know that, too?" Turbo demanded, voice rising. "She's already looking into other options, Sten."

"Other options?" Sten asked slowly.

"Lost technology," Turbo explained. "The same lost technology that this fortress is packed full of, from top to bottom. We understand how some of it works-the elevators, the engines, the teleporters-but we've never been able to actually replicate them, and there's still a lot of it that we have no idea how to operate. Shupukay claims that the future of our people lies in mastering the lost technology, and making it our Clan's strength."

"She'll never pull it off," Sten scoffed. "Highland has been trying to figure out that technology for hundreds of years now, ever since we built this damn place out of the ruins of Obelisk. You think we'll be able to replicate the work of a freakin' _Goddess?_ We've never been able to get much further than we did right at the start."

"Shupukay's different," Turbo said flatly. "She's got a gift. And what's worse, she's talking about bringing in experts from Guntz. Builder Clansmen."

"Shit." Sten's thoughts raced. "People have suggested that before, but they never actually got it past the general staff. They weren't willing to risk revealing our secrets to another Clan. If Shupukay can float it, then maybe..." He paused. "You're not telling me everything, Turbo. What's the rest of the story?"

"Shupukay..." Turbo hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes. "This is just a hunch, and you know how bad I am at those, but... ever since she's been getting interested in the lost technology... she's been trying to get the Princess into it as well. And Shupukay's not the sort of woman who does that to make friends with somebody."

"What?" Sten shot to his feet. _Elforan? No! If she hurts her, I'll... _His thoughts paused. _Wait. I didn't have a flashback. I should have, when he mentioned her... why didn't I... no, figure that out later! _"That's ridiculous! The Princess has no actual political power. None of the royal family have, for generations. She's a symbol, a figurehead. Why would Shupukay-"  
_"Shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay!" The Major snarled, quick and measured, as she always did when agitated. _

_ "Kuwadora, Kuwadora!" The false prince of Simafort, the Demon Lord Kuwadora, growled as he entered the banquet hall on the night when everything would be settled. It seemed to be a strange verbal tic of his, to repeat that word whenever he greeted anybody, but Sten had no idea what meaning, if any, it held. _

"Oh," Sten whispered, as the zenny finally dropped, and he realized just how bad the situation was. "Oh, _hell_."

"I don't know what Shupukay's planning, but it's got to be something horrible," Turbo continued, not noticing. "The woman's a demon, Sten, and..." He paused. "Sten? What's wrong? Do you know what she's up to?"

"No, I don't." Sten shook his head, thoughts still racing. "But... you don't know how right you are. Shit! All these years, and she was..." He considered telling Turbo, but decided against it; his friend still believed in Ladon, he was sure, but suddenly claiming that Shupukay was an agent of Infinity would be too much, even for him.

_Sten?_ Sana asked. _What is it?_

_A Demon Lord,_ Sten explained. _Shupukay's a Demon Lord. She's planning to conquer Highfort, just like Kuwadora was trying to in Sima, and she's been at it for nearly a decade now. Ever since she first showed up, claiming to be from out in the sticks, and enlisted..._ He shook his head. _My head must be full of rocks. I should have figured out who the Demon Lord at Highfort was weeks ago. It's her. It was always her. This is not good._

"So, you finally realized just what she is, did you?" Turbo asked grimly, and for a moment Sten almost freaked out, before realizing Turbo had simply misunderstood what he was saying. "You're a few years too late, Sten. If the princess gets hurt because if this..."

"She won't," Sten promised. "Colonel Turbo, I'm representing the mercenary group _Dragonkin, _and we've come across some intelligence that indicates General Shupukay is acting contrary to the interests of your Clan and country. Should we be able to confirm our suspicions, would you be amenable to contracting our services in order to remove the problem, on behalf of your princess? I'll even forgo the discussion of pay until after the job's complete, just this once."

"Sten..." Turbo's eyes widened. "You mean..."

"We're shutting Shupukay down, here and now." Sten nodded sharply. "My people are in trouble. What can you tell me about that?"

"There were some intruders who Shupukay caught, before she told me you'd be coming, yesterday," Turbo recalled. "They were locked up in cell block D."

"All right, that's our first objective," Sten decided. "We'll free them, and then we'll deal with Shupukay. If you're right, we'll be able to figure out some legal precedent based on whatever she's planning with the Princess after the fact. Figurehead or not, if she's planning to endanger the Princess, that's still a count of high treason. Right now, we need to focus on taking her out, before she knows we're coming for her."

"Our second objective will be securing the Princess' life, then," Turbo corrected him, thinking quickly. "We'll never make it through to her chambers openly. All the guards stationed there are loyal to Shupukay. We'll have to take the secret passage." He narrowed his eyes. "Once we know she's safe, our third objective will be to take Shupukay out. The opposition consists of her, her loyalists, and the monsters in the lower reaches of the tower... we'll have to get through those to get to your friends."

"You still haven't cleared those out?" Sten joked half-heartedly. "Come on, man." Shaking his head, he continued. "On our side, we have you, me, and the guys. Not the best of odds... but we've both seen worse. Let's take formation P. You head up through the southeastern tower, and I'll go through the northeastern one. Once I bust the guys out, we'll rendezvous in the work area west of the Princess' chambers, and go from there."

"Roger." Turbo almost saluted him, but instead, simply held out his hand, and Sten shook it. "I'll see you there." He was about to walk away, but paused, glancing back. "Look, Sten..."

"Go," Sten told him firmly. "We don't have time. We'll talk more once the job's done." He grinned suddenly. "Just like always, right?"

"Heh." Turbo shook his head. "Yeah, just like always. Good luck." Without another word, he headed up the stairs in the corner of the room.

Sten cast a look at the statue of Ladon, nodded slightly, then left through the door and began making his way around the bridges over the water towards the northeast tower.

_What was that about monsters?_ Sana asked as he entered the tower.

_The lower levels of all the towers are infested with them,_ Sten explained, entering the door. There was no spring or statue here, simply a iron gate, barred and bolted. Undoing them, he slipped inside. _We don't inhabit those floors anyways, so we keep them there as a sort of security system that doesn't actually require manpower. It's an old joke in the army, bitching that the guys in charge haven't "exterminated" them yet._

_Will you be able to make it through by yourself?_ Sana asked.

_It'll suck, _Sten admitted. _But I think I can manage. _

As if to call him on that statement, a Death Bringer stepped around the corner. The humanoid skeleton with the lance was only a lure; it was actually being animated by the hideous blue equine monster whose back it rode on. The animal snorted, and then charged, lance lowered and aimed at his chest.

"Shit," Sten muttered, diving to the side at the last second. Scrambling on all fours, he lunged at the turning beast, and sliced into its belly with both daggers. Squealing, the monster stomped at him as the rider swiped at him with its lance, knocking him away. Skidding, Sten cast a fireball into the gaping wound, and the monster fell over, writhing in agony. A slash across its throat finished it, and the skeleton collapsed into a heap of bones.

_Pretty good,_ Sana admitted as he walked on. _Guess I should have expected it. _

_Actually, that went a little better than I thought it would,_ Sten admitted, flexing his right arm speculatively. _Those things have pretty tough hides. I didn't really expect to be able to gut it on the first try like that._

_Did you think Fusion was just for kicks?_ Sana scoffed. _You've got improved physical strength now, thanks to me, just like Jean's magic ability is kicked up a notch. It's not quite as good as that loudmouthed Woren girl's Breath of Spirit, but it'll still come in handy. _

_Hey, not bad, _Sten smirked. _Should have done this a long time ago._

_I told you that, didn't I?_ Sana purred, then grew serious. _That's not all, though. I'm... finding things out about this I didn't know before. About being in your head._ _Like being able to understand your language, when you and others talk in it. I didn't know I'd be able to do that. _

_Probably because my head's not really a normal one,_ Sten guessed. _Something's a little different about it now, though. Ever since I woke up again, I haven't been getting the flashbacks. Did... did you see those?_

_Yeah, I did,_ Sana admitted. _That's what I wanted to talk to you about. When he mentioned that princess, one was coming, and I tried... and... what I'm saying is, I think I can block them. Stop them from coming._

Sten almost tripped over his own feet, at a very bad time to do so; a Pharaoh had just floated around the corner. Spherical undead wrapped in rotting blue bandages, their only features aside from the hideous faces on their fronts were the spindly arms extending from the sides, one of which held a magic scepter.

"Double shit," the Highlander hissed, throwing another fireball with one hand and a knife in the other. Leering at him even as it went down in flames, the monster spewed a blue wind from its rotting teeth, extinguishing the flames and covering Sten in ice. Hissing in pain, he hurled himself through it onto the undead abomination, and stabbed it over and over until its writhing ceased, despite the battering he was taking from its scepter.

_Are you all right?_ Sana demanded, worried.

_Nope,_ Sten admitted, creating a third fireball before him; it wasted some of his scant magical stores, but he knew he had to warm himself up quickly, before the ice on his fur gave him frostbite. _But I had to kill that thing quickly. If it had managed to bite me, I would have been zombified, and that would have been all she wrote without somebody to cure it._ Shaking himself, he walked on, keeping the fireball floating before him. _What was that you were saying about blocking the flashbacks?_

_I don't know how, but... I think I can,_ Sana explained. _As long as I'm in here. Do you want me to keep doing that?_

_Normally, I'd say no,_ Sten replied after a moment, walking past a humming engine on the other side of a barred gate; what it did, and why it was still running, was beyond him. _I made my bed, and I should lie in it. My own fault, you know? But right now..._ He gritted his teeth. _I hate to say it, but I don't think I can afford it right now. Yeah. Until we've got this situation taken care of... keep me stable, okay?_

_All right,_ Sana agreed, before her voice turned teasing. _It's a good thing we agreed to keep this casual, or else we'd have to have a talk about our relationship once you were done here._

_Oh, Ladon._ Sten slapped his forehead, then froze as a pair of Raboolas stepped around a corner. Massive insect monsters, the bone-white beasts mostly resembled centipedes the size of horses, aside from their faces. There, below their two round, red faceted eyes, each Raboola had a humanoid skull attached to their maws. Like the Death Bringers, they scavenged those from corpses in order to incorporate death magic into their own bodies.

"Triple shit," Sten whispered, before turning and running. Behind him, he heard the Raboolas scurrying after him, and quickly ducked into a side room, one that had been unused for generations by the looks of it. Throwing himself flat against the wall, he pushed the Breath of Sands as far as it could go, dulling his breathing, his heartbeat, his body warmth, his magical aura, and everything else about him to a cold, flat emptiness barely capable of sustaining his life.

He remained there, consciousness flickering, until he was sure the Raboolas had gone past, far down the hall he'd come from. Only then did he relax, releasing the Breath of Sands, and returning to his normal state. Looking around, he realized he was in an abandoned armory; disused weapons and armor covered the walls. Most of them were too deteriorated to be much use, but there was one tiny, straight knife with a fine blade that he slipped into his wristband; it was small enough to be concealed entirely within it without being apparent.

_Hey, that looks good,_ Sana pointed out as his gaze fell upon a black cloak. _You could go for the Phantom of Highfort look._

_Very funny,_ Sten thought sardonically as he took it down, then blinked. Behind it, a white-enameled, steel crescent-moon mask was hanging. After a moment, he chuckled ruefully. _All right, fine. Who am I to argue with fate? Besides, it'll keep me from being recognized by anybody else, with luck._ Putting both on, he crept back out into the hall, and continued upward.

The next hour was markedly unpleasant. Sten continued up the tower, first through disused halls, and then across metal scaffolding as he reached places where the stonework had actually given out, and the Highlanders had simply created a minimalist way through in case of emergencies rather than going to the trouble of repairing it. The rusty metal still bore his weight, but it creaked ominously, and he found himself glad that Bow and Jean weren't with him, let alone Rand.

Thinking of them, of course, hardly helped matters. He hadn't realized just how much he'd come to rely on the company of his team in the short time he'd known them until now, when he'd been separated from them. Ryu's relaxed competence, Bow and Jean's jovial good nature, Rand and Nina's quiet reliability, Katt's cheerful excitability... he even found himself missing Niro's senile antics. He'd only known them for a few months, but they were his team, and maybe even more than that. More than anything, it was the thought of them rotting in a cell above him that kept him going, through the darkness and the denizens within.

The monsters continued to plague him as he continued upward, both the undead monstrosities he'd already seen and more kinds just as nightmarish. Entire swarms of hellflies and bloated, living pollen infested some corridors, and flickering soul-spheres others. Once, a pair of Kimoto archers who'd apparently sneaked in attempted to snipe him from a fortified position; another time, a pharaoh bit him, and he was only saved by a teardrop-shaped vial of the Water of Life he'd found in an abandoned medical station.

The only good thing about the situation was that his memory of the tower's layout was still accurate, despite all the years since he'd been there. Beaten, battered and bloody but still standing, he limped onto a teleporter pad, a metal square with a flat dome topped by a glowing, violet eye of glass. More lost technology, the devices linked one location to another; how they worked, Sten had no idea, but he knew where this one led, and it was good enough for him.

"You seem unhappy, princess," a familiar voice echoed through the unused corridor he appeared in, and he froze; it was Shupukay. "Please, if you can... try to see things my way, won't you? The promised day has come. Finally, we will return this fortress of lost technology to its true form. With its power, the world will be ours! The people of Highland! And you will be the one to lead us into that glorious future!"

"I refuse," a younger, equally familiar, female voice said quietly but firmly. As soon as he heard it, Sten took off, bolting down the hall. "I may not be able to stop you, General, but nor will I be a part of this monstrosity. Did you actually think I would? Do whatever you desire, but you will have no help from me."

"'Monstrosity,' your highness?" Shupukay asked slyly, and Sten ran even faster; he knew that tone. "Such harsh words, coming from the leader of a military nation. We are a violent people by nature, your highness, and we always have been. Our kingdom and our Clan are a civilization built on the backs of the fallen, both those who fought against us and those of our own kind who laid down their lives for the good of all. Your entire life, and those of all your ancestors, have been standing on a foundation of blood. And you object to this on _moral_ grounds?"

"We are mercenaries, that is true," Elforan, last descendant of the Highlander royal family, admitted quietly. "But we are not butchers, General Shupukay. All the world's powers come to us for our military might, and we have the freedom to choose among them. To this day, Highland has never fought in a war we did not believe in. We might fight and kill and die for money, General Shupukay... but we only do so in places and times in which doing so will make the world a better place. It may be a soldier's honor, but it is honor nonetheless."

The sound of a slap filled the air then, and Sten had to force himself not to scream in anger as he continued towards them, their voices growing louder.

"You are pathetically naïve, your highness," Shupukay said, quiet and cold. "Nearly your entire life has been spent within the walls of this castle. Even when you took your tour of duty with the 1st division, it was in name only; you learned to fight from the best instructors, and never actually set foot upon a real battlefield. Honor? Hah! Don't make me laugh, little girl. There is no honor in war. There is no good or evil. There is only you, and your enemy. The winner lives, and the loser dies. _That_ is war, and that is what our country is. If you wish to 'honor' the fallen, remember that always."

"The old 'war is hell' speech, huh?" Sten said dramatically as he rounded the last corner, and found them standing face to face before another teleporter; apparently, Shupukay had brought her through it to speak privately to her. "Come on, Shupukay, can't you come up with anything new? I've heard that one so often I could probably quote it word for word."

"Who dares-" Shupukay startled to snarl, turning around, then froze. The years hadn't changed her much; she was a little more angular, her features a little harsher, but that was all. After a moment, she smirked. "Oh, _there_ you are. For a while there, I thought you and Colonel Turbo had actually both killed each other. Wouldn't _that _have been amusing. It's been a long time, Sten. Nice outfit. Very dramatic."

"Sten?" Elforan whispered, peering over Shupukay's shoulder. Just seeing her made his heart twitch a little; she was still as quietly beautiful as ever, in a way entirely different from Shupukay's savage attractiveness. Like the General, she wore a wig, in her case a long orange one that matched her fur. The tiara atop it was thin and minimalist, and her pink gown, while pretty, was hardly an expensive one. Her soft, sky-blue eyes were wide as she stared at him. "Is it really you? But you're... they said you were..."

_Oh,_ Sana murmured. _Ohhhh..._

"I'll explain later," Sten promised, speaking to both of them, though his eyes were on Shupukay. "Right now... it looks like my departure's made quite a mess around here, and I'm going to have to clean it up now that I'm back." He still had a pair of knives in hand, and he stepped forward, smiling without a trace of humor. "So, Shupukay. You thought that with me out of the way, you could just act like Miss Big and do whatever the hell you wanted around here?"

"Tough talk, coming from a deserter," Shupukay sneered, and Elforan gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry, your highness. Didn't you figure out how he managed to survive the Battle of Goonheim after all? Mr. Legacy is no longer a General. He's a deserter, and the sentence for such a crime is death, to be carried out immediately."

"Try it," Sten snarled, anger overriding his better judgment. "This monkey's gonna give you a spanking, Shupukay!"

"I think not." One of Shupukay's hands darted to a wall, and she pulled a lever, opening the floor beneath Sten's feet. "You are insignificant now. Farewell."

With a shouted curse, Sten fell into the darkness.

* * *

"Did anybody else hear that?" Katt asked, waking Ryu from his sleep.

"Hear what?" He muttered, rubbing at his eyes as he raised his head.

"Sounded like somebody cussing up a blue streak," Bow said, shaking himself as he stood. "Getting louder."

"I believe I can detect it as well, now," Spar agreed; it was indeed growing loud enough that all of them were beginning to hear it. "It appears to be in Highlandish, however. I must admit, I'm not exactly fluent in that tongue."

"Neither am I, but I can tell that kind of talk when I hear it, no matter what lingo it's in," Katt told it.

"She's got a point." Bow nodded.

"There is a certain rhythm and cadence to such a thing that is difficult to mistake for much else, no?" Jean added, yawning.

"Will you all just shut up?" Patty yelled. "I told you before, I can't sleep with all of you yammering! And who's the one who's-" She cut off with a pained grunt as the sound of a heavy impact overrode her speech, then whimpered a moment later, "Pain."

"What the hell?" Ryu muttered, running over to the bars. In the thief's cell, a Highlander wearing a dramatic black cloak and crescent-moon mask over his armor had landed right on top of her; apparently, he'd fallen from above. "Sten? Is that you?"

"Ow... chief?" Sten winced, turning his head this way and that. "She dropped me in the cells? Seriously? Well, that'll be convenient. Everybody here? Still on one piece?"

"Except for your landing pad, it seems," Nina murmured dryly. "But then, she's of secondary importance."

"I'll get you for that, Windfree," Patty moaned, still sounding pained.

"Huh?" Sten looked down for the first time, then leaped off the bunk as if it was on fire. "Gah! _You!_"

"Nice to see you again, too, furface," she growled, raising her head. "You going to open this cell up, or what?"

"You're just lucky I landed in yours," Sten snarked back, walking over and reaching his long arms through the bars and around the other side, so he could prod the keyhole with a new, tiny knife. "Only reason I'm letting you out. Let's see here... ah, here we go. Still have that little... trick..." A few moments of wiggling it later, the door swung open, and he stepped out, taking a few dramatic bows. "Ladies and gentlemen, your hero has arrived! Thank you, thank you!"

The combined glares of the entire group could probably have boiled a lake.

"Aheh... heh..." Sten chuckled weakly. "Right, opening these cells up."

"That would probably be a good idea," Spar said calmly as he began fiddling with the lock on the girls' cell.

"Not bad," Patty conceded, walking around him and stretching. "So, what took you so long, huh?"

"Personal business," Sten grunted, opening the cell and moving on to the guys' one.

"Shupukay?" Nina guessed.

"Yeah." Sten looked up and met Ryu's eyes. "Take it you guys already know, then."

"That she's a Demon Lord?" Ryu guessed as the door opened. "Yeah. Take it you've got history with her?"

"All _sorts_ of history, but that's not important." Sten shook his head. "The problem is what she's planning _now._ She wants to activate all the lost technology of this place, and however she's gonna do it, it involves the last member of the royal family still alive. Princess Elforan." He closed his eyes. "I can't let that happen, boss. I know what a bad idea fighting a Demon Lord is, but... I'm gonna have to do it anyways. Sorry."

"Lost technology?" Patty's eyes widened, and then narrowed, as she picked up her whip from the cabinet next to the cells where all their weapons had been thrown into. "All right then, this isn't business any more. This is _personal_. I'm in."

"One of these days, you really are going to have to explain to us just what your stake in all this is," Rand grumbled, shaking his head. "You're right about one thing, though. This is bad news. Well, boss?"

"Sten's right." Ryu nodded slowly. "We can't let this one slide." He grinned suddenly. "Besides, having _another_ royal family in our debt is worth taking a few risks, right?"

"Oh, this is gonna suck." Bow slapped his face. "No helping it, though."

"Perhaps, and yet, we must act according to our consciences, no?" Jean smiled brightly, though there was a certain glint in his eye. "And if there is a chance of profit as well, that is additional motivation, is it not?"

"You're learning, Jean." Katt grinned. "All right, why the hell not? If it's got a skull, we can bust it!"

"Logically, allowing a demon to gain control of the lost technology of Highfort would be disastrous," Spar mused. "I do not quite understand the distinction between demon and Demon Lord, but I must concur with the group assessment regardless. This cannot be tolerated. We shall have to take steps."

"I suppose, on the whole, it was too much to hope for that we'd actually be able to get through this without engaging her." Nina sighed. "The life of a mercenary, I suppose."

"Thanks, guys." Sten looked down for a moment, then raised his head, eyes gleaming. With a swirl of his cloak, he turned down the hall. "All right, people. Let's go save the day."

_ON COLD WINGS SHE'S COMING _


	22. Chapter 20: The Battle Of Highfort

_**Chapter 20: The Battle of Highfort**_

"Hey, you're actually not bad with that," Katt said, sounding surprised, as Patty's whip strangled the last of the life from a predatory Raboola; both hers and Spar's were wrapped around its neck.

"What, you're surprised?" Patty scoffed, as they pulled their whips back and stepped around the carcass. "Thought I was some helpless little lamb?"

"More or less, yeah."

"She's joking," Bow explained before a fight could start. "We just figured you were a robber, not a fighter, you know?"

"Well, it's not like I _like_ it or anything," Patty admitted, following the rest of the group down the back hall they were creeping along; as Sten had before, they were going through abandoned areas of the fortress whenever possible, on the theory that killing monsters was better than soldiers, even if they were loyal to Shupukay. "But I'm not stupid, either. A girl on the go by herself needs to be able to take care of something if it comes up, you know?"

"Heh." Katt smirked. "Can't argue with _that_, I guess."

"_That's_ a first."

"Where are we going, anyways?" Rand asked loudly, cutting that one off as well. "Up to the throne room, or what?"

"It'd be crawling with loyalists, and they're probably not there, anyways." Sten grimaced, feeling around at a wall and opening up a secret passageway. "Shupukay talked a big show, but she's not stupid. She knows that now that we're here, she's on a time limit to gain total control of this place before we barge in and ruin her plans. She'll be taking the Princess to the control area for the lost technology. I'd bet my knives on it."

"We're almost there, then," Patty said thoughtfully. "It's two floors up from here in this tower, right?"

"Yeah, through this passageway." Sten glanced up the stairs that had been revealed, then back at her, frowning slightly. "How'd you know that?"

"Like I told the rest of your team, I _did_ come here to pull a heist, you know," she pointed out. "A good thief always learns the layout of the location before going in. And don't go feeling some weird sort of residual anger over me pulling that on your old home, okay? We're on the same side this time, after all."

"I think he meant, how did you manage to learn the layout of Highfort at all?" Nina pointed out curiously. "That's not the sort of thing one finds on the open market in Prima."

"I've got my sources," Patty replied cryptically. "And I'm just guessing here, but I'm pretty sure they'd prefer I didn't go blabbing about them."

"Guess we can all understand that," Ryu conceded, idly testing the edge of his sword. "If the control room's up there, that's where it'll come down to a fight. Everybody ready?" The others all nodded, and he turned to Sten. "Let's do this."

"Right." The Highlander led them up two sets of stairs into a half-room, divided abruptly by a massive steel double door that filled it from top to bottom and side to side, without a wall to be set in; it looked to be as thick as one would expect from that, and the edges were covered in runic-looking etchings. In the center where the doors met, an ugly, round gargoyle head was attached, sealing them together. More important than the doors was the blonde-furred Highlander who was lying on the floor before them, face-down, scorched and battered. "Shit. Turbo!"

"This is that Turbo guy?" Bow asked as Sten ran over and crouched over him. "But isn't he... your enemy now, or something?"

"Sort of, I guess," Sten muttered, turning him over and slapping him lightly across the face. "But sort of not. It's complicated-oy!" He made a face as Turbo suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Oh, you _are_ still conscious. Could have said so sooner."

"Shut up," Turbo grunted, his voice badly accented, as he rose to a sitting position. "About time you got here. Took a few naps, did you?" He glanced around at the others. "So you're the backup, huh. Guess I should thank you for taking this reprobate off the streets. Best thing for everybody."

"Not this time, man." Sten glanced up at the door. "This is new. I take it that's what did this to you? What's the deal with it?"

"Some kind of powerful force field," Turbo explained irritably. "And an automated defense system. It's all tied into that head there. Eats magic, too."

"That sounds... moderately unpleasant," Jean murmured.

"No kidding." Bow narrowed his eyes at the door. "Yeah, I can see it. Magic and lost technology all wound up together... that's a nasty piece of work."

"I can't see anything at all," Ryu admitted, and Katt and Patty both nodded as well. "Looks just like an ordinary door to me."

"I'm able to detect a slight visual discrepancy, but only slight," Spar said quietly, prompting mutters of agreement from Sten, Jean and Rand. "A sort of shimmer, like heat distortion."

"Me and Bow can sense the magic in it," Nina explained. "Trust us, that force field is there... and it's connected to the rest of it. If we can bring that barrier down, the whole thing will probably short out." She smiled ruefully, shaking her head. "Of course, by 'we', I mean, 'you.' Turbo's right; it will simply absorb any magical attacks, which makes me perfectly useless. Sorry; it looks like I'll have to sit this one out."

"It's still a better proposition than actually breaking the door itself would be, so I'm cool with that." Patty cracked her whip. "This wouldn't have been good for much against all that solid steel, you know?"

"All right, let's get to that-" Turbo started to stand up again, then flinched, sinking down on his hands and knees. "Guh!"

"Easy, pal." Bow healed him, glancing at Sten. "That thing did a number on you."

"Just hold on, okay?" Sten nodded. "We've got this. And if we don't, somebody's gonna have to figure out a backup plan, so take five."

"And let you act like a big shot again?" Turbo scoffed, trying again to stand up and succeeding now that he'd been healed. "Not a chance, Sten."

"Look, Turbo..." Sten sighed, then suddenly clocked him right in the side of the head, the hilt of one dagger clenched in his fist. Turbo hit the wall and went down like a sack of potatoes, and Sten turned to the door, shaking his head. "Take a nap. Come on, guys. That won't keep him down for long. Let's get this piece of crap out of the way before he gets back up."

"You have weird friends, man." Katt cracked her knuckles as they walked up to the door. "So, what, do we just start laying into it?"

"State password," the head rumbled, dark eyes suddenly springing to life with purple, glowing lights. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Its eyes turned yellow, and began making an ominous humming. "Time is up. Assessing threat before initiating attack."

"Remember, no magic," Bow warned them all, raising his crossbow and firing it; the bolt lodged in thin air a few inches away from the door, and hairline cracks appeared around it. "That includes your trump card, buddy."

"Saving that for Shupukay, anyways." Ryu shrugged, hacking at the invisible barrier with his sword as the others moved in as well. He couldn't see the force field itself, but every slash made dents and fractures appear in the air, so he continued to hack away.

"Threat determined," the head grumbled. "Initiating attack program C." A pair of blades formed from air closed around Ryu's chest, slicing into the steel plate mail he was wearing and drawing a good amount of blood as well.

"Shit," he growled, swaying slightly but staying on his feet. "There goes that armor. I _liked_ that armor."

"You nearly get chopped in half and you're complaining about your armor," Rand said dryly, pausing from laying into the forcefield with his heavy iron knuckle guards in order to heal him. "You've been hanging out with Bow too much-_yeow!_" He grimaced as another pair of air-blades nearly took his arm off; fortunately, it seemed the big man's muscle and bone were simply too thick for the spell to cut through. "Okay, that hurt."

"You've had worse," Katt pointed out, ripping into the field with her bronze battlestaff. Due to the unusual shape of her weapon of choice, she'd been unable to find one of a better metal than that so far; the staff had three tiny, razor-sharp blades on each end, guaranteed to do hideous damage to soft parts of organic enemies. Seeing the air-blades come for her, she ducked and rolled under them before rising to continue the assault. "We've all had worse. Nice try, asshole!"

"And we're likely to _get_ worse, later today," Bow pointed out, reloading his crossbow and firing again, then pausing to heal Jean as the spell turned on him next, slicing into his plate mail as it had Ryu's. "You okay, man?"

"A scratch, _mon ami,_" Jean brushed it off, slashing and jabbing at the invisible barrier with the ancient rapier that was his people's national treasure. "Nothing more, I assure you. We shall destroy this foul automation soon enough, yes?"

"Just as long as it doesn't pull anything worse out of its hat," Patty pointed out, lashing with her whip again; her and Spar's were both carving dents into it.

"Threat assessment incorrect," the head growled. "Initiating attack program B."

"Way to go." Katt rolled her eyes as the head spewed flames over the entire group. "No, seriously, you r-_yeargh!_" They all went down, swearing, and rolled around on the ground as Bow, Rand and-somewhat surprisingly-Spar began healing them, one by one.

"Shaddup!" Patty snapped back.

"Keep on it!" Ryu yelled, getting back to his feet; perhaps because of his heritage, he'd always been able to shrug off fire a little easier than normal people, even though it still hurt just as much and caused as much damage. "The sooner we take it down, the less it'll be able to do to us!"

"What he said!" Sten agreed, slashing and hacking with his heaviest silver knives in his hands; this was a job for brutal damage, not stealth. "Nina, how close are we?"

"It looks like it's about to break!" The Black Mage called from where she was crouching next to Turbo. "Just a little longer!"

"Good!" Rand growled, turning back to the attack as the two White Mages and Spar finished healing Patty and Spar. "We don't want another-_dammit!_" Another wave of flame washed over them, and three of them concentrated fully on undoing the damage once again.

"Come on, come on..." Ryu growled. "_Yes!_" The forcefield had suddenly become visible, a shimmering green wall of light that was crumbling and shattering before their eyes. As it fell apart into glowing dust, the head's eyes began flickering wildly.

"Threat assessment incorrect," it groaned. "Initiating... attack... system... failure..."

"Get down!" Sten yelled, and they all hit the deck as the entire wall exploded outward, showering them with rubble.

"Everybody okay?" Ryu muttered once the smoke had cleared, shaking his head groggily; he'd taken several hits to his back and arms, but had covered his head. "Girls? Spar?"

"They're fine," Rand grunted, standing up; he'd thrown himself over Katt, Patty and Spar, his heavy shell durable enough that he'd only been slightly battered. "Come on, Bow, let's get them all back on their feet."

"You going to be okay for Shupukay?" Sten asked, wincing as white magic covered him. "You both used up a lot of your magic stores, there."

"Got it covered." Bow tossed a Wise Fruit to Rand, and took one for himself, both of them wincing as they downed the poisonous berries. "Owww... all right, there we go. Hate having to do that, but no real choice when it's a Demon Lord. Hopefully we won't need many more. Spar, you need one?"

"That will be unnecessary," the Grass Man assured him. "The two of you did the majority of the healing. My contributions were far less. I still have an adequate amount of magical power remaining for the real fight."

"You don't call _that_ a real fight?" Patty remarked dryly, dusting herself off. "Your guys' standards are a little off."

"That was just the warm-up," Sten explained, peering through where the door had been. "The big one's still up ahead... shit." There was another strange, glowing screen like the one they'd seen in Simafort up ahead, with the board of letters and numbers below it. This one was round and larger, though, and set in some more complicated mechanical device that covered the entire back wall. There was nobody there, however; only a staircase leading up. "She isn't here, and neither's the princess. Must be up ahead."

"This is the control room, though, right?" Ryu frowned. "So if she ain't here, where else would she be?"

"Up top," Turbo groaned, and they all turned to stare at him as Nina helped him back to his feet. "There was a bunch of stuff up there we used to just ignore because nobody had any idea how it worked. Shupukay's been spending a lot of time in here recently, though. She's probably figured some of it out."

"That, or she already possessed the necessary knowledge," Nina murmured.

"Huh?" Turbo blinked.

"Long story," Sten grunted. "We gotta get up there, but..." He glanced at the controls. "We'd better have a backup plan, just in case. Turbo, stay here."

"Sten-" The other Highlander started to yell, then paused as his old friend held up a hand.

"If we're not back in half an hour, wreck the controls," Sten explained. "That might mess up a lot of other things in Highfort, but at least then Shupukay won't be able to do whatever she's planning, even if we lose."

"You think you might _lose?_" Turbo blinked, as did Patty. "Against Shupukay, by herself, with all of you?"

"Long story," Ryu said flatly. "Let's just say we think she might have some _real_ nasty tricks up her sleeve. Of course, we've got a couple ourselves, but it's best to be on the safe side."

"What the boss said." Sten looked at him for a moment, then glanced at Patty. "Somebody should stay behind to help him out. You mind?"

"I don't need any help," Turbo snarled, then buckled, leaning against the wall. "Just give me a moment to catch my breath."

"You're exhausted," Nina told him frankly. "White magic can't help that. Sten's right."

"Yeah, okay," Patty agreed. "Guess if somebody's gotta do it, I'm the best choice. You'd better give her a couple for me, though." She smirked at Turbo. "Besides, this guy's kind of cute. I don't mind hanging out with him for a while."

"Sorry, kid, but you're too young for me," Turbo snarked. "Try again in another five years. All right, I can take a hint. Go on, get your asses up there. Half an hour from now, if you're not back, the controls are going down, and whatever collateral damage comes up because of it ain't on my head." It looked as if that was all he was going to say, until they were near the stairs, and he spoke up again. "Hey. Sten."

"Yeah?" The Highlander asked, caution in his voice.

"Win this."

"Count on it."

"What he said," Patty agreed, watching them with something indecipherable in her eyes. "You guys are a pain in the ass, but don't go dying on me."

"Not gonna happen," Ryu promised, leading them up the stairs. "Dying young's overrated, anyways."

They proceeded up the stairs, two by two, quiet and grim; the time for sarcasm and wisecracks had passed, as it had on occasion before, even with this crew. The enemy was waiting for them, and the only task that remained was to take care of the problem, once and for all. Even Jean and Spar felt the group mood, and brought up the rear on the left side without a word, weapons held at the ready in one hand with their other ready to cast a spell. The rest were all in similar states of readiness as they climbed staircase after staircase, until they finally emerged at the top.

"Relax, Princess," Shupukay was saying quietly as they entered the room. Her back was to them as she stood before a massive machine built into the wall, with innumerable pipes and tubes spreading out from behind and below it like tentacles. The center of it was a spherical pod that apparently had a seat inside; it was closing up at the moment, until only a small window remained open near the top, showing the face of a young, pretty Highlander girl. "There is nothing you can do about this now, so there is no point in straining yourself unnecessarily. Save your energy. You will need it shortly."

"What is this, General Shupukay?" The girl demanded, trying to sound brave and not entirely succeeding. "Explain yourself, immediately!"

"It's really very simple, your highness," Shupukay murmured, standing back; she still had her back to them, and nobody was making a sound. "As I told you, you will be the keystone to the success of this country. This machine takes all that is intangible in the sentient heart, mind and soul, and converts it into pure energy. Your vibrant emotions... your strength of will... your hereditary gifts of magical talent... your devotion to this country... all of these will become the power that fuels our ascension, and returns this castle to its true glory. Be honored."

"I..." Elforan's eyes closed for a moment, before opening again, flat with resolve. "General Shupukay of Highland, I am your Princess. As the ruler of this country and Clan, I hereby order you... to kill me, here and now! I would rather die than to be used like this! Disobey, and you will be guilty of high treason!"

"Feh!" Shupukay spat on the floor. "Call it whatever you wish, little girl. I command this country and Clan now, not you, and I will do what is necessary for progress, whatever you may think. Your pathetic morals are useless. To you, to me, to all of Highland, and to the entire world. Still, I am not totally without pity for you. I will make sure that you are named a martyr by the Church of St. Eva, as part of the price for arranging our country's conversion. Yet another necessary step to secure the power of our Clan."

"You would turn us against our own religion, even?" Elforan whispered. "Is there no low to which you will not stoop?"

"None." Shupukay stepped up and stared into her eyes, and the Princess shrank back inside the device. "Nothing is more sacred than conquest, Princess Elforan. Nothing is more holy than victory. Nothing else is necessary."

"Damn you..." Elforan sobbed, finally starting to cry. "Damn you to hell, Shupukay..."

"Haven't you figured out yet?" Shupukay scoffed. "I am already damned."

Without a word, Sten threw a knife straight into the General's back, and she went down with a wordless cry of pain.

"Sten!" Elforan's eyes widened.

"Now, now, Princess," Sten said quietly, as they all stepped forward. "That's not very ladylike, is it? And after the General was being so honest with you for once in her rotten life, too. She really _is_ damned. More than any of us ever knew. Until now."

"Such kind words, Sten," Shupukay murmured, reaching behind her with her long arms and pulling the knife out of her spine with only a slight grunt of discomfort. Standing back up, she turned around to face him, flipping his knife back to him. "Careful, or else I'll start thinking you still care. Took your sweet time getting back up here, didn't you? You almost had me worried." She smirked. "Still, here you are, just as I knew you would be, so no harm done. Aren't you going to introduce me to your new friends?"

"If you insist." Sten inclined his head towards Ryu. "General, Princess, these are the freelance mercenaries, the _Dragonkin_, who've accepted me into their ranks. And by the way, Shupukay, they _are_, in fact, the ones who killed Kuwadora. Something you might want to keep in mind."

"Who's Kuwadora?" Elforan asked, confused.

"I would like to know as well," Spar added.

"A colleague of mine, you could say," Shupukay murmured, blood-red eyes contorting in contrast with the rest of her face, calm and cold. "A brute, really, though he could feign a polished edge when necessary. It never really hid the real him, though. Still, I must admit we _did_ have a few... common interests." She smirked. "I'm sorry, Sten. I've been unfaithful to you. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Actually, I kind of feel sorry for Kuwadora now," Sten snarked. "If you're the best he could do, he must not have known how to work that faux-Siman charm at _all_."

"_Mon ami_?" Jean blinked. "Are you saying that you... and our enemy..."

"It means nothing," Sten told him flatly. "It was a matter of convenience at the time. Nothing more."

"Agreed." Shupukay shook her head. "Poor, cynical Sten. You actually thought you'd outwitted me that way, didn't you?"

"I didn't know what you really were back then," Sten admitted. "Now, of course, I know all too well."

"Hardly." Shupukay's smile was cold and hard. "You would not be repeating the exact same mistake I just warned you of, were that true. You think you know me, Sten Legacy? I am Shupukay, Demon Lord of Conquest, and I have watched the men of your world fight and bleed and die for more years than all of those in which you have all drawn breath combined, even including the Grass Man. I knew you would escape from the cell and come for me. This chamber was always meant to be the stage for our final act. I had it cleaned up years ago, just for the occasion."

"So, you think you can take us?" Ryu raised an eyebrow, trying to look more confident than he actually felt. "Pretty ballsy, since it's eight on one. Oh, and since I'm pretty sure even if you did win, Barubary'd skin you, fry it, and make you eat it for ruining whatever the hell he's planning for us. Kind of a no-win situation for you, isn't it?"

"On the contrary, Mr. Bateson," Shupukay purred, finally dropping the Highland accent, just as Kuwadora had lost his when he'd finally revealed his true nature. "_You_ are necessary for our final success. The rest of your team, however, are incidental. I will have to make sure I only maim you, but the others... I can kill _them_ without a care. And when I butcher the man she loves in front of our dear, sweet Princess's eyes, her loss and despair will become a phenomenal amount of energy that will restore this fortress of Obelisk to the skies!"

"Not a bad plan," Bow grudgingly conceded. "It's got one big, gaping hole in it, though. Kind of surprised you didn't see it."

"Oh?" Shupukay's eyes glinted. "Is that so, Mr. Dogi? By all means, tell me what it is that I missed."

"It all hinges on you living through the hour, that's what." Katt cracked her knuckles. "Which is looking more and more unlikely the more you jabber."

"Ha!" Shupukay threw her head back and laughed, sardonic scorn mixed with what almost sounded like actual approval, as her fur fell out in a sudden rush and her skin turned a leathery blood red. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay-shupukay! Good, good! There's no point in conflict without absolute confidence in your own triumph! Oh, I'm going to enjoy this! Pay attention, now, your highness! And watch the man you love die before your eyes! Watch Sten Legacy's final, pathetic fate, and scream your hatred to our God!"

"Here she comes!" Ryu yelled, as Shupukay shrank in on herself, her shape and form and features twisting and withering. "Let's go, people!"

The Demon Lord's true form was long and thin, like a snake or worm; below the caved-in, withered chest, it became nothing more than a twenty-foot tail that quickly coiled up below her in a heap, allowing her torso to rise above it. Her entire body was emaciated to the point of being skeletal, but her arms were as long as those of a Highlander, ending in two fistfuls of curved, wicked claws. Tattered, winglike webs of flesh hung from wrist to torso, and in each palm, a sphere of glowing blue magical energy hovered.

Though her torso was female, there was nothing attractive about her nudity; the visibility of her entire rib cage and the leathery red skin made her exposed breasts grotesque. Her jaw was low-slung and pointed, reaching almost to her stomach, and her mouth was like a scarecrow's, a jagged gash in her flesh with strips of skin resembling fangs. Two horns rose from her skull, bent at right angles, then did so again to continue upward towards points. Her eyes were two slanted holes in the surface of her face, with smaller, glowing blue sparks like the ones she held in her hands deep within.

"_That_'s your ex?" Bow muttered under his breath as she rose above them, easily twelve feet tall even coiled up.

"Everybody does stupid things when they're young," Sten replied dryly.

"About time I got to try this out," Ryu said firmly, ignoring that, as he ran forward. "Let's see you shrug _this_ one off, Demon Lord!"

"As you wish." Shupukay leered as he began to transform, the magical sphere in her left palm glowing green. It seemed to draw his eyes; he couldn't look away from it, as it pulled at him in a sense that was entirely non-physical. "But first, I'll be taking a little something from you!" There was a sudden, sharp, tearing sensation, and he stumbled, suddenly feeling slightly less energetic, more exhausted, as a spark of blue light emerged from his chest and flew into the sphere, merging with it. "Ah... thank you for your contribution!"

Ryu didn't bother responding verbally; regaining his footing, he willed himself to transform. Wings sprouted from his back, as did a tail, and arms and leg and neck all stretched out as his body expanded. Glittering, deep red scales covered him, and he soared across the room towards Shupukay as a mighty fire drake, fully as massive as she was. Roaring his wrath, he belched a massive fireball that engulfed her entirely, drenching her in flames, then landed before her and turned back, immediately falling on one knee. The sudden spike of exhaustion was even worse than it had been the first time he'd turned into a whelp; it was everything he could do not to just pass out on the spot.

"All _right!_" Katt whooped. "Kick-_ass!_"

"Get her!" Bow yelled, raising his crossbow and firing at the mass of flames. "While she's still down!"

"Oh, am I down?" Shupukay hissed, rearing up and raising her hands above her head, a nightmare of shadows and light seemingly formed of the flames themselves even as they ravaged her body. "A point of information you may not have been aware of, young fools. The Breath of Fire is only at its full strength if the Dragon Clansman is still at their maximum magical capacity. If even a fraction has already been used, or better yet, _stolen_, the power of the the transformation is significantly receded." She raised her right hand, the sphere in it turning white. "You rely on your leader far too much, children... let's just see how well you do _without_ him."

"Shit," Ryu muttered as the sphere flared, and a gray fog taking the shapes of screaming skulls washed over him.

"_Ryu!_" Katt and Nina screamed in unison, as his consciousness faded into the darkness, and he fell to the floor. As he had when Kuwadora had knocked him out, however, it didn't last long before he suddenly felt white magic pouring over him, bringing him back.

"Come on, man, get up!" Bow was yelling as Ryu shot back to consciousness. "We don't have time for this shit!"

"Since when did you learn Renew?" Ryu asked, then winced, clutching his head. "Better question. What the hell did she _do_ to me?"

"Death spell," Bow grunted, aiming and firing with his crossbow. "Should just be glad it's not literal. Damn! She deflected it! Get back on your feet, buddy, we need-" He fell silent, eyes widening, as a seal of magical light appeared in the air before him.

"Now, now, how are we supposed to get anywhere with you healing everybody all the time?" Shupukay sneered, the magical sphere in her left hand glowing violet. She was no longer covered in flames; her torso swaying back and forth oddly while she fought some of the team. Even as she cast the spell, that same hand was slashing out at Katt, fending off the swipes of her staff. The other was held at the ready as her eyes swept across the others; Jean and Sten were stabbing at her coils, with little effect, while Nina and Spar hung back behind Rand. "But then, black magic is just as problematic, isn't it?"

"I think not," Spar said calmly, raising a hand as the other sphere turned purple as well, and drawing a flicker of blue light out from it, as Ryu ran forward. "You are not the only one who knows the Drain spell, demoness, or that casting it disrupts another spell if it is in progress. Unfortunately, it is only a delay. Nina, you may wish to use as much of your magic as you can before she silences you."

"Indeed," Nina agreed, hands moving and summoning a storm of lightning, massive bolts slamming down out of the air like spears into Shupukay.

"Ah, that tingles!" Shupukay howled, writhing in pain but still mocking, as a crossbow bolt slammed into her chest, and was ignored. "Well then! I _was_ trying not to squander my magic, but if you _want_ to play like a big girl..." The sphere in her right hand turned white instead of violet, and Nina's eyes widened before she fell to the floor, the gray mist rising from the floor around her.

"Bitch," Ryu growled, reaching Shupukay at last and slashing at her coils with all of his strength, only for his blade to be deflected by her hand, striking with unnatural strength her spindly body shouldn't have had. Lightning-fast, she hit him again, slashing his face open and smacking him to the floor, even as she did the same to Katt with her other claw.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Shupukay said smugly, then blinked as a magical seal similar to the one she'd created appeared in the air before her, only to shatter like glass. "Oh, that's rich! You thought to silence _me_, little Creeper prince?" Staring down at Jean, she laughed mockingly. "I'd return the favor, but your magical talent isn't even worth the bother!"

Sten didn't say a word as he leaped up behind her, knives flashing, and plunged them into the back of her skull. Shupukay arched back, hissing in pain, and he locked his legs around her neck, pulling the blades back out and repeating in different places. Before he could do so a third time, however, she reached back around her head and grabbed him by his back, then threw him straight into Ryu as he raised his blades again.

"Do you still think you stand a chance?" Shupukay asked mockingly, slapping Katt out of the air a second time as she leaped up again; rolling, the fiery warrior stumbled back to her feet and ran back forward, ignoring her own bruised and battered state. Almost absently, she plucked another crossbow bolt out of the air, reached down and stabbed Jean through the shoulder with it, prompting a cry of pain from the Prince as he fell back. "This is like swatting flies!"

"We gotta figure something out," Sten muttered, pulling himself off Ryu. "Nothing that should be fatal is working. Her physiology probably isn't even totally physical. She's playing with us."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed, then blinked as he felt something tapping on his shoulder. Turning, he saw that it was the end of Spar's whip, moving as prehensilely as Katt's tail. The Grass Man was beckoning silently from where it was standing behind Rand, who was casting a spell to revive Nina. Shrugging, he and Sten both ran over.

"This is not going well," Spar told them gravely. "The demoness is an excellent tactician, and she has analyzed our respective strengths and weaknesses. She is, as the term goes, 'softening us up.' I believe that she will soon mute Rand as well, before moving on to her actual offensive. Unless we find a way to interrupt that, one she will not expect, our chances of survival are minimal."

"Man's got a point," Rand grunted. "All right, Nina's coming around. Damn! I wish I could do more, but punching something like that wouldn't really do much."

"On the contrary," Spar continued. "Our best chance for success would be to defy Shupukay's tactical analysis by altering our usual combat roles, such as changing yours to physical offense."

"Huh?" Rand looked up, tiny ears twitching. "I can't have heard that right."

"It might be onto something," Nina murmured weakly, sitting up. "I'll grant that you might not be able to dance like a butterfly, but once you get moving, there's not much that can stop you. And our enemy has one major disadvantage. She's not exactly mobile." She glanced over at Shupukay, who was still fending off the attacks of the other four.

"Plotting something over there?" She called mockingly, smacking Katt so hard the Woren girl bounced off of a wall, then casually backhanding Jean off of her coils as he attempted to run up them and reach her upper body; both were clearly on their last legs, but still they stumbled back onto them a once they'd landed. There were three crossbow bolts protruding from Shupukay's ribs now, but she didn't seem to care as she continued swaying like a dancing snake, both magical spheres turning purple. "Perhaps I'd better quiet you down, just in case! No point in taking chances, after all!"

"Damn!" Nina hissed, casting one final spell before the seals covered her and Rand; a flaming pyramid engulfed the Demon Lord, but judging from her hissing laughter, it still wasn't doing much.

_Spar's right,_ Ryu thought quickly. _We need to change this up. If Rand can close with her, he'll be able to do some damage. That's the key. Doing what she won't expect, all of us. With those three silenced, Spar and Sten will be our best spellcasters. If there's one thing Jean knows how to do, it's take a hit; same with Bow. She won't expect Katt to be able to fight bare-handed, or Nina to be able to fight at all; well, she can't, but Shupukay doesn't _know_ that for sure._ _That just leaves me... so I'll do what she _is _expecting._ "Rand. Got any Wise Fruit?" The big man couldn't speak, but he nodded slightly, handing him a few berries. "All right. Here's-"

"This has been fun, but it's time we wrapped it up!" Shupukay interrupted, eyes flashing as she raise her hands high, both spheres turning golden. From the heavens, a double-blast of lighting descended, one spell taking the same form as the lances Nina had brought down upon her earlier, the other a whip of electricity that danced between the first. Both tore through the entire group, and they all screamed in pain, hitting the floor.

"Spar," Ryu grunted, forcing two berries into his mouth. "Heal me. Now."

"You..." Spar glanced at him, then widened his eyes, quickly casting the healing spell. "What are you doing? That would have killed you in your current state!"

"Needed the magic." Ryu stood back up, despite the nausea and pain the fruit inflicted on him as it refilled his magic, keeping his voice low. "I'm going to make an opening. Tell the others the plan while I do, and heal Katt while you're at it; she's down to guts and grit. Spar and Sten open it up, then Rand goes in. Nina, take Jean's rapier, distract her; Jean and Bow, keep those claws off them. Once Rand has her, Katt joins in, and then I'll finish it off. We're only gonna get one shot at this. Let's go!"

"Not quite dead?" Shupukay noted as the others began to stir as well. "Well then, another dose should take care of that-eh?" She blinked, then sighed as Ryu ran forward, the spheres turning to green. "Some fools never learn, I see!"

Ryu just growled, transforming anyways, even as his magic was drained, and soared through the room towards her. This time, he became a drake of lightning, and a blast of electricity leaped from his fangs to smash Shupukay's torso back, flat against the ground. As he released his anger, he saw Spar and Sten dashing around to speak to the others, and smiled inside, dropping to the floor and reverting to his humanoid form. Again the exhaustion hit him, and again he forced himself to his feet on sheer will.

"Are we quite done with this chicanery, then?" Shupukay sneered, rising back up. "I do have-what the hell?" She yelled, surprised, as the air detonated before her face, slamming her head back. Immediately afterwards, rocklike shots of ice magic followed it, battering her skull with pinpoint accuracy. Spar and Sten stood at opposite sides of the room, hands before them, as they murmured the words of magic; neither spell actually hurt her much, but they served to distract and disorient, and that was what they needed.

Rand ran forward then, but only for a few steps, before tucking and rolling, the round shell on his back transforming him into a sphere that picked up speed as it crossed the room. Shupukay hissed and reared back, but before she could cast a spell, Jean and Bow were there, rushing her from opposite sides. The Demon Lord reacted on instinct without even noticing that the Prince was no longer armed, lashing out at them with her claws, and though both were scored heavily across the chest, they managed to grab her wrists, holding the arms down for a brief but successful moment.

Throwing them off, Shupukay stared in horror as Rand approached, and raised her hands, only to pause again, staring up. Nina was above her, descending with Jean's rapier held inexpertly in her hands, towards the Demon Lord's head. She had no chance of actually wielding it effectively enough to do any damage, but it caught Shupukay's attention for that last instant, and Rand hit her head-on, crushing her under his massive body like a rampaging bull.

When he reached her torso, the huge Farmlander uncurled suddenly, braking himself on her body as she screeched in pain and outrage. Reaching around her, he tightened his tree-trunk arms around her spindly waist, whirled, and slammed her to the floor with enough force to shatter the metal plating. Dazed, Shupukay's eyes rolled, and Katt and Ryu moved in for the kill as Spar and Sten nailed her head again, just to be sure.

"Grab her horns!" Ryu yelled. "Hold her head!" Without looking to see if she'd listen, he drew his sword; he knew, with more than logic, that she would. His faith was true; discarding her staff, the Woren girl seized the Demon Lord's horns with a grip like steel, putting the full force of the Breath of Spirit into holding her still. Ryu did the same, gripping his sword in both hands and bringing it down in an overhead chop, putting his entire body into it with every ounce of strength he could coax from his exhausted muscles. Straight at Shupukay's neck.

The blade sliced through. Her neck parted. Her head flew. And the Demon Lord Shupukay's body exploded in flames as dark as night.

"Ridiculous!" Her head shrieked, even as it too burst into flame, and her dying body lurched upward, throwing Rand and Katt off. "I am Shupukay! How did you... but no, it matters not! If I die, then so be it... but I will accomplish my mission regardless!"

"Stop her!" Sten yelled. "She's going for Elforan!"

There was no stopping Shupukay, though; before anybody could reach her, her headless body had streaked across the room, launching itself in a blind charge like a striking snake. It bounced off of the mechanical pod containing Elforan, but still managed to reach up and pull it open. Elforan screamed as one burning claw pulled her from the machine and threw her to the floor, but harming her was not the Demon Lord's goal. Pulling itself up, the flaming corpse stuffed itself into the capsule, and the machine lit up with an eerie blue light.

"All of my anger and hatred will become the energy needed to reactivate this fortress!" Shupukay's flaming head howled triumphantly. "I may have fallen, but still will I return Obelisk to the skies! And when the hordes of Infinity swarm out to engulf this world in nothingness, this flying fortress will crush the world underfoot once more!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Sten growled, running forward, only to slam up against a wall of golden light that rose from the floor before the capsule. "Shit! Some kind of barrier!"

"As Kuwadora told you, this is _our_ technology that you have ignored all these centuries," Shupukay purred. "I apologize for ruining the totality of your victory, Sten. Although I must confess, I'm a little surprised, and perhaps disappointed. I had expected you to insist on taking my life with your own hands."

"Heh." Sten backed up and glared at her through the barrier, as the others all stood around it as well, even Elforan; it seemed she hadn't been hurt much. "Kind of like how I thought you'd try and talk me out of killing you, on account of what we were, once. Except I didn't. Because we weren't. It was nothing, Shupukay. It is nothing. We understand that, you and me. The only difference between us is that I changed. I'm not who I was back then, any more. You didn't."

"Indeed we do," Shupukay murmured, as the room began to shake, as if an earthquake were taking place. "Yes, ye-wait, what? What the hell is this?"

"What do you _mean_, 'what the hell is this'?" Ryu yelled. "It's not you? Then what... wait! Spar, how long has it been since we left Turbo?"

"Exactly thirty-one minutes and twelve seconds, now," Spar replied clinically.

"Turbo?" Shupukay's head demanded. "No... he's messing with the control chamber, isn't he?" She began to laugh raucously. "You absolute idiots! You've sealed your own fates! He's reversed the energy flow! This tower will be blown sky-high!"

"Let's get out of here, people!" Sten shouted, and they all whirled, bolting for the stairs. "No, not that way! We won't have time! The other stairs, the ones leading up to the roof!"

"But-" Katt started to object.

"Do what he says!" Ryu yelled. "Can you run, your Highness?"

"I... yes," Elforan told him; her heavy pink dress was torn enough by what she'd been through that she was able to keep up with the mob as they crowded up the stairs.

"Run, run!" Shupukay taunted, voice fading as the diabolical willpower that had fueled her last stand finally died along with her body. "Even if you escape today... God's time... is at... hand..."

"All right, now what?" Bow demanded as they poured onto the roof of the highest tower in Higfort; there were several others about ten feet away and below nearby.

"Jump it!" Sten explained. "It's our only chance!"  
"Are you freaking _kidding_ me?" Rand yelled.

"I'll use Air magic to help you out!" Nina promised. "We have to go!"

"Come on!" Katt agreed, running and leaping, clearing the jump without trouble. Sten and Elforan were next, and with a muttered curse, Ryu followed them, barely making it. Turning around, he watched Spar come up short, and for a moment his blood ran cold before he saw the Grass Man's whip snaking out for Katt to grab and haul him up by. Rand, Bow and Jean all crashed into the roof a moment later, propelled by Nina's air magic as she'd promised, and the Wing Clanswoman flew over behind them.

Before anybody could say anything, what looked like the third floor of the tower they'd been in detonated with a blast of sound that was beyond noise, and everything that had been above it slammed over and off, falling down into the ocean below.

"That, _mon amis_, was _way_ too close," Jean told them all gravely, shaking slightly. "_Monsieur _Sten was entirely correct."

"We aren't out of the woods yet!" Sten growled. "It really has set off some kind of quake or something, and the shock protection systems will be malfunctioning! We need to get down!" There was another staircase on this roof as well, leading downward; the mob poured into it, and he stopped in front of a strange device that looked like a huge box inside a doorway, large enough for them all to fit in, even Rand. "Here we go! An elevator! Knew there was one up here in this tower!"

"I must confess perplexity as to this mechanism's function," Spar murmured, looking at it skeptically.

"Does that mean, 'what the hell does it do,'?" Katt asked, frowning. "Because if it does, I'm right there with you."

"It'll carry everybody down to the bottom safely," Sten explained. "Go on, get in!"

"Wait!" Elforan pointed at a wheel crank on the side of the door that the elevator was set in. "That won't work! Somebody has to turn that in order to make the elevator descend!"

"What?" Ryu shook his head sharply. "Oh, no. Nobody's staying behind!"

"Wrong, boss." Sten crossed his arms. "We'll never get everybody down those narrow stairs in time, but one fast guy might be able to make it. And I used to live here, remember? I know all the shortcuts. I need you to trust me on this, boss. It's the way with the best chance of all of us getting out alive." He closed his eyes. "Please."

"I could do it," Nina offered. "I'd be able to glide down."

"While dodging falling debris?" Sten shook his head. "Sorry, Nina. Not likely."

"Shit." Ryu thought it over quickly. "_Shit_. All right, everybody in."

"But-" Bow started to object.

"_Go!_" Ryu roared, so furiously that everybody except Elforan rushed into the elevator without saying anything. Turning to Sten, he glared at him. "You and me are going to have a long talk once we're out of here, Sten. Don't you _dare_ die on us."

"Dying young's overrated anyways," Sten said wearily, saluting him with a smile. "See you at the bottom, boss. Your Highness, you need to go with these men."

"But Sten..." Elforan protested mildly, then trailed off as he stepped close to her.

"I'm sorry," he told her quietly. "But there's no time. You have to go now. If you die because of me..."

"I..." She closed her eyes. "I understand. Then... until we meet again." Darting forward, she kissed him once, quick and soft, before joining the others inside the elevator.

Sten closed the doors to the box without a word. Nobody else said anything either.

By the time they reached the bottom, the shaking had ceased. Ryu opened the doors, and everybody stared out into _another_ mass of guards holding dozens of crossbows aimed at them, before exchanging a cynical glance.

"I hate this place," Bow muttered.

"Surrender immediately, miscreants!" Their apparent leader snarled. "Release the Princess, or else-"

"That is _quite_ enough!" Elforan stepped forward, eyes hardening. "Stand down, Major! These men and women are heroes!"

Now it was the soldiers' turn to give each other looks.

"Your highness..." The Major coughed. "Perhaps you should leave this matter to-"

"Boot-licking scum who've been riding Shupukay's ass for their entire careers?" Turbo's voice rang through the room, and everybody turned their heads to see him leaning against a pillar, idly twirling a pair of nunchaku. "Not happening. If you don't feel like obeying your princess, maybe a superior officer will do the trick." He stood up, and his voice and face lost all trace of sarcasm. "_Do it._ Now. That's an order, all of you."

"Hey, Colonel." Ryu waved, walking over, as the soldiers lowered their crossbows. "Good job. Where's the girl?"

"Ran off on our way down." Turbo shook his head. "Said she had some business to attend to. Wasn't she one of yours?"

"Her?" Bow scoffed. "Not likely. She was just tagging along for the ride. She'll probably be okay, though. She's a survivor."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded; for some reason, he felt like telling them what Patty was probably up to wouldn't be the right thing to do. "A survivor. Just like somebody else we know..." All of a sudden, his legs buckled, as the bone-deep exhaustion from the dragon transformations finally caught up with him. Pitching forward, he was dimly aware of shouting voices as the darkness overwhelmed him.

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your heart to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and soul to God. You will become God's power..._

When he woke up again, it was the next morning. He was in a lavish guest chamber, one of many that had been given to the entire group; apparently, Elforan and Turbo had laid down the law after he'd passed out. The others were waiting for him; over breakfast, they caught him up on what had happened while he was sleeping. Everybody in Highfort had been ordered to treat them as honored guests, it seemed, and they'd enjoyed the high life over the evening while the Princess and the Colonel had been busy cleaning up all of the fallout over what had happened. Unsurprisingly, there had turned out to be a lot of it.

Sten, unfortunately, hadn't come down from the tower, and nobody had seen him-or Patty, for that matter-since. However, they hadn't found a body in the ruins of the towers either, unlike Shupukay's charred skeleton, so Elforan hadn't lost hope. Privately, everybody in the group seemed to be sharing a certain theory on their missing member's absence, but nobody was actually going to say it out loud, for obvious reasons. The Demon Lord's remains, on the other hand, had caused a great deal of noise, especially when Turbo and Elforan had explained them. The entire military hierarchy of Highland, unsurprisingly, seemed to be in turmoil.

Because of that, it wasn't until evening that the two of them were able to meet with the group, over a private dinner. As they ate, they explained everything that wasn't team-only knowledge to the Highlanders, as they had to the Siman royal family after slaying Kuwadora. In light of Shupukay's transformation, there wasn't much that they found hard to believe, and when Turbo did react with some skepticism, Elforan assured him that from what she'd seen, it was all plausible.

"To be honest, we didn't really plan on getting involved," Ryu confessed once they were done. "We just wanted to borrow that flute. All in all, though, I think things turned out well. I'm certainly not going to complain about another Demon Lord being down a head."

"Neither will we." Turbo cracked a grin. "I gotta admit, I was pretty skeptical about the kinds of folks who'd let Sten join up, but you guys are all right. It looks like Highfort owes you all quite a debt of gratitude."

"Nobody's been able to find him, even now." Elforan looked downcast for a moment. "I can't help but worry..."

"Remember who we're talking about here, your highness," Turbo said quietly, unable to look at her face. "Sten survived the Battle of Goonheim. He'll have made it. I'm sure of it."

"Yes." Elforan glanced over, compassion written on her face, and all of a sudden Ryu understood much more about the complicated past of her, Turbo, Sten and Shupukay than he had before. "Thank you, Colonel." Looking back at Ryu, she smiled. "And thank you, all of you. Even if you didn't intend it originally upon coming here, you saved us all." She thought about it for a moment. "I think, all things considered, it would be best if we altered that story a bit, though."

"What did you have in mind?" Bow asked, looking interested.

"Well, let's see here." Elforan's smile turned sly. "Hypothetically speaking, if I had contacted your group and hired you in order to remove a certain element of corruption that was about to attempt a coup against the throne and the military hierarchy, would you have accepted the job?"

"Hypothetically?" Ryu smiled back. "That sounds like the kind of thing that'd be right up our alley."

"I thought it might be." She nodded. "Of course, there were some complications when the target learned of this, but in the end, the job was successfully completed. I trust that 10,000 zenny is an adequate payment? And, of course, you may borrow the famous flute as well."

"Uh, yeah," Ryu said after a moment. "Yeah, that'll... that'll be fine. Thanks."

"That's a thousand zenny each!" Bow was whispering to Katt. "Each!"

"You're kidding!" She hissed back. "That much? Holy shit! Maybe we should start killing Demon Lords more often!"

"No," Nina murmured.

"But-"

"No."

"Ahem." Ryu coughed. "Thank you very much, your highness. Colonel. If we find anything else related to this matter that Highfort should know about, we'll send a message."

"I would appreciate that." Elforan's smile faded. "In addition, I have one more request." She took a deep breath before continuing. "If that smooth-talking young Highlander rejoins you... tell him to take care of himself. And that someday..." She trailed off, closing her eyes. "Never mind. Just... take care of him."

"Sten can take care of himself," Ryu assured her. "But we'll watch his back. Just like he watches ours."

"Good," Turbo grunted, leaning back and closing his eyes as well.

"Very well." Elforan opened hers again, smiling sadly once more. "Then may Ladon guide your path."

Nobody said anything to that, though Ryu was fairly confident that every single one of them had a different reason.

The next morning, Turbo met them at their rooms with the flute, and escorted them back to the front gate. Due to the nature of the story that was now circulating, they were politely but firmly informed that it would be best if they discreetly left, which they agreed with. Turbo seemed to be in a pensive mood, despite their victory, speaking only when spoken to for most of the walk, and even then only minimally.

"You know, I don't even mind any of this myself," he said finally, when they were near the gate. "I'm a soldier, you know? Them's the breaks. But seeing Elforan like this... it's really getting to me. Don't get me wrong, she's finally taking charge of this place, and I'm glad to see that. But when she thinks nobody's looking..."

"It's been a bad couple of years for her, I reckon," Bow guessed sympathetically. "Listen, it might not be our place to ask, but... you know, her and Sten..."

"Oh, it's no big secret." Turbo chuckled bitterly. "She's been in love with him since we were all teenagers, and he felt the same way... except he knew better than she did. It never would have worked. For all his talent, Sten just wasn't born high enough to marry into the royal family, so he started keeping his distance, no matter how much it hurt them both." He shook his head. "Sometimes I think that's part of why he took up with Shupukay. So Elforan would stop trying."

"That's... fairly cold," Nina said quietly.

"_Sten_ used to be fairly cold," Turbo replied. "More than fairly, really. He's changed, I'll give him that much. Maybe even for the better." Nodding to Corporal Gane, who quickly saluted, he watched the gates grind open before continuing. "You guys are good for him. Like Elforan said, keep an eye on him, will you?"

"Awful kind of you to look out for my well-being, Colonel," a familiar voice chimed in, and they all turned to stare at Sten as he walked up from the stairs into the guard station below. "Hey, guys. Sorry about bailing on you, but I needed to lie low until you were on your way out. Been hiding out down here."

"Elforan?" Rand guessed, voice somber.

"Yeah." Sten nodded. "Hey, Turbo."

"Hey, Sten." Turbo glanced at Gane, who averted his eyes, and shook his head. "Let's go take a walk."

"Yeah, okay," Sten agreed. "Give me a few, guys?"

"Sure," Ryu said, watching them walk out across the bridge. Only once they were out of earshot did he speak again, quietly. "Hate to say this, but somebody should probably keep an eye on them to make sure that doesn't get out of hand again." They'd all heard about what had happened the last time the two old friends had met for the first time in years when they went over the entire situation with Turbo and Elforan.

"I'll do it," Katt volunteered as they all walked across the bridge. "I'm probably the best of us at not being spotted except for him." Once they were on the other side, she slipped behind a boulder, as the others all leaned against it, trying to look casual.

"It is strange, _mon amis_," Jean murmured after a few minutes. "We have won the day, as we always do. A country is saved, a princess rescued, a Demon Lord slain, and our pay received. Even better, one of our comrades has been reunited with those he was closest to. What more could we ask for, yes? And yet... something feels strange here. It is as if we did not win after all."

"Sometimes, it's not as easy as that." Ryu shook his head. "That's just the way life is."

"Well, aren't we depressing today?" Another familiar voice asked from above them, and they all looked up to see Patty on top of the boulder, waving. Jumping off, she landed before them and turned to smirk. "You pulled it off, right? That should be good enough."

"You are _extremely_ illogical," Spar informed her gravely.

"You grow used to it once you know her," Nina explained, shaking her head. "Sometimes I wish I could be as carefree as you, Miss Smith. Not for very long, though."

"Well, _I _got what I came for," Patty bragged, tossing her ponytail. "So I _guess_ I should thank you for that much." Her eyes narrowed then, and her carefree manner dropped instantly. "And the demon?"

"Chunky-style," Ryu told her. "You never did explain just what your stake in all this was, you know."

"And I'm not going to," Patty shot back. "I appreciate the help, but that's between me and the folks I'm meeting up with." She scowled, glancing up at the sun. "If they ever get here. We were supposed to get together yesterday. Did _they_ get arrested this time, or what?"

"I heard that, babe!" A man's voice called up from a mountain trail a moment before he came into view. He was a tall, muscular Woren Clansman, with shaggy golden fur and handsome, though obviously feline, features. Like Katt did when she wasn't expecting violence, he was scantily clad, in his case wearing only a blue vest; fortunately, his fur was shaggy enough to maintain decency. Seeing them, his golden eyes widened. "Hey, wait a second! Marks? What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Lee." Rand smiled, as did Ryu. "Hanging out with this pain in the ass these days? _Man_, are you going to regret that."

"Gee, thanks." Patty rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised that you know each other. Not even slightly."

"Acquaintance of yours, buddy?" Bow guessed.

"You could say that." Tiga bumped fists with Ryu and Rand both. "Met in a shady cafe over in Sima. Turned out we were both in the same line of business." He cocked an eyebrow. "See that you had a few more guys than just you two and Legacy. You gonna introduce me?"

"Of course." Rand chuckled. "Guys, this is Tiga Lee. He heads up the _Renegades_, out of the Isle of Guntz. These are Bow Dogi, our number two guy, Nina Windfree, Jean and Spar. There's Katt Chaun, too, but she's out on a walk at the moment. So's Sten."

"Jean, huh?" Tiga's eyes glinted, and Ryu had the feeling he suspected the Prince's true identity. "Same Jean I heard a story about involving a paddleboat, a nesting swan and a guitar?"

"_Mon dieu_," Jean muttered, putting a hand to his forehead. "I beg you, _mon ami_, do not spread that around."

"No worries, man." Tiga chuckled. "Wouldn't be professional, you know?" He glanced at Nina, smile widening. "Gotta admit, I'm kind of jealous, though. If this Katt's as pretty as Miss Windfree here, you guys are a lot luckier than me. I'm just up to my ass in grunts. Well, except for Claris, but that's Claris."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Nina remarked dryly. "Claris?"

"His number two," Patty explained, leaning against the boulder with them and buffing her nails. "I'm surprised she's not here. She's usually the one who tags along with this playboy to keep him out of trouble."

"I was investigating the area, Miss Smith," a voice said calmly, right next to her, and as she jumped, everybody turned to look. The woman who'd joined them without being seen was red-haired and tanned, her slim blue dress baring her arms and legs. Her eyes were blue as well, cold and practical, and her face stern and serious despite her youth. "Claris Parcia. A pleasure. Aside from a pair of Highlanders and a young woman tailing them, we're alone in the area. Yours, I take it, Mister Bateson?"

"One of the Highlanders is our contact." Ryu shrugged. "The other two are on the team, though, yeah. We're just finishing up here."

"I see." Claris nodded. "That would explain why one of the two appears to be Colonel Turbo Pautten. It must have been an interesting job."

"Another high-class contract?" Tiga shook his head. "Man, your guys' luck never stops, does it? You must have some crazy sort of destiny on your side."

"Yeah, something like that," Ryu muttered, as the others frowned as well.

"With how much I'm paying you, you've got no reason to complain," Patty told him, not noticing. "I got what we needed, by the way."

"Hey, not bad at all," Tiga admitted. "Maybe you're better than I though. Needed these guys' help to do it, though? You're making me jealous, babe."

"Please." She snorted. "We just had similar goals, that's all. I wouldn't hang around with these clowns for any longer than I had to if somebody was paying _me_, and I'm pretty sure the feeling's mutual."

"No pretty sure about it." Bow rolled his eyes. "Better you than us, buddy."

"Well then, we should be on our way," Claris suggested. "The sooner we join the rest of the group, the sooner we can move on to the next step."

"Sooner we can find someplace that actually has decent bars, too," Tiga added. "All right, we're out of here. Catch you guys around."

"Later." Ryu lazily waved, which the three of them returned as they set off down the mountain trail. The group continued to wait there, for several more minutes, until Katt returned.

"They're coming back," she said quietly, leaning against the boulder as well. "Just talked a lot. Wasn't any fighting." As if on cue, Sten and Turbo walked past only a few moments later, and continued going until they were on the bridge, staring down into the ocean.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Sten said eventually. "We... needed to talk, was all."

"It's all right," Ryu told him. "We... know. I mean, not _know_ know. We can't really understand what it's like. But... we can guess."

"No, you can't," Turbo agreed, without any rancor; it was a simple, flat statement. "Goonheim was..." He shuddered. "It was bad."

"We lost a lot of friends there," Sten muttered, eyes distant. "Woolman... Yohan... Tselner..." He shook himself, like a wet animal. "Did you... bring them back?"

"Of course I did." Turbo gave him a look. "Like I wouldn't?"

"Maybe I'll go see them someday," Sten said quietly. "I... should apologize. To them. For not having the balls to do what they did."

"You'll come back, then?" Turbo asked.

"I..." Sten closed his eyes. "I don't know, Turbo. I really don't. I have a new place to belong, now." The others were staying quiet; they knew that they had no part in this conversation, even if they were allowed to listen to it.

"Then stay alive," Turbo told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's good. That you've got people like them. And if, one day, you do decide your place is here... me and the Princess will still be waiting for you. Good luck, and may Ladon be with you. See you around, Sten." He struck a salute, smiling faintly, before leaping off the bridge, down towards the water.

"Show-off," Sten muttered fondly, watching him fall. After a moment, he walked back over to them, looking more like his normal self. "Hey, guys. Thanks for putting up with all of that." He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I made you go through a lot of inconvenience, didn't I? My bad, I guess. Ex-soldiers like me, we... well, we're not really good at... things, you know? Ha ha ha..."

Before he could say another word, Katt had walked forward, and pulled him into a fierce, almost sisterly hug.

"Shut up," she whispered, as his eyes widened. "You... you idiot. You don't have to pretend you're okay if you're not."

"You're one of us," Rand told him, putting a huge hand on one shoulder, as Bow did the same with the other. "We're here for you, man."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Bow promised. "We won't ask. But we've got you. Always will, until the day we die."

"You guys..." Sten whispered, looking at all of their faces in turn. "Why? You _know _now. Who... what I used to be. Why would you..."

"Who you were, and who you are, are two very different things, _mon ami_," Jean said gravely. "I have never known General Legacy. I only know my friend, Sten, and I know that he is a good man, yes?"

"I must concur with that assessment," Spar agreed. "Secondhand information is, well, secondhand compared to actual interaction. You are a comrade, and you have yet to say or do anything to me that I would find offensive. Why would I not help you however I could?"

"We all have our burdens," Nina murmured, smiling sadly. "Perhaps none of ours are as heavy as yours, but we do know what it means to have them. We might never be able to understand, but we'll never stop trying."

"I..." Sten closed his eyes. "I don't deserve you guys."

"Doesn't matter if you do or not," Ryu told him, as the massive gates of Highfort closed. "You're one of us. All we need to know. What do you say? Ready to head home?"  
"Yeah." Sten smiled slowly, and it looked different than any he'd ever shown before. "Home... sounds good about now."

_IF I LEAD WILL YOU FOLLOW WILL YOU FOLLOW IF I LEAD _


	23. Chapter 21: The Legendary Sorceress

_**Chapter 21: The Legendary Sorceress **_

"Looks like the carpenters are working hard," Ryu noted as the team headed down the path into their town; it was actually paved now, as were all the roads linking the houses. Six more of said houses were being built, still three to a row, south of those already standing. "Hope it won't be too noisy."

"It's not _that_ bad," Bow, who had been present during all of the initial construction, told him. "You get used to it. How long are we going to be sticking around before we head back to Tunlan?"

"Why don't we figure that out in a few days?" Ryu suggested, trying to sound nonchalant. "I think we could all use a break, after that."

"Sounds good to me!" Katt agreed quickly.

"Yeah, definitely." Rand nodded as well as they approached their own home. As they walked up the steps, the door slowly opened, and the big man waved. "Hey, Niro... huh?"

"Nina?" The young girl who'd opened the door asked hesitantly as they all froze. A Wing Clanswoman in her early teens with soft pink wings, she wore a dress that probably cost more than their entire building with a total lack of self-consciousness. Her hair was long and dark blue, the same color as Ryu's, and her eyes the same green, though hers were sadder, more hesitant. "You're back."

"Mina?" Nina whispered, then dropped to the ground and ran over to embrace her sister, neither of them saying anything more.

"I believe this counts as confirmation of our break," Spar said quietly, with respect if not emotion.

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. "Yeah, definitely."

Though it was Bow's theft from Trout that had first set Ryu to traveling the world, their adventures had truly begun when the two of them had been hired to recover Princess Mina's missing pet, which had resulted in them meeting Niro and Ladon both. The heir apparent to the Windian throne since Nina had been forced to go into exile, she was a gentle, emotional girl who'd never truly understood why she'd had to be separated from her sister, and had come to visit her several times a year in the Aurian Magic School.

Later that evening, over dinner in the restaurant the Rivabs had added on as an extension to their house, Mina explained that she'd come down to visit Nina at her new home. Unfortunately, she'd arrived several days ago, while they were still embroiled in the mess at Highfort, so Niro had offered her their last spare room until they returned. Though Mina had been one of the guests for the meeting at Duke Kilgore's, most of them had been too busy to hang out with her much. Thus, she was almost as happy to see them again as well, especially Ryu, Bow, and Katt, who she'd met before then.

Though nobody came right out and said it, they all knew that they'd be remaining in Hometown until Mina went back to Winlan in a week. For his part, Ryu _intended_ to spend it relaxing, but not even a full day passed before he found himself lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, trying to think of something to do. It was a distressing thought, that he'd lost his interest in goofing off; hopefully, it was only a temporary affliction, and he'd get over it soon.

Katt had gone hunting with Bow, which left out sparring with her, and Nina was off with Mina. Bothering Sten at the moment was out of the question, and though he liked Jean, he wasn't quite desperate enough to spend an extended period of time hanging out with the Siman Prince, who was probably writing poetry or something. Neither was he feeling enthusiastic about seeking out Rand, who'd been helping the carpenters out; boredom beat _that_ much physical labor, even now. Spar's location and habits were an enigma, which left only one man on the team.

"Hey, son," Niro said jovially as Ryu descended the steps into the combination library and meeting room at the center of the bottom floor. "Bored already?"

"How'd you know?" Ryu admitted wryly. "I must be sick or something."

"You could always go help Rand an' the guys out," the old man joked. "That'd probly cure you _real_ fast."

"Yeah, no." Ryu shook his head. "Bow wasn't kidding when he talked about how bad I am at that sort of thing. There was a reason he wouldn't let me touch anything back when you guys were putting this one back together."

"Your call, son." Niro shrugged. "Personally, keepin' this place in shape while yer all out on the road's all the excitement I need in my life these days."

"We do kind of have a bit of collection of yahoos, don't we?" Ryu agreed. "Sorry about that. At least Kay doesn't cause problems, right?"

"Oh, naw, not unless you count droppin' by three times a week to try an' put me on pills for my health," the old man drawled. "I tell her I've gone seventy years without touchin' no pills, and I ain't gonna start now, but she still keeps comin'." He chuckled. "Don't you worry, son. Speakin' honest here, with the kind of crew we _got_, it'd probly be _worse_ if we had nothin' but normal folks livin' 'round here. 'Least these ones won't care what _we_ get up to."

"Point." Ryu grimaced. "A slightly distressing point, but a point all the same." He glanced at the bookshelf Niro was dusting; by now, most of them were filled, though where the old man had actually gotten the books was a mystery to him. A sudden thought struck him, and he tried to keep his voice casual as he changed the subject. "Anyways, I was wondering something. I don't suppose we've got any books on the Dragon Wars in here?"

"Well, well," Niro murmured, and Ryu turned to see him looking at him, eyes narrowed. "I was wonderin' how long it'd be 'fore ya came lookin' for one."

"I've been trying not to think about it," he admitted. "But after what happened in Highfort... well, there's trying to avoid something and then there's blinding yourself to it. And if everybody seems to insist that I'm in charge here, that means I've got a responsibility, whether I like it or not."

"Figured on something like that." Niro nodded, glancing at the shelves. "Now, thing about history is that everybody agrees on the basics, but once you start gettin' into the fine details, every yahoo's got their own opinion, an' most of 'em are crap. Heart o' the matter is, the only ones who know for sure how it all went were the folks who saved the world themselves, and none o' them were the book-writing type, so the best we can do is settle for the ones who try the hardest to just stick to the facts without gettin' into speculation."

"And I'm guessing you know who those are?" Ryu said, smiling slightly; this wasn't the first time Niro had displayed an unusual degree of knowledge in some surprising areas, which had led them all to wonder a great deal about his life before they'd met him as a transient sleeping in a ruined city.

"Like I said, I figured you'd come askin' after these eventually." Niro chuckled, hauling a pair of hefty tomes off of the shelves. "Just 'cause I'm on the perimeter o' all this mess don't mean I figure on keepin' my eyes closed either. Now, the First Dragon War's trickier, but Moreno's _History of an Apocalypse_ is _almost_ all straight, even if the title's hyperbole. Just ignore the appendixes. As for the Second, Crawfield's _Fall of the House of Zog_ gets everything down, but you can skip the first few chapters; they're all about the Dark Dragon Empire's royal family, so they probably ain't important."

"Yeah, the only one who was really involved was the last Emperor Zog, right?" Ryu recalled, taking the books. "And maybe his daughter, but only marginally, in her case."

"Bit more than marginal, considerin' she's one of your ancestors, if I'm gettin' all this right," Niro corrected him. "Her son ended up marryin' one o' the daughters o' the Queen o' Windia. United the Light and Dark Dragons."

"Wait, seriously?" Ryu blinked. "So I'm descended from _three _royal houses? Ladon damn it all." He resisted the urge to slap his face; if he tried holding the books one-handed he'd probably drop them on his foot. "Yeah, I've got a lot of reading to do."

"'Least you got time for it." Niro chuckled. "Want me to spread the word to leave ya alone?"

"Actually?" Ryu shook his head. "Just the opposite. If anybody wants to talk to me about anything, right now's the perfect time for it, team or civilian. I'm gonna take these up to the roof to read 'em, so I'll probably be up there for most of the week."

"Gotcha." Niro nodded. "I'll let 'em all know yer office hours, then. Have fun, son."

"Next time, I'll have a desk and everything," Ryu joked, heading upstairs. "See you around."

He hadn't been much for books for a very long time; instead, he'd left that to Bow, claiming that the other man was more suited to it and that he felt more comfortable with a blade in his hand. In truth, though, there was more to the story than that. His father _had _been a very studious man, a habit he'd encouraged in his son, and after losing his family, Ryu had simply never been able to feel the same about the hours of reading he'd done on a daily basis before then.

Because of that, he was slightly hesitant about falling back into the habit, even if he told himself this was only going to be a one-time thing. However, though the first few hours were slow, he soon found himself glued to the book on the First Dragon War. Whoever Moreno had been, he'd recounted the time in which the Goddess Myria had played all the world against itself in grand style, and the hours passed like lightning as he read the accounts of battle after battle, realizing the significance of details he'd never grasped as a child.

For the entirety of the first day, nobody bothered him, which was unusual enough to almost make him think that Niro had told everybody to leave him alone after all. That illusion was shattered when he descended for dinner; during which numerous cracks about 'his office' were made at his expense. Though he bore it with good humor, he nevertheless decided that meals would be the only time he came down over the next few days. Hopefully, that would provide enough time for the team to find something else to amuse them; they had an unfortunate tendency to drive a joke into the ground.

"Now here's something I never thought I'd see," Bow cracked as he walked up on the roof sometime during their second day back, reinforcing that fact. "Ryu Bateson, nose so deep in a book it'll get stuck."

"There's a trick to avoiding that." Ryu closed the book and hefted it in one hand. "Come over here and I'll show you how it's done."

"Grouchy, isn't he?" Rand chuckled, following Bow up with a slight grunt of irritation as he shoved his six-foot shoulders through the stairwell. "I thought books were supposed to help people relax. Not that I know. I can barely even read."

"I thought you said you were getting through that book on white magic I gave you." Bow gave him a look.

"Yeah, but I ask Spar for help on the tough words," Rand explained. "Doesn't even give me shit about it. Have I mentioned how glad I am to have _someone_ else on the team who acts like an adult?"

"There's Niro." Ryu pointed out with a smirk. "He's about as adult as you get."

"He's wrapped all the way back around," Rand retorted. "Doesn't count." He raised an eyebrow at the book. "Is that really any good? I'd never be able to make it through something like that. Magic I can stand-barely-but history? No way."

"It helps that it's actually directly relevant to us," Ryu explained, glancing grimly down at the book. "For one, Kuwadora's in here."

"What, on the demon side?" Bow snorted. "Not that surprising. Myria called them out when everybody finally figured out what she was up to, didn't she?"

"I think so, yeah." Ryu nodded. "I haven't gotten that far yet. But that wasn't where Kuwadora was. At least, he didn't start that way. Wouldn't surprise me if he stayed loyal to her even then, from what this says about him so far."

"Wait, you mean he was mortal back then?" Bow blinked. "Huh. So... when he said he was a _real_ demon, he just meant he'd been one for more than two thousand years?"

"Exactly." Ryu glanced down on the book. "It says he had another name back then, but I guess he traded it in near the end of the war or something; the author gets a little ahead of himself, sometimes. He was the brother of the Dark Dragon King, and even then, he was a total psycho. The book doesn't come right out and say it, but it seems to be implying that he was the one who convinced the King to take up with Myria in the first place."

"Yeesh." Rand grimaced. "Heavy stuff."

"No kidding." Ryu closed his eyes. "Ridiculous as this sounds, it makes what we went through look like a cakewalk. I'm at the point where my ancestor's trying to forge a strong enough coalition of countries and Clans to actually end the war, but he's not having much luck so far." He put the book aside. "But all that aside... what's up?"

Bow and Rand shared a look.

"It's Sten, buddy," Bow explained. "We don't know... I mean..." He trailed off, exchanging another glance with Rand.

"He's acting weird?" Ryu guessed. "That's not exactly surprising, considering last week."

"That's the thing, chief." Rand shook his head. "He's _not._ Acting weird, I mean. As soon as we got back, he just went back to joking and laughing and flirting with girls, like he always does. Shouldn't he... you know... _be_ a little different?"

"Oh." Ryu thought for a moment, looking to the southeast. The mountainous border between Auria and Highland was dimly visible, and the sun was high above it, creeping towards the noon heights. "Well... maybe. But you know... I don't think Sten ever actually stopped thinking about his past. About what he went through. I don't really think he _could_."

"Yeah, probably not," Bow agreed. "I mean, he jokes a lot... but he's had a pretty hard life, even by this team's standards. And that's saying something. So?"

"So maybe he _is_ dealing with what happened back there," Ryu suggested. "The same way he's been dealing with his past all his life, ever since he left there. It's the only way he knows how. If we tried to shake that up, we'd probably just make it worse for him. Maybe the best way we can help is to do the same. Just treat him like we always do."

"He might have a point," Rand agreed. "When you get right down to it, Sten's a total fraud... but he's got a good reason for it. I like guys like that."

"Exactly." Ryu nodded. "Try talking to Sana. She and Seso are de-fused while we're here, right? If anybody'd know, it'd be her."

"Hadn't thought of that," Bow admitted. "Probably because talking with her is... well... yeah." He made a face, and the other two men both nodded. "Besides, I think her and Sten are kind of taking a break from... whatever... for now."

"Really?" Ryu blinked, then slowly nodded in realization. "Oh yeah. That business with Elforan."

"Exactly." Rand shook his head. "I know about as much about romance as I do about archery, but even I can see why the girl might not have been too keen on that."

"Any girl would," Bow agreed. "Can't say I'm surprised she went for Sten, you know? Looked all pretty and petite, but she was as savvy as they come. Pretty cool."

"Don't let Silvia hear you talk like that, man," Ryu told him, smirking.

"Like you need to tell me _that_." Bow snorted, then sobered. "You're probably right. About Sten, I mean. It's just... that was pretty intense, you know? For all of us. Not just him."

"It was a pretty crazy place," Rand agreed. "I mean... an entire country of soldiers? That's about as far as you can get from the kind of stuff I grew up around." He glanced at the books. "I don't even know how that sort of thing could even happen. Is there anything in there about that place?"

"Highland?" Ryu shook his head. "That Clan wasn't even around back in the First, as far as I can tell. They're one of the more recent ones. I think there's some mention of them in the Second, but I haven't got that far yet."

"Just curious." Rand shrugged.

"Let me know when you get that far, huh?" Bow asked as they turned away. "I've always kind of liked learning about that sort of thing. New Clans, you know? How they first take their place in the world. We'll leave you to it, then."

"Better you than us," Rand added.

"Har har." Ryu rolled his eyes as they both disappeared down the stairs, chuckling. He returned to his reading then, stopping only for lunch, and then dinner later, though he took a break at that point, resuming after breakfast the next day. It was at around the same time then that another man came up to speak with him, one familiar in a less recent sense.

"Hey, Ryu!" A young-looking man in casual clothing called as he came up onto the roof; only the receding line of his short blond hair hinted at his real age. "They said I could find you up here."

"Hanz!" Ryu grinned, rising from his studies to walk over and shake his hand. "About time you got here, man! What kept you?"

"Got lost," his old friend admitted sheepishly. "Wound up in the wrong place entirely." Looking around from the rooftop, he whistled. "When I first saw this place, I was sure I'd made another mistake. All this is _yours_, man?"

"Well, sort of," Ryu hedged. "Everybody keeps telling me I'm in charge, so I just go along with it, but the guy who really runs the show is my team's agent. He's the one who's here twenty-four seven unless something comes up. The rest of us spend most of our time on the road."

"Heard about that, too." Hanz shook his head. "You and Bow, heading up your team of mercs."

"Freelance adventurers," Ryu corrected.

"Right, right." Hanz chuckled. "I mean, you guys always wanted to, I remember. Just didn't figure it would happen on _this_ big a scale."

"Can't really say I did, either," Ryu agreed, watching the carpenters and Rand cheer as they successfully fitted the roof into place on one of the houses. "Some days I still don't really believe it. I have a _town._ How the hell did _that_ happen? It's been one hell of a year." Glancing at Hanz, he frowned slightly. "Did Elder Allen tell you the story?"

"Yeah, him and Duke Kilgore." Hanz nodded, sobering as well. "I have to admit, Ryu. Even with both of them, I'm still not sure I believe it all. I mean... demons? Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't if I'd been there, either." Ryu sighed. "I think the next time we run into one, we'll see if we can haul the skeleton back; they all burst into flame when we kill them. Maybe that'll be a little more convincing than just words, even words from a paladin of St. Eva. Did Elder Allen tell you one of them was verifying all that?"

"He did," Hanz admitted. "That's mostly why I kept listening. Even so..." He left it hanging, looking awkward.

"No, no, it's fine," Ryu assured him. "I should have known something like this would be bound to happen eventually." Hanz had always been a skeptic for as long as he'd known the man, unlike Azusa and Maclean, and it wasn't surprising that he was digging in his heels over the concept of fairy tales made reality. Ryu's first thought was to give him proof of at least one supposed impossibility, but for some reason, he disliked that thought; it seemed like it would cheapen the Breath of Fire somehow, to use it for such a casual reason.

"It's okay, man," Hanz told him. "Maybe it's just something like... whether a guy believes in St. Eva or not, right? That never bothered me none."

"Well... maybe," Ryu muttered, thinking quickly; he could almost see Hanz's mind closing. "But look. Would it help any if a member of the Windian royal family told you we were on the level? Someone like _that_ wouldn't have any reason to bullshit mugs like us, would they?"

"Princess Mina?" Hanz blinked. "Wait, she's _here_?"

"She's old friends with our team's black mage," Ryu explained. "Comes by to visit every so often." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Don't let this get out, either, but... did Elder Allen tell you who our first jack-of-all-trades was?"

"Prince Jean," Hanz said slowly. "Yeah, that's right. And Maclean and Azusa said you'd just gotten back from some job for the Highlander princess, too."

"Yeah, that one paid pretty well." Ryu chuckled with forced lightness.

"I'll bet." Hanz shook his head slowly. "Your first jack-of-all-trades? You've got another one?"

"Well, maybe," Ryu said honestly. "I'm not sure yet if it's going to stick around for the long haul or not, but it's with us for a while. And the reason I'm referring to it as _it_ is because it's a Grass Man."

"Wait, what?" Hanz's eyes widened.

"Yup." Ryu nodded. "And we've got a few Fusion Clanswomen living next door. A Paladin of St. Eva helps us out every now and then, and so does some thief girl from a Clan I've never even seen before, even in books." He shrugged. "This is a weird town, Hanz. I'm gonna be honest with you on that score. I mean, it was more or less founded by a team of freelance adventurers a few months back, and look at it now. Even when we're not around, I'm not gonna say things are normal, because they probably aren't."

As if to drive the point home, the carpenters were suddenly assaulted by a flock of paint cans that had somehow sprouted wings, chased by a wildly cursing Lacquer, who was sporting a brand new coat of rainbow.

"Didn't know he knew magic," Ryu muttered, watching the debacle. "Looks like he's not too good at it. Yeah, that's just what my day needed. St. Eva and Ladon willing, Niro'll be able to sort that out without dragging me into it." He glanced at Hanz, who was giving him a cautious look. "Well?"

"You're pretty cynical about it," Hanz said slowly. "It's like that kind of crazy shit is just business as usual to you now."

"Probably because it kind of is," Ryu admitted, wincing. "Like I said. This year has been messed up. I kind of _had_ to get used to it, or else I'd go crazy. Bow, Rand, Nina and Sten are in the same boat." He smirked. "Katt, Jean and Niro had a head start on us. They were always a little crazy."

"Like Azusa and Maclean, right?" Hanz chuckled. "Bet those two didn't have any trouble getting used to this at all."

"Yeah, they didn't even ask any questions," Ryu recalled. "Look, man. If you're having second thoughts..."

"Actually, you've convinced me," Hanz told him, and he blinked in surprise. "Not about... everything you said. Not completely. But I'm not ruling it out, either. I guess what I'm saying is if you guys can all get used to this sort of thing, maybe if I stick around long enough I'll stop caring, too." He smiled slightly. "Besides, some hugeass thing starts causing trouble around here, I don't need to believe in it to hit it right between the eyes, now do I?"

"Guess that works." Ryu agreed. "Glad to hear it. We could use a general store around here. Worked out how you're gonna get your merchandise in?"

"I've got a couple ideas," Hanz said, smiling. "Figure I'll work it out once I've actually got the place set up. I'll let you get back to your..." He glanced at the books. "Your, uh, history lesson, then."

"Long story." Ryu rolled his eyes, than added a cheerful comment as Hanz left, out of pure whimsy. "Oh, and if that statue of Ladon starts talking to you one day, don't freak out. He's retired."

"...Right." Hanz nodded slightly as he left, and with a chuckle, Ryu returned to his reading. A few hours later, he took a break for lunch before going back up to finish up the first book, heading into the climax of the war when the entirety of the world finally united against Myria, prompting her to call up her hordes of demonic servants to defend her flying fortress. He was right at the point when his predecessor's strike team were about to head in when he heard footsteps on the stairs once more, and turned his head to see Nina and Jean coming up.

"_Mon ami_?" Jean asked. "We are not disturbing you, I hope?"

"Nah." Ryu closed the book. "I'm enjoying this, but you guys take precedence. How's Mina?"

"She's having the time of her life," Nina murmured, smiling wistfully. "Our parents are a bit overprotective of her when she's at home, so her visits to me were the only real time she felt like she could act freely, and even then her entourage were always paranoid about people figuring out who she was." She frowned thoughtfully then, probably thinking that they'd been right to do so, considering the Joker Gang's eventual kidnapping of her, before continuing on. "This is probably the first place in her life aside from Duke Kilgore's manor where nobody's been telling her to be careful."

"Yeah, I don't think anybody's going to come looking for her with trouble in mind here." Ryu chuckled. "And if they do, they'll regret it."

"Exactly." Nina nodded. "She's out with Katt and Bow right now. Apparently, she wants to learn how to use a crossbow. I'm not sure how well that'll work out, but I trust those two."

"I _guess_ it's a princessly weapon?" Ryu said after a moment. "Hey, better that than, say, an axe or something."

"Indeed, _mon ami_," Jean agreed. "Many was the time I worried when Petape would take an unhealthy interest in some sort of weaponry such as morningstars, but fortunately, her interest was always fleeting. By comparison, a crossbow is not so bad, no?"

Ryu and Nina shared a glance as they both imagined Jean's little sister, a nearly psychotically overdramatic adolescent, with a morningstar. Both of them shuddered.

"Mina told me the two of them have been exchanging letters," Nina said after a moment. "I suppose it's for the best of both our countries that they're becoming close friends, but I hope Petape doesn't rub off on her. Sorry, Jean."

"_Non, non, non, non, non_, it is fine," Jean assured her. "I had considered another possibility, in truth, and one much more fortunate. Perhaps your sister will be a calming influence on mine, and she will learn some more... ah... restraint, yes?"

Ryu and Nina both considered this as well.

"Nah," they said in unison.

"It was worth a shot." Jean shrugged, sounding much more normal than usual for a moment, before recovering. "Well, _mon ami_, there is something we both wished to speak with you of, yes?" He glanced at Nina, who nodded.

"It's about those new houses," she explained. "We both know some friends who might be interested in moving down here, and we thought it would be best if we discussed it with you together."

"Hey, any friends of yours are friends of mine," Ryu told them both. "That's what it means, being part of this team, right? So who's moving in?"

"Do you remember Baretta?" Nina asked. "We met her in that lodge on the Windia-Nanai border. She was my closest friend, growing up in Windia, until I had to leave." Her eyes clouded over momentarily before she shook it off and continued. "I never really got along well with other highborn children other than Jean, so when I made friends with her one day, we were both determined to keep seeing each other, even though our families didn't approve."

"She's a blacksmith, right?" Ryu recalled. "Looking for a place to set up shop. With that uncle of hers, the traveling weapons salesman... what was his name, Lemington?"

"He was the only one in her family who didn't mind," Nina recalled. "That we were friends, I mean. He thought it was hilarious, but in a good way; he'd help sneak Baretta out so we could spend time together." She glanced at Jean mischievously. "So of course, when my friend from Sima came to visit, of course we had to escape from the palace so he could meet her."

"Ah, the stories I told when I returned!" Jean grinned. "What other young boy is so lucky as to have so much fun with two cute girls, yes?"

"Oh, boy." Ryu smiled as well; this was sounding far too similar to some of his and Bow's childhood shenanigans, the kind which hadn't ended badly. "How many laws did you break?"

"I forget, to be honest," Nina admitted. "It was fun, though. Anyways, Lemington's actually looking to go into business with her; he's getting old, and considering retiring. What he doesn't know about weapons and armor is probably obsolete, and he's got contacts all over the world. Between his expertise, and Baretta's skill in the forge, I believe they'd have everybody here covered as far as our local smithy would be concerned."

"More than covered, by the sounds of it." Ryu nodded. "Well, you've sold me. Go ahead and let 'em know they can have a house if they want it." He glanced at Jean. "What about you? A friend of yours looking for a place, too?"

"Indeed, and it is also one whom you are acquainted with," Jean explained. "You recall my friend Salvatore, yes? The sculptor of paramount skill? He has expressed desire to travel to another land to me before, and has now written me asking if we would be willing to take him in."

"A sculptor, huh?" Ryu shrugged, thinking back; the man had actually been far less flamboyant and eccentric than he would have expected from one of Jean's artistic friends. "Well, hey, we've got the houses, and we do owe him one for helping us out with Kuwadora. He wants to move into this madhouse, tell him to go right ahead."

"I knew you would understand, _mon ami_," Jean said with a smile. "Your reading is going well, I hope?"

"I'm almost done with the First Dragon War." Ryu glanced down at the book. "The only real disappointment so far is that there isn't as much detail on Obelisk as I was hoping for. Maybe there'll be more near the end, though."

"Indeed." Jean pursed his lips thoughtfully. "One must wonder how it was that such a thing became the home of the Highlander Clan, yes?"

"That was after the Second Dragon War," Nina told him. "As I recall, it ended up crashed in the wasteland of Scande after the First, and was returned to the sky briefly for the climax of the second." She frowned. "What I'm wondering is how some of it ended up in Sima, if the main body went down in Highland. Nothing should have been able to propel two separate pieces of a castle, even a flying one, to opposite ends of the world."

"Oh, that one's easy," Ryu said, smiling. "I remember _that_ one even before I get that far."

"Oh?" Nina smiled as well, as did Jean. "Is that so?"

"By all means, _mon ami_, educate us," the Prince added. "How _did_ such a thing come to pass, then?"

"It happened because a freaking _Goddess_ freaking _exploded_ in the heart of the damn thing," Ryu pointed out. "When you're talking about a divinity detonating, I think it's safe to conclude 'physically possible' goes right out the window."

"A valid point." Nina coughed. "Well. That explains that."

"Quite," Jean agreed. "At any rate, it is not like such knowledge is widely known. The Highlanders themselves did not seem to be aware of their ancestral home's true identity, after all." He shook his head, looking unusually dismal for a moment. "There was a lot of damage to the castle because of that, so perhaps it is for the best, yes? It will take much work to fix."

"Elforan can handle it," Nina assured him. "She knows what she's doing, even if she's unlucky romantically." She glanced at the book. "I'm... curious as to how our ancestors in the First Dragon War... well, how their relationship turned out. They did have a relationship, right?"

"Oh, yes." Ryu nodded slowly. "As a matter of fact, that was what turned the tide of the war. When the Prince of the Light Dragons and the Princess of the Wing Clan were betrothed to seal the alliance between their countries. Back then, they didn't really know that inter-Clan marriages were a bad idea; everybody was so xenophobic because of Myria playing them against each other that it didn't really come up until after the war."

"Oh." She glanced down. "I suppose times were different back then." She glanced off at the the horizon, as Jean coughed awkwardly. "Seeing Elforan, though... it made me think that she's the kind of girl who wouldn't let anything stand in her way if she loved somebody. Even something like Clan. I mean, I know... Sten... but if he wasn't a Highlander, she still wouldn't care."

"And yet, I doubt Sten has ever told her he loved her." Jean shook his head. "Ah, other countries are such strange places."

"You'd never let something like that get in the way, either," Nina agreed, smiling slightly, before glancing at Ryu. "What about you, Ryu? I mean... well..." She began looking flustered, almost tripping over her words as she continued quickly. "You know, if you fell in love with... somebody from another Clan, like Sten or... oh, _damn_..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Ryu held up his hands, his own thoughts rushing; he could tell that Nina was desperate for a way out of the current subject at that point, so instead of pushing it further into dangerous territory for both of them, he seized on what she'd said. "Sorry to interrupt, but I _really_ don't think I want to talk about me falling in love with _Sten_."

"Eep!" She blushed. "No, I didn't mean..."

"Come, come, Nina," Jean took her hand gently, meeting Ryu's eyes for a moment and nodding slightly before turning to her. "With all respect to _monsieur_ Ryu, I do not really think such things are ones he is experienced in, no?"

"Hey, what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Ryu growled, playing along.

"Nothing at all, _mon ami_," Jean replied, eyes innocent. "Come, _mademoiselle_ Nina, let us go downstairs, have some tea, and calm down, before we talk more of this, yes?"

"Right," Nina agreed quickly. "Thank you, Jean, and... I'll see you tonight at dinner, Ryu."

"See you then." Ryu nodded as they left, then exhaled heavily. "Oh, _man_."

After that conversation, returning to the book's inclusion of their near-identical ancestor's romance was out of the question, and so he called it a day, going down to busy himself around town with various idle whims until dinner. The next day, he went back up to the roof to finish up and move on to the second book; he was on the first few pages of that when another visitor made her way up the stairs.

"Mister Bateson?" Kay asked, poking her head up over the edge of the stairwell. "Are you still up here?"

"Not planning on going anywhere for the next couple of days except for meals and sleep," he said, closing the book. "Got a lot to catch up on."

"So I've heard." She smiled slightly, glancing at the books. "Is it... helpful?"

"It's illuminating," he replied politely after a moment's thought; for all her friendliness, Kay was the most devout believer in St. Eva in the town, and he didn't want to offend her with his growing consideration of a more pantheonic view of the heavens. "We think we've been through a lot, but compared to what the Dragon Wars were like, so far, this isn't really so bad. I mean, sealing a so-called Goddess away in an island fortress locked by seven magical keys scattered across the world? Even if she wasn't an actual deity, that's playing on a level way beyond anything we're dealing with."

"I suppose it does help to put things in perspective," she acknowledged. "Still, slaying demons is no small feat either. I've heard there have been more of them, even?"

"The one in the carnival wasn't so bad," Ryu explained, eyes darkening. "Highfort had another full-fledged Demon Lord, though. That one sucked." He frowned. "I told everybody to stop by and see you if they felt anything that our white mages hadn't been able to fix up. Nothing's wrong with any of them, is it?"

"No, no," she assured him, holding up a folder she'd been carrying under her arm. "It's more... older things that I'm concerned about."

"Older?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "I'm getting the feeling this is one of those discussions I might want to be sitting down for."  
"That may be best," Kay agreed as they both sat down on the building's edge. "I'm not a white mage, but I know a few... I've heard them called gray magic... tricks."

"Like that Scan spell you used on me, during my last check-up." Ryu nodded. "I remember. Niro's the same; doesn't know a bit of white or black, but there's a few in-between. You use that one on everybody?"

"Yes, although some of them took some talking into it." She smiled briefly before taking out black pieces of paper with amazingly detailed images of various skeletons on them. "I copied what I was able to get out for more detailed analysis later on, and I've found that you... and most of your team seem to have a great deal more of what you'd call residual damage built up in your bodies than I would expect, considering your age. I was hoping maybe you could shed a little light on that."

"I'll do my best," Ryu promised. "Why don't you start with me and Bow?"

"All right." She put what looked like a more-or-less human skeleton on top and began pointing at it. "Have your wrists been broken at any time in the past?"

"When I was twelve," Ryu admitted. "Same with Bow's. Slavers caught us, down in a Coursair slum, and we had to do that to get 'em out of the manacles."

"You _broke_ your own _wrists_?" She demanded, eyes wide.

"It was either that or get sold to some bastards who 'liked' kids our age." Ryu grimaced, recalling some of the potential customers they'd seen as they were being shoved down towards the cells. "Lucky for us, the authorities called in a white mage to heal us after we escaped and got the city guard down there."

"I... see." She blinked once. "That... must have been horrifying."

"You get used to shit like that happening when you have the kind of life we used to." Ryu shrugged it off. "That wasn't even the worst of it." He thought for a moment. "I think maybe I see the problem here, Miss Sindel."

"Kay, please," she said, recovering slightly.

"Only if you agree to make it, 'Ryu,'" he replied. "But anyways... Ray said you were both raised by the Church of St. Eva?"

"That's correct." She nodded. "Both of us were orphans, as was Gabriel, our other 'brother,' until the Church took us in."

"I'm glad it did," Ryu said honestly. "You see, me and Bow didn't have anybody like that. His parents are dead, and mine... are gone. We basically grew up on the open road, and that's not really a good place for a couple of boys by themselves. The way we looked at it, as long as we were alive, there was hope. Anything short of dying, or being permanently crippled... after a while, we learned to endure it." He pointed at his neck. "The scar's faded by now, but for a while, I had one there. Had to fake hanging myself to get out of some trouble with the Capitan guard."

"I never..." Kay murmured, scrambling for words. "I mean, I... are the others... like that?" She shuffled her papers, producing another, smaller skeleton with a long tail. "Miss Chaun... Katt... she has the hands of a boxer. Her knuckles have all been broken, multiple times. It must hurt her even to move her fingers by now."

"Katt makes us look like lightweights by comparison," Ryu said quietly. "She was in the same boat as me and Bow, except she didn't have a partner. She was all alone, and a girl on top of that, which must have made her stand out even more to unsavory sorts. But she made it out. She's tough. As long as her hands still work, she'll suck it up." He scowled. "That's not going to happen, is it? Her fingers won't become paralyzed or anything?"

"As long as nothing worse than what she's already endured happens, I suppose," Kay said after a moment. "I'm surprised they're still as dextrous as they are, but from what I've seen of her, if they're still perfectly mobile, then as long as I keep seeing her regularly..." She shook her head, still looking slightly stunned. "Mister... Sten, I wasn't surprised by. When I asked him, he admitted to me that he'd been a soldier, though he didn't say anything more. Niro..." She smiled slightly. "I've given up asking."

"Probably the best course of action, when it comes to Niro," Ryu agreed.

"Prince Jean and Rand are both about what I'd expect," she continued. "And I'm not really an expert on Grass Man physiology; I don't think Spar even _has_ a skeleton. Nina, though... she's the one I really wanted to talk to you about."

"Nina?" Ryu blinked, concerned. "I hadn't really thought... well, a top-class school isn't really the sort of place you expect a lot of injuries in."

"I thought so, too," Kay agreed. "But then... well..." She produced an image of a winged skeleton, and pointed at the back, where said wings joined the spine. "You see the damage here, and here? At the bases of both wings?"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Ryu muttered slowly, staring at the picture.

"I'm afraid so," Kay agreed. "At some point in her past... I'd guess between eight and ten years ago... her wings were surgically reattached. After somebody had completely severed both of them. Without white magic, she'd never have been able to fly again."

"St. Eva," Ryu hissed, then winced as Kay did as well. "Sorry. It just slipped out. This is just..."

"Troubling?" She guessed. "I thought so as well. You don't know, then?"

"No," he admitted. "She's never said anything about that to me. And I don't want to ask."

"I wouldn't, either," she conceded. "And I won't. While we're on the subject, though, there's something else you should know." She pointed at the skeleton. "I'm not sure if you knew, but Windians have hollow bones."

"Shit," Ryu muttered. "I knew she was the most fragile out of all of us, but I didn't know it would be that bad. That means... her bones are easier to break, right? And when they do... they probably heal worse."

"Correct." Kay nodded. "It seems she's avoided that for the most part, but there is some concussive damage to her ribs."

"Kuwadora," Ryu recalled. "Yeah. I think we all broke a lot of bones there."

"Your collarbone, one shoulder blade, one arm, and ten ribs, some of them twice or even three times," Kay said clinically. "You're lucky you have two _very_ good white mages, or you'd be in St. Eva's hands right now."

"Oh, I am." Ryu shook his head. "And they're not the only ones I'm glad I had for that one. Kuwadora and Shupukay... they were real monsters. I'll be honest with you, Kay. I'm _really_ looking forward to the day we can _stop_ dealing with this kind of craziness and just take regular jobs. Until then... even after then... I'll try and make sure Nina stays at the back of the action."

"It's for the best," Kay told him, smiling wistfully. "For all of us. I... I believe that Ray cares for Nina a great deal."

"Oh," Ryu said slowly, recognizing the look on her face. "Yeah. Yeah, he does... kind of like I'm guessing you... care for Ray?"

"Yes," Kay admitted it honestly. "I've loved him for years now. But his vows, as a paladin..." She shrugged. "I'm a realist."

"Same here." Ryu shook his head. "It's more complicated than that, even. I... care for Nina a great deal, and she for me. But... so does Katt, and I..." He grimaced. "Yeah. It's complicated."

"On second thought, perhaps I'm not quite so unlucky as I thought," Kay murmured. "And I thought having to let Gabriel down easily... repeatedly... was bad."

"You were stuck in the middle, too?" Ryu winced sympathetically. "I don't know, sounds like you had it worse than me. At least me, Katt and Nina have all agreed this is bad all around and we all want to figure out a solution." He sighed, then smiled. "Pardon the blasphemy, but romance can just go to hell."

"I'll let it slide, just this once." Kay smiled slightly. "And I'll stick to medicine. It's less complicated." Standing back up, she nodded professionally. "I appreciate your time, Ryu. Remember, we agreed to a check-up on the first day of every month."

"As long as we're in town," Ryu reminded her. "If we're on assignment in the wasteland of Scande, we won't really be able to break it off just for that."

"As soon as you return, in such situations, then." She nodded, departing. "May St. Eva guide your path."

The rest of his day was undisturbed. He made it through the tale of his ancestor's gradual formation of an eight-man group that drove back the entire massed forces of the Dark Dragon Empire from their attempted conquest of the eastern world, before continuing on to strike at the heart of their own territory in the west, more than halfway before breaking for dinner. That night, however, he found himself unable to sleep, and so took a candle up to the roof to continue reading as the heroes began encountering their true enemies. Emperor Zog's elite team of super-powered freaks, the Tiamat Unit.

"Wow," Katt called up the stairs after a while, and Ryu turned to watch her and Sten walk up together. "That must be _some _book. And I can't believe I just said that with a straight face."

"Books," Ryu corrected her. "Plural. And I just couldn't sleep, is all. I haven't been _that_ bad."

"We haven't sparred since you got back," she pointed out. "Once."

"Okay, maybe they have kept me kind of occupied," Ryu admitted. "This stuff is pretty relevant to our interests, after all."

"We heard about Kuwadora," Sten said with a frown; he was looking slightly somber, but seemed more or less back to normal. "Don't suppose there was any mention of Shupukay?"

"Nope." Ryu shook his head. "Barubary, though, and a couple others, one of which is probably our man down in the Sea of Trees. That was the First Dragon War, though. I'm on the Second now, and aside from Myria, it looks like the bad guys were all mortal enough. Which isn't to say they were less dangerous."

"The Tiamat Unit." Katt made a face. "Even I know about _those_ suckers. But they all died, right? Is there anybody else aside from the Demon Lords who'll still be around, good or bad?"

"Only one that I'm absolutely sure of, so far." Ryu stared up at the stars. "Deis, the Legendary Sorceress of Wisdon."

"Last of the extinct Indigo Clan, or so she claims," Sten recalled. "Bit hard to disagree with her when she's the only one who'd know. One thing's for certain, nobody's seen anybody _else_ of her Clan in recorded memory. An apparently immortal sorceress of legendary power, wisdom and beauty, she rises from millennia of hibernation whenever the world needs her, in order to assist the destined hero."

"How does she know?" Katt wrinkled her nose. "I mean, it's not like she's got some sort of alarm that goes off when it's time to save the world again, is it?"

"Traditionally, one has to wake her up," Ryu explained. "At least, both my ancestors did. And, well..." He grimaced. "If Spar signs on for the long term, the only slot we'll have left to fill is a second black mage. Not really hard to connect the dots at that point."

"Hoo." Katt grimaced. "Not really sure how I feel about that. Especially with your buddy back in Hometown, you know? Might get complicated."

"I know," Ryu agreed. "But the nice thing is, if these books have it straight, she always picks her friends over the Gods, so she might actually be on our side if it came to the destiny bullshit. Who knows, maybe she _would_ want to try a new line of work."

"Well, my objections to 'destiny bullshit' are all out the window by now." Sten shrugged. "So I say we might as well go for it."

"You know how I feel about it," Katt agreed. "Where is this Wisdon place, anyways?"

"It's actually supposed to be a _moving city_," Ryu explained. "Back in the First Dragon War, it was apparently the counterpart to Obelisk. The place is on top of a moving mountain down in the Desert of Arad." He glanced at Sten. "I don't suppose your people know where it is right now?"

"Sure they do," Sten drawled. "Easy. On account of how the whole damn thing plowed into the cliffside about ten years ago. We kind of noticed _that_, let me tell you."

"I'll bet." Katt made a face. "So it's wrecked?"

"A total loss." Sten nodded. "It's probably almost buried in sand by now, but I know the spot, so we can go poke around."

"As long as everybody agrees, then I think we probably should, before heading over to Tunlan." Ryu sighed. "If nothing else, she's apparently been there before, so she'll know her way around even if we'll still need to elect a translator."

"Let me talk to Rand about that," Sten said thoughtfully. "He and Nina will probably be our only holdouts."

"And I'll take Nina," Katt agreed. "I should be able to talk her into it."

"Thanks, guys." Ryu nodded. "And if you've got time before lunch tomorrow, I'll probably feel like a spar, Katt."

"Glad to hear it." She winked. "I was starting to think you didn't like me any more."

"Not likely." He snorted.

"Want me to leave you two kids alone up here?" Sten joked.

"Are you kidding?" Katt punched him in the shoulder. "Nina would _fry _us." Despite her jovial tone, there was something pensive in her eyes, an odd look for her.

"Aw, geez." Sten winced. "Sorry, guys. I wasn't thinking."

"We'll work this out eventually," Ryu told him quietly. "It's fine. How about you? Doing okay?"

"Me and Sana are giving it a break." Sten shrugged. "It's no big deal. We were keeping things casual anyways."

"That's not..." Ryu started to say, then stopped as Katt gave him a look. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"It's fine, boss." Sten gave him a tired smile, one far older than the rest of his face. "I just don't want to be a soldier any more. That's all. I'm fine."

"Your call," Ryu said quietly, and Katt nodded slightly. "Don't think I ever told you this, but thanks. For going back there with us."

"I'm on the team, aren't I?" Sten shrugged as he turned and walked back down the stairs. "All that's important. See you tomorrow, guys."

Katt didn't do the same; instead, she walked over and sat down on the edge of the roof, looking over the town, and Ryu joined her. Side by side, they watched it for a while until she finally spoke.

"Did you mean it? About figuring this out, eventually?"

"Of course I did," he replied softly. "I'm not going to just keep you and Nina hanging for the rest of our lives. That wouldn't be fair, and it wouldn't do any of us any good." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Eventually, I think I'll be able to decide. Just not... not today."

"It's not like it's your fault," Katt pointed out. "We were both stupid enough to fall for the same guy, even though we're pretty much best friends by now." She sighed. "I just don't want to end up like Sten, you know? Knowing who I l... care about, and who cares about me, but... not being able to do anything about it. Maybe one of these days me, or her, will wind up in the same situation as you, and... and that'll solve it. One way or the other."

"Maybe," Ryu muttered, thinking about it. As much as it would hurt, for either of them to choose somebody else, it would be infinitely preferable than having to reject one of them himself; imagining hurting either Katt or Nina that much gave him almost as many bad dreams as Barubary, and it was the main reason he felt so paralyzed, stuck evenly between the two girls.

"Yeah." Katt hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Does it make me a bi... a bad person... if I kind of wish Ray's vows were looser? And that, if they were, and he put more effort into how he feels about Nina... that she might respond, and I..." She left it hanging.

"Not at all," Ryu told her honestly, not daring to look at the Dragon's Tear; he was more than a little afraid of what it would show him. "It just makes you a person. That's all."

"I guess that makes enough sense," she agreed, giving him a soft smile. "One of these days. But not tonight."

"But not tonight," Ryu agreed, before kissing her once, and though she seemed startled at first, after a moment she returned it, as fierce and hot as their first one. Drawing away afterward, they exchanged another smile before separating, Ryu picking up his books before following her down the stairs. Though he would have liked to say he never hesitated on the steps of the top floor, as she split off from him to go to her room next to Nina's, it wouldn't have been truthful. It was only for a moment, though, before he continued down to his own room, and fell asleep in his bed alone.

The next day, he went up to the roof to finish the second book; it was to be Mina's last day, so they would be heading out tomorrow. Where they would be headed was a matter he left to Sten and Katt, as they'd told him to, and he devoted himself to his reading instead. Aside from breaks for lunch, and for sparring with the latter like he'd promised, he was undisturbed that day until sometime near sunset, just as he was finishing the second-to-last chapter.

"Hey, Bateson!" Rivab, one of the carpenters, yelled cheerfully as he came up. "Heard you were hitting some books up here!"

"It's a special case, okay?" Ryu sighed, looking up. "Research, for the job we're on."

"Hey, I didn't say nothing." Rivab raised his hands, though he was still grinning. "Anyways, thought I'd come give you a status report. We're almost done with the third house, and the foundations for the next three are about ready, so we'll be moving on to them pretty soon."

"Good." Ryu nodded. "We've got three more citizens on their way here, so that's perfect."

"Man, you don't waste time, do you?" Rivab chuckled. "Try and wait for us to finish up the next three before getting anybody else in here, huh? Anyways, there's one more thing. There's a forest trail out behind Haseco's house, leading out into the woods next to Granny's. Leads up to an old dried-up well. We were thinking about trying to see if we could get it working again."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Ryu nodded. "Have I mentioned just how much we owe you guys for all this?"

"Like we told you back at Duke Kilgore's, it's worth it to build our own freakin' city," Rivab assured him. "Besides, this place is great. I don't know where you _find_ some of these yahoos, but they're my kind of people, and the missus thinks so too. Well, she ain't too fond of Sana and Seso, but aside from that."

"Yeah, not touching that one." Ryu shook his head.

"Wise man." Rivab started to turn, then blinked as they both saw Spar's head emerge from the stairwell silently. "Hey, Spar! Didn't hear you coming up! How are you doing?"

"I have no concerns," the Grass Man replied politely. "And yourself, Mr. Rivab?"

"Just talking about the construction with the boss here." Rivab clapped Ryu on the shoulder hard enough to make him wince. "We're about done, though, so I'll get out of your hair so you can talk business. See you at dinner tonight!" He paused as he was about to head down. "Oh hey, my wife says thanks for the tip on the rosemary. Says you were right; it _does_ work better."

"What use is knowledge of herbs if not used for the common good?" Spar said as the carpenter departed.

"Looks like you're making friends," Ryu noted.

"Indeed." Spar's face remained blank as it turned back to him. "It is... somewhat strange, to me, for everybody to accept me so readily. Is this... normal?"

"Around here?" Ryu shrugged. "Pretty much. Not so sure about the rest of the world, but I guess everybody who moves in to this place figures we're all on the same side pretty quickly. I thought it was just the team at first, but the more time I spend here... well, anyways. You don't mind it or anything, do you?"

"Of course not." Spar shook its head. "I have even been attempting to reciprocate, though probably without a great deal of success; I have heard myself described as 'weird, but an okay guy,' to quote several men. I had previously considered the word, 'guy,' to be a gender-specific pronoun, but I've heard it used to describe me several times now, despite common knowledge that I am not male, so now I must wonder if my definition was inaccurate."

"It's one of those ones with multiple definitions," Ryu replied after a moment of thought. "I'd explain it, but I think Bow would be... er... be able to provide a more accurate definition. Him or Katt."

"I will request their assistance on the matter when next I encounter them, then," Spar decided. "On a similar matter... I must inquire as to when we will be departing. A sufficient period of leisure time is understandable considering our recent ordeal, but I would judge that we are all sufficiently recovered by now."

"Nina's little sister is leaving tomorrow," Ryu explained. "Mina. You've met her, right? We're planning on heading out at the same time." He considered asking about the planned detour to try and find Deis, but decided against it, considering the slightly worried tone in the Grass Man's voice, if not its face. "It's okay, Spar. We'll figure out what's wrong with Gandaroof, and fix it. I promise."

"Comradely reassurance," Spar noted. "I should express appreciation for this. Thank you." It paused for a moment. "If I might intrude on your time for a bit longer, there was another matter. The zenny we received from the Princess of Highfort."

"What about it?" Ryu frowned. "I'm about as good at math as I am with gardening, so I let Bow crunch the numbers, but it looked right to me. Nine ways. Equal shares."

"A logical way of dividing the amount," Spar agreed. "And one more fair than most leaders would consent to, in my experience. It is not that, that concerns me, so much as that I received a share of that. I'm not quite sure why."

"Oh." Ryu's eyes widened. "_Oh_." After a moment, he smiled slightly. "Because you were on the team when we did the job, that's why. Call it whatever you like, but you did your part, so you got your pay. I've kind of been meaning to ask you something along those lines myself."

"Oh?" Spar replied, face as expressionless as ever, though something in its tone indicated that it was still trying to work his explanation out. "By all means, I am at your service."

"I'll cut to the chase," Ryu decided. "Are you planning on splitting off after we get Gandaroof taken care of, or did you want to hire on, long-term? We've seen you in action long enough to know that you know what you're doing, and a team like this does well to have a couple jacks-of-all-trades on it like you and Jean."

For a moment, Ryu thought he'd accidentally said something offensive; Spar had gone completely motionless, like a statue. After a few long moments, though, it spoke again, and its voice was strange, filled with a sense of wonder, like a child discovering something new and fascinating.

"You... you would _request_ my continued presence?"

"The job's yours, if you want it." Ryu nodded. "Pretty sure everybody else on the team agrees with me by now." He raised an eyebrow. "Is it _that_ strange an idea?"

"It is unprecedented," Spar told him, still staring straight ahead. "My kind are not... accepted in society. Our reduced emotional capacity, and our irregular biology, are considered abhorrent. And even among my own kind..." It shook its head slowly. "I am considered... eccentric, I suppose would be the best word. Most Grass Men are sedentary, even in our youth, but as a sprout, I always felt a strange desire to travel the world. To see everything there is to see, experience all the world had to offer. And yet..." It finally met Ryu's eyes, speaking softly. "This is the first time, in all my years, that I have had... friends."

"Well, you've got them now." Ryu held out his hand, and after a long moment, Spar shook it, grip weak and delicate. "I'll take that as a yes, then, and for a good a reason as any. We'll travel the world, all right, and we'll all see things and places and people that nobody else ever has, or ever will. Welcome to the team, Spar."

"It is... good, to be on the team," Spar said, tilting its head. "Well, then... if I may ask one more question. One of the young ladies next door has expressed a desire to 'fuse' with me." The white parts of the Grass Man's features began tinting pink. "What, exactly, does this... entail?"

"Oh, dammit." Ryu slapped his face. "I... really don't think I'd be able to provide a fair explanation to that. Sten and Jean would be the best ones to ask."

"I see," Spar replied politely. "I will do so, then. If you will excuse me..."

"Have fun," Ryu called as Spar left, then turned back to his book to finish it up, and when he heard an explosion from next door about an hour later followed by a high-pitched shriek, he only smiled and closed the book.

"Experiment unsuccessful," he murmured to himself as he walked down the stairs for dinner.

The next morning, they all bade Mina farewell before Jean Warped them to a point in Highland they'd passed on the way up the cliffs. It was near a descending trail leading down into the Desert of Arad, and while Sten had warned them away from it on their first time through, now it was apparently the best place to start from in order to reach the location where Wisdon's remains were buried with a minimum of desert travel.

The need for such haste became apparent very quickly. Between the blistering heat of the day, the freezing cold of the night, and the continual assault of wind and sand against every inch of their bodies not covered by the heavy robes Sten had advised them to bring, every minute they spent trudging east was a living hell. The horrific monsters that stalked the desert, far too deadly for even them to chance facing, were more icing on the cake than anything else.

It was a week later that they finally found their destination. Running from a shambling golem of bronze, identical to the kind found in Tunlan though made of metal instead of stone, the group reached the top of the dune and abruptly saw the end of their ordeal straight before them. A colossal pile of architectural wreckage ten times larger than their town, the moving city of Wisdon defied the desert's efforts to swallow it in sand through sheer jumble; sand could never bury such a mishmash. Ruins older than any living being lay there, destroyed but not forgotten, mixed with the rubble of the mountain it had once sat upon.

"St. Eva, finally," Katt said after they all stared at it for a moment. "This had better be worth it."

"Where do we even _start_, though?" Nina pointed out.

"Looks like somebody's made some kind of tunnel into that mess out of the debris," Sten pointed out. "Let's try there." Nobody else had any better ideas, and so they descended the other side of the dune and walked in. The tunnel stretched for at least half a mile, until they emerged into a torchlit cavern, though a close inspection of said torches showed that they were magical in nature, burning without consuming the wood they were made of.

"What is this place?" Jean asked in wonder as the all looked around. Despite being apparently hewn from solid rock, it was furnished like a lavish apartment, expensive rugs spread across the floor and paintings hung on the walls. One of said walls held modern kitchen equipment, including what looked to be a fairly new furnace as well as a sink. There didn't appear to be any food, but the dishes and utensils were all finely crafted. Two doors led further into the cavern; curious, Katt peeked into one of them.

"It's a bathroom," she reported, voice tinged with disbelief. "No toilet, though... but there _is_ the hugest goddamn bathtub I've ever seen, and more girly stuff than an entire all-female army could ever use."

"Girly stuff?" Nina repeated, amused, and Katt made a face.

"You know, makeup and shit. Perfume, and... stuff like perfume."

"The book didn't mention any of _this_," Ryu said dubiously, leading the way towards the other door. "I wonder if we've got... aha. Now _this_ is more like it." The bedroom within was just as expensively furnished, with six wardrobes behind the massive bed. Despite that, said bed was messily unmade, and all the wardrobes were spilling over with empty bottles, more of which littered the floor.

"Beareater's finest zero malt?" Rand muttered, picking one up and examining it. "You gotta be kidding me. Good grief, look at the _date_ on this!"

"Ah, yes." Spar looked at it. "A very good year. She always did enjoy her whiskey. And anything else alcoholic, really."

"Wait, what?" Sten zeroed in on that, as their eyes all widened. "You've _met_ her?"

"A thousand years ago, yes," the Grass Man acknowledged. "When I was newly sprouted. I'm afraid I don't remember it very well, but from what I do recall, this is entirely congruent with her behavior."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Bow asked, shaking his head.

"You didn't ask." Spar blinked. "Is it important?"

"Never mind," Ryu growled. "Doesn't look like she's here. That's the real problem. Where else would she be?"

"Who's there?" Three huge voices boomed suddenly, and they turned around to see ghostlike spirits made of flickering smoke rush in behind them. One was blue, one red and one green, and they all glared angrily at them. "Intruders?"

"Ryu?" Nina asked, raising a hand in the air before her.

"Yeah, _these_ guys I read about," Ryu told them. "We're gonna have to kick their asses before they'll back off. Let's get it over with."

"Figures," Bow sighed.

"Just what I need right now." Katt grinned savagely. "This should take the edge off!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" All three yelled hastily as the group closed in around them. "You're him, right? Ryu? We surrender!"

"Wait." Ryu blinked, pausing in the act of drawing his sword from its sheath. "You _what_?"

"We give up!" They shouted. "Don't do it! We're sorry!"

"Spoilsports," Katt muttered, relaxing. Everybody ignored her.

"Very well then," Nina told them, still sounding skeptical. "Where's Deis?"

"Deis..." The three spirits exchanged glances, still speaking in unison. "Is out."

"No, really?" Ryu retorted. "We had no idea. That's _why_ we're asking where she is."

"She didn't tell us," the spirits confessed, then panicked as the group began to close in on them again. "Wait, wait, wait! It's the truth! But there was somebody else! She found some strange man exploring the ruins, and left with him! Maybe he'd know where she is now!"

"That a fact?" Bow raised an eyebrow. "You ain't gonna tell us his name was Martin, are ya?"

"Martin?" The spirits blinked. "No, his name was stranger than that. It was... Rats, or Wats, or something."

"Wait, what?" Jean blurted, as they all blinked. "It was _monsieur_ Watts?"

"That was it!" The three spirits all cheered. "If you know him, go ask him!"

"Oh, you'd better bet we will," Ryu growled, as they all walked out past the spirits. "And clean this dump up!"

"Why should we?" One of the spirits yelled. "Deis is the one who behaves so disgracefu-" He broke off as the other two silenced him, a moment before the group turned around to glare.

"We'll do it!" They all promised.

"Good," Rand grunted. "Now let's get out of this hellhole."

"I warned you it was, you know," Sten pointed out. "A hellhole, I mean." Everybody ignored him, too; even Katt didn't seem in the mood. As soon as they were outside, Jean warped them back home, and without a word from anybody, they walked over to Watts' house and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" The old man said cheerfully as he opened it. "Oh! You're back already? Where was it you were going again?"

"The Great Desert of Arad," Ryu told him flatly. "To look for Deis, the legendary sorceress. Mind if we come in?"

"Ah." Watts' expression faded into neutrality as he stepped back. "Yes, yes, of course."

"Thanks," he grunted as they tromped in. Like most of the houses, it was pleasantly furnished, if not expensively, but none of them took seats. "We'll try not to get sand on anything."

"Heard an interesting story down there," Bow said, crossing his arms. "Used to poke around old ruins, did you?"

"I was something of an amateur archaeologist in my youth, yes," Watts admitted. "Really, I just enjoyed finding interesting things. And yes, I met the legendary sorceress who you just spent a week in that hellhole looking for."

"And you didn't tell us this... why?" Katt asked, deceptively lightly.

"Well." Watts shrugged. "You didn't ask, did you?"

"That's it!" She snapped. "I'm gonna-"

"Easy," Rand told her, putting a restraining hand on her arm. "No hitting the citizens."

"Actually, that's not all of it," Watts admitted, looking sheepish. "I sort of ended up having to swear an oath, as well." He held up his hand as they all tensed up. "Not one to refuse to tell. On the other hand... she wanted me to test you."

"Test _us_?" Ryu repeated flatly.

"Indeed." Watts nodded. "To be specific, 'test those who'll come looking for me.' She's the only one who's ever been able to out-riddle me, you see, and so I swore to only reveal her location to the ones who could solve hers. Her riddles, that is."

The group exchanged a flat look.

"Riddles," Spar repeated. "Plural. How many, exactly, are there?"

"Three," Watts replied. "Here's the first. On a touch-tone telephone, what number is in the upper right corner?"

The group exchanged another look.

"What the _hell_ is a _telephone_?" Ryu demanded.

"_Que l'enfer_ is 'touch-tone'?" Jean yelled, even his vast cheer apparently failing him.

"How the _hell_ do you put a _number_ in a _corner_?" Katt snarled.

Everybody paused to look at her.

"Perhaps you should allow me to handle this," Spar suggested before she could yell again.

"I'll help," Nina offered, and Bow nodded as well.

"Get Niro, too," he told Ryu. "You never know with that guy. The rest of you guys, well, don't take this the wrong way, but-"

"Oh, no." Ryu raised his hands, as did Sten, Katt, Rand and Jean. "You guys want to take this, go right ahead. _We're_ out of here, then, if you don't need us. You'll know where to find us when you're done." Turning, he marched out, the other four behind him.

"Does anybody else have the feeling we may have just had a fast one pulled on us?" Nina asked suspiciously as they left. Heading over to their home, they shoved the door open and marched for the stairs.

"What's up?" Niro asked from his usual position behind the front counter as they stomped past. "You find her or what?"

"Not yet," Ryu grumbled. "Bow, Spar and Nina are on it, over in Watts' house. They said they could use your help."

"Huh?" Niro blinked. "Watts? Well, okay, but that don't make no sense, son."

"Sense is optional in this crew," Rand muttered as they trudged up to their rooms. "Thought you knew that by now."

By dinnertime, they'd all bathed and restored themselves to a marginally better humor, though only marginally. Those who'd been working on the riddles were another story; though they'd taken turns on breaks to clean themselves up as well, they'd only made it through two of the three riddles, and were exhausted and irritable, Nina in particular. When Bow, Spar and Niro suggested that she get some sleep and let them finish the job, she didn't object. Neither did any of the other five, who all turned in early as well; after the week in the desert, they needed it.

_ Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your heart to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and soul to God. You will become God's power..._

It was sometime around midnight that Ryu's sleep was rudely interrupted by a string of profanities, screamed at the top of Bow's lungs, that echoed through the slumbering town like an explosion. He'd been on his back, and his eyes snapped open, staring at the ceiling as the townspeople responded with a great deal of noisy clamor, most of it sounding almost as angry as Ryu felt.

"When I get my hands on him..." He growled, turning over. From the sounds of it, though, several other people were already on it; he heard most of the burlier men in town starting to yell as well, and there was a lot of stomping coming from the stairs, indicating that the rest of the team were planning on making their objections known immediately. Ryu decided to leave it to them, closing his eyes again and burrowing deeper under the sheets.

A few moments later, _another_ stream of obscenities erupted into the night, this time in Katt's voice, and one of Ryu's eyes began to twitch.

"Dammit, people," he growled, shoving his head under his pillow, as the noise increased further. "Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow. For St. Eva's sake."

When _Nina_ was the third one to shriek a series of curses, louder than she'd _ever_ sounded before, however, Ryu sat bolt upright before climbing out of bed and throwing his clothes on.

"All right, what's going on?" He demanded as he practically fell down the stairs. It looked like he was the last one up; the rest of the team were all piling into the meeting room, all of them save for Spar looking angry. Bow, Katt and Nina appeared to be particularly enraged.

"About time you got up," Katt growled, eyes flashing. "Let's go. We're heading over to the capital, _right now_."

"Back to Hometown?" Ryu blinked, still slightly sleepy. "Why? Wait, did you solve the riddles? Do you know where she is?"

"Oh, _yeah_, we know where she is," Bow spat.

"Well then, where is she?" Ryu asked, frowning. "Hometown's kind of a big place. We're gonna need more to go on than that."

Nina told him.

A moment passed.

A fourth blast of profanity exploded through the town.

* * *

The streets of Hometown were empty by the time Deis stumbled out of the bar and began weaving her way back, but there was nothing to worry about; she had a reputation in this city by now, and not even the stupidest mugger would dare to try messing with _her_. The last one who had had wound up in the river minus his head once she'd confirmed that money hadn't been the only thing on his mind. Singing a song that the rest of the world had forgotten, she stumbled down the streets, musing to herself that no matter how many times she took a human form, she'd never be able to get used to legs.

As always, the security around the Aurian Magic School was a joke. Climbing over the outer wall, she was easily able to avoid the patrols and slip through the window of her dorm room as well. Just as she was climbing in, though, she paused; the room was occupied, and that shouldn't have happened, not since her roommate had moved out. Muttering the first words of a spell under her breath, she climbed in and raised a fireball in her hand, ready to throw it if necessary.

Her roommate _was_ there, and so were her two old drinking buddies, along with the rest of their gang, a Grass Man now among them. Even Niro had come with them, and all nine were spread around the room, leaning back against the walls with their arms folded and angry glares on their faces.

"Oh." Deis sighed, levitating the fireball as she stepped into the room. "So, you figured it out."

"Gee, you think so, genius?" Bow growled.

"An explanation, please, if you don't mind, Deis," Nina said coldly.

"Explanation?" Deis' eyes narrowed slightly; no matter how much she knew she probably deserved at least some of this, putting up with that kind of tone had never been something she'd been good at. "I had to go undercover. You've probably guessed, but normally, I'm _kind_ of noticeable."

"We figured that much," Sten agreed, flipping a knife idly in the air. "What we _don't_ get is how awfully convenient it was that you ended up rooming with Nina here, _and_ hanging out with these two, too. You're not gonna try and tell us that was a coincidence, are you?"

"Nah." Deis shrugged. "I set that one up, all right. How else was I supposed to keep the other vultures off of you?"

"Trout?" Niro guessed.

"Bingo." Deis pointed at him and gave him a thumbs-up. "You really think it was a coincidence that he's the only demon who never messed with you until you messed with him? No way. It was because he knew if _he_ violated the rules, I'd come down on him like a meteor strike. Him, and Ladon's agent in here, too."

"Ladon's agent?" Ryu blinked. "He had one in here, too?"

"Strike you as suspicious that _somebody_ did a _lot_ more to help you out than anybody would reasonably expect?" Deis pointed out, and most of them closed their eyes, snarling various curses.

"Duke Kilgore," Nina murmured. "My eyes must be sewn shut."

"They've got people everywhere," Deis explained quietly. "Both sides. Remember that lumberjack up in Tagwoods? Baba? His real name's Bunyan, and he's a _lot_ older than you'd think. Ladon's side might _want_ to help you, but I've seen where that goes, and so has an old friend of mine. The one who set it up this way, this time, in the first place. He's the one who asked me to keep an eye on you three to make sure nobody messed with you while you were in Hometown."

"So you're one of the 'referees,' then." Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"Good way of putting it," she agreed. "Of course, I'm a bit of a special case, but if you went looking for me, you've already figured that out."

"And you don't figure this little trick of yours changes things a little?" Rand asked.

"I don't know, big guy," she murmured, lowering her eyelids and widening her smile. "You tell me."

"Stop that," Bow told her as Rand flushed slightly.

"Make me."

"They're right," Ryu growled, cutting that off. "We're not happy about this. At all. But..." He sighed. "Now that I'm actually thinking about it... you've been helping us navigate this whole mess the way we'd like to. I'll give you that much."

"Believe it or not, kids, but I _am_ on your side," Deis told them firmly. "Not Ladon's, and definitely not Barubary's. Yours. That's my role, in all of this, and it always was." She raised her arms above her head and stretched, smirking slightly as the males all either looked away or pretended to. "It's for the best that you came along, really. I was starting to get bored with learning magic from somebody else. Be more fun if I pick up what I forgot while I was sleeping again all by myself anyways. You _could_ use another black mage on the team, right? One who really knows her stuff?"

The group traded a look.

"That... seems to be the case," Ryu conceded, putting a hand over his eyes.

"Great!" Whispering the Words of Changing, Deis winked as she finally returned to her preferred form, her legs melding together and shifting into the lower body of a snake. "The name's Deis, Legendary Sorceress of Wisdon. I'd give you my resume, but I think you already know it."

"Indeed we do," the Grass Man murmured, and she regarded it quietly for a moment.

"We've met before, haven't we?" She guessed. "When you were still a seedling. Spar, isn't it?" When it nodded, she sighed. "That's gonna take some getting used to. Enough joking around for the moment. I'll tell you what you need to know, and I won't tell you what you need to not know. I honestly _don't_ know myself just how far free will is going to get you, but I'll do everything I can to help you give it your best shot."

"Good enough for me," Niro commented, and the others all nodded, some more slowly than others. Katt and Bow, in particular, weren't meeting her eyes now, and that stung much more than their earlier anger had, but it was a pain she was used to, after thousands of years of similar situations.

"Welcome to the team," Ryu told her, and though he still looked angry, she could tell it wouldn't last forever.

"Glad to be on board," she said cheerfully, and meant it. "So, where are we going, now that you've found me? I'm assuming you're working on something right now?"

"Tunlan," they all said in unison, faces blank.

A moment passed.

A scream of aggravation rang through the city night.

_YOU'RE BUILDING A MYSTERY _


	24. Chapter 22: The Isle Of Music

_**Chapter 22: The Isle Of Music **_

"Deis, the legendary sorceress of Wisdon," Ryu said, tapping his fingers on the meeting table. Everybody else save the woman in question was sitting around it, most of them looking more than slightly displeased. "Companion to my and Nina's ancestors during both Dragon Wars, and integral to both victories. Beautiful, wise, and powerful, with a talent for black magic only matched by two or three others in the world at any given time. Also arrogant, vain, rude and lazy, with tendencies towards gluttony, drunkenness and debauchery."

"And she was our old buddy all along," Bow finished, shaking his head. "We really hauled in a big one this time, didn't we, folks?"

"Understatement of the century," Sten muttered. "Somebody's gotta be the asshole and say this, so it might as well be me. You totally sure we can trust her, boss?"

"I wish I could be," Ryu admitted. "But... not entirely."

"I was thinking that, too," Katt growled. "I mean, I can kind of get _why_ she had to play it the way she did, but I still don't _like_ it. It's a little too close to what the Demon Lords are doing, yeah?"

"Idunno." Rand frowned. "It's kind of annoying, yeah, but... it wasn't like it was her idea, or her call. She's been straight with us whenever she could."

"I must agree." Spar nodded. "Perhaps it is because I find emotions difficult, but I have to confess that I don't quite see the source of all this aggravation." It shrugged.

"I suppose I'm on the fence," Nina said, shaking her head. "I can't say I'm pleased to have been deceived for so many years, but as far as I can tell, she's still the same person, with the same personality. If nothing actually changes about that, I'll get over my irritation before too long."

"It is a complicated situation, is it not?" Jean pointed out. "Perhaps it is best to withhold too much judgment for the time being, until we see more of her true self, yes?"

"Smartest course in my book," Niro agreed. "Wait it out and see how this actually goes. Don't go gettin' ahead o' yerselves when it comes to judgin' folks. Wouldn't like it if it happened to us, shouldn't do it to noone else."

"Man's got a point," Ryu said solemnly. "I'm not happy about this myself, but that's not going to stop me from giving her a chance. If anybody on this team objects to that, best to get it out right now." Nobody did, even Sten, and he nodded. "Good. As soon as she wakes up, then, we're off to Tunlan again. Which leaves the question of who's going to wear the hood and translate."

"And that's my cue to go get us some breakfast from Mrs. Rivab," Niro grunted, standing up. "Be back in a bit."

"We could always make the new girl do it," Bow suggested with a smirk. "That makes enough sense, right?"

"Did _you_ want to try and tell her that?" Nina murmured.

"I was gonna let Ryu do it."

"Just for that, I'm shooting that one down." Ryu shook his head.

"Don't look at me," Katt grunted, staring at the magic hood; it and the flute were both sitting in the middle of the table. It was made of soft cloth, fluffy around the edges, and had decorative catlike ears on top. "If _I_ wear that thing around, I'm gonna attract the kind of attention that means I'll have to break some faces, no matter _where_ we are."

"I'm out too." Rand gestured at his head, tiny by comparison to the rest of his ridiculously huge frame despite the fact that his skull was the same size, if not shape, as the rest of them. "Wouldn't even fit on me."

"Myself as well, _mon amis_," Jean agreed, actually sounding reluctant about it. "The shape of my head is not... feasible."

"I'm not touching that thing," Sten said, nodding towards the flute. "Ain't got the right to. Not any more."

"I would offer, but I am unsure the enchantments would work on my species," Spar pointed out apologetically.

Bow and Nina exchanged a look.

"I hate everything," Bow eventually grumbled as he snatched the hood and flute up from the table. "Anybody says _anything_, we throw down."

"Morning, folks," Deis called out as she came down the stairs, her serpent's tail carrying her as efficiently as her legs ever had. She'd changed out of her school uniform into an extremely low-cut purple top, belted at her stomach with a gold band, and a hooded half-cape the same color. "Where's the coffee?" Her eyes fell upon Bow, holding the hood and flute, and for a moment everybody in the room was silent before she winced sympathetically. "I was wondering who was going to draw the short straw. Hard luck. I'll buy you a drink once we get there. One good thing about Tunlan. The booze."

"I would have thought it would be your kind of place, actually," Nina murmured, glancing over at her. "A tropical paradise."

"I used to think the same thing," Deis admitted, taking the seat next to Spar and leaning a golden cane against the table; it had been carved to resembled a snake, with a ridiculously large, round green jewel in its mouth. "But then I started catching on. I've been to Tunlan twice before, and both times, it sucked. Everything that could go wrong, did. So by now, I'm starting to sense a theme."

"That's encouraging," Sten drawled. "How bad are we talking here?"

"Last time, about an hour in, we were literally thrown off the island," Deis told him flatly. "The back end. Where the cliffs are tallest. We had to swim the entire way around back to the south side. The trip went downhill from there."

"Sounds like I'm gonna need that drink," Bow muttered, slumping in his seat.

"I think we all will," Katt agreed.

Once they'd eaten, Jean warped them back to the island, and they made their way towards the city. There was a scuffle along the way with some monsters that consisted of a bird's head as large as Rand with legs affixed to the sides, but the group was able to deal with them without much hassle once they stopped staring.

"Evolution always was weird on this place," Deis commented as they entered the city."Don't remember it being _that_ bad, though."

"The evolutionary patterns of monsters tend to be slightly more prone to exoticism than those of normal animals," Spar pointed out. "Do you recall what creons looked like a millennium ago? The one they had in the circus wasn't even identifiable to me."

"Good point." She grimaced. "And sometimes it's just weird. Like sludges. They actually devolved for a while; a thousand years back, they didn't even have eyes. Somewhere along the line they must have turned it around, though; they look just like they did _three_ thousand years ago, nowadays."

"Keeping your ears open?" Ryu asked Bow quietly as the rest of the group continued to chatter; even if none of the natives could understand them, it would have been strange if they'd been silent, and it provided cover for Bow to eavesdrop on passing conversations for information about what was happening at the moment. Said natives were, in fact, playing musical instruments instead of talking verbally; woodwinds seemed to be the most common, but there were a fair selections of strings as well, and a few horns here and there.

"Yeah," he grunted, looking around casually; the magic hood adorned his head, its strings tied under his chin. Like the island itself, the city of Tunlan was built in a series of terraces, rising further and further to the castle at the peak. It was even more beautiful then the city of Winlan; everything was polished stone, mainly marble, carved decoratively more often than not. Gleaming decorations of precious metal adorned many surfaces, and flowing waterfalls and streams were everywhere. "How do you think they stop tourists from just grabbing something valuable and running for it?"

"I don't want to know," Ryu told him flatly. "And neither do you. Focus. Anything going on we can take advantage of?"

"Sounds like the queen's sick," Bow muttered. "Doesn't seem like anybody's too concerned about it, though. Apparently she's a real pain in the ass."

"The Queen of Tunlan is something of a disgrace to royalty everywhere," Nina said under her breath. "My father tried to normalize relations with the island several times, but each attempt ended with him using language I'd never heard him say otherwise."

"Should have known," Deis commented, dropping out of the decoy conversation for a moment. "The Queens were always a big part of why everything went to shit, both times." She rolled her eyes. "Welcome to Tunlan."

"Ugh." Ryu grimaced. "Maybe we'll be able to avoid that situation entirely."

They all considered that for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah," he growled before anybody could even say anything. "Anyways, who'll be in charge if the queen's down?"

"Sounds like the Castellan's handling it," Bow grunted grumpily. "Some old lady named Baba. She runs the show anyways, so that's nothing new."

"She'll be the one we need to see, then." Ryu nodded slightly. "Let's just hope there's some way we can convince them to let us borrow the therapy pillow."

"Oh, there'll be a way, all right," Deis said cynically. "The question is how much it'll suck."

"You know, as much as I wish I could disagree with that, I can't," Sten grumbled.

"I don't think any of us can, by this point." Ryu shook his head. "The sooner we get it over with, the better, then. Think you can talk us inside?"

"Worth a shot." Bow glanced at a pretty young woman walking past with a clarinet and raised an eyebrow. "Might as well see if this thing's working." Raising the flute to his lips, he played a quick melody that was far too skillful to sound anything close to natural, coming from him. The girl's response was immediate; turning on her heel, she delivered a ringing slap to his face before stalking off in a huff.

"Looks like it needs some work," Ryu said dryly.

"Keep in mind who you're talking about," Katt reminded him. "He probably deserved that."

"I wanted to make sure." Bow shrugged. "So, yeah. I definitely deserved that. But it works."

"As glad as I am to hear that, _mon ami_, I do not think it would be a good idea to repeat the experience up at the palace, no?" Jean suggested lightly.

"Oh, hell no." Bow grimaced as they reached the top of the stair-lined path and approached the gates, a pair of huge, gilded doors set in the front of the palace. Said building was a huge, square white building in the center of an artificial lake, the only way in a stone bridge. The guards on duty were both female, humans dressed in light plate mail, and looked rather bored; Bow's tune was answered by a few perfunctory notes on their own flutes, and he shrugged. "They said to go on in."

"It's that easy?" Rand blinked as the guards opened the massive, gilded front doors. "I've heard of lax security, but come on."

"Welcome to Tunlan," Deis repeated. "There's nowhere else quite like it."

"Sounds like they could take some lessons from Highland, then," Sten muttered, looking slightly offended; more guards were lazing about the entrance hall; in any other city, it would have been majestic, but here its rich decoration made it simply another part of Tunlan. The interior guard were all female as well, and none of them seemed to pay any attention to the visitors; they were busy chatting, gambling and drinking. "Are they just for show?"

"Not our problem," Ryu reminded him. "The quicker we get in and out, the better."

"Right." Bow queried another guard, then nodded after she responded. "Up on the top floor. The castellan'll be in the throne room." It didn't take long for them to find the massive twin spiral staircases leading up throughout the palace, winding around a pillar of stone almost as thick as Gandaroof's trunk had been. They passed by several floors; some held only more guards, while others more interesting sights, such as a kitchen full of Siman chefs, which they moved past quickly for several reasons.

Emerging from the stairwell brought them directly into the throne room, which resembled a concert hall more than anything else; there were hundreds of chairs alongside the long red carpet leading to the throne, and tall, tinted windows lined the walls. A grand piano sat next to said throne, though neither was occupied; to the other side was a desk along with a much more ordinary chair. A wizened old woman in a blue, hooded robe was sitting behind it, eyes on her paperwork; without looking up, she played a desultory tune on a clarinet.

"She says whatever it is, it can wait," Bow translated.

"Oh, no." Ryu shook his head. "Tell her-"

"Eh?" The crone's head shot up, and she stared at them before speaking, though in a strange, croaking singsong tone. "Outsiders? Now, of all times? But if you can understand me... and the sound of that flute..." She stared at the hood on Bow's head, and the flute in his hands, then turned to Deis, and her eyes widened before she played another sardonic-sounding little tune.

"She says there goes the palace," Bow told them, giving Deis a strange look. "Just what _happened_ the last time you were here?"

"Long story." Deis shrugged. "I guess I _am_ pretty recognizable." She gave the old woman a keen look. "And I should have known ahead of time you would speak our language. The power behind the throne here always does."

"It is necessary," the crone admitted, recovering from her shock before turning to Ryu and Nina. "I suppose it has been about a thousand years. I never thought I would see you three return to us again in my lifetime, though."

"It's..." Ryu started to protest that that wasn't the way it worked, then paused; it didn't really matter, and he didn't want to talk about it any more than he had to. "Look, my lady. We're just a team of freelance adventurers. The _Dragonkin_."

"Is that so?" The old woman's eyes narrowed. "Well then, mister..."

"Bateson," he told her. "Ryu Bateson."

"Mister Bateson." She nodded sharply. "Perhaps it would be best if we kept this on that basis, then. For all of us, and for the structural integrity of this building. We have a problem, you see, one I believe you may be able to help us with. Should you be able to, then I will of course grant you..." She left it hanging.

"The Therapy Pillow," Nina told her. "We need to borrow it. Again." She rolled her eyes. "We weren't surprised either."

"Of course." The crone sighed, standing up. "All right, follow me. I'll show you the problem." Walking behind the throne, she opened a hidden door, and the group followed her into a huge bedroom. What looked like a grotesquely huge statue of a woman was lying on the bed, clad in red pajamas; it was only when they noticed her breathing that Ryu realized she was an actual, living human, something he had thought to be impossible considering her size. A crown was nestled among the mass of her messy brown hair, identifying her.

"Holy _shit_," he muttered quietly, as most of the others had similar reactions. The woman was ridiculously overweight, literally wider than she was tall. Joker and Trout, a pair of demons who'd been tied for the fattest men he'd ever seen when in their human forms, would have barely met a _quarter_ of the queen's mass. Her face was almost invisible among the blob of flesh that was her head, and her arms and legs were like logs, ending in hands and feet larger than his entire head, with fingers that had to be half a foot thick.

"I can see why you have a problem," Jean told the castellan with a straight face.

"Welcome to Tunlan," Deis muttered under her breath once more.

"How..." Nina stammered, staring. "How long has she been like this?"

"It cannot have been a very great duration," Spar said gravely. "This woman must weigh nearly a ton. The human body is incapable of surviving that kind of strain. Honestly, I'm surprised she's still alive right now."

"Oh, she's always been overweight, but it wasn't anywhere near _this_ bad until recently." The crone shook her head bitterly. "About three months ago, some paladin from the Church of St. Eva came by to try and convert the queen. We've got a chapel on the island, but only a few of us actually attend it, and the royal family's never been among them. Especially not our queen; all she cares about is eating and sleeping. When she met with that paladin, she told him that if St. Eva could give her an eternal buffet she might consider it."

"I'm guessing that didn't go over too well," Sten commented.

"Like a lead albatross," the old lady agreed. "Before the paladin left, he told the queen St. Eva would curse her for her sins. We all laughed at the time, but then _this _started happening. She began growing bigger and bigger, so fast it was unnatural, even considering how much she ate. We eventually had to put her on a starvation diet for her own health, but even that didn't work. She's gained another hundred pounds since. She's comatose now, and if this keeps up..." She spread her hands. "Our physicians give her a week."

"That doesn't sound like the Church's usual M.O.," the Highlander muttered. "This paladin... what was his name?"

"No way, man," Ryu told him flatly. "He'd never do it that way." Most of the others agreed; only Spar and Deis were silent.

"Gabriel, I think." The old woman frowned. "You know him?"

"Nope," Ryu replied, relaxing slightly, though a small note of disquiet remained with him; for some reason, the name _did _sound vaguely familiar. "We're on good terms with another Paladin, though, and he wouldn't like that one bit. Maybe next time we see him we'll tell him this little story and see how he feels about that sort of thing happening in his church. Could be he'll decide to clean house."

"More power to him, then." The crone smiled slightly, but only for a moment. "Right now, though, we need to save the queen, and there's only one man I know of who can do that. A magician named Gedd, although it'd be more accurate to call him an alchemist."

"Blending magic and science?" Bow frowned. "Don't see too many of those."

"I've heard of him," Nina said. "He's supposedly a genius. But I was told that he lived here, actually. As Tunlan's court magician."

"He was." The crone grimaced. "But he was so foul-tempered and lecherous that it was only a matter of time before he offended the queen. A few years back, she ordered him banished to the Isle of Mt. Maori, north of here."

"I see why you need to hire us for this." Ryu nodded slowly. "The old man probably won't be in the mood to come back willingly after that."

"I get it." Katt grinned suddenly. "You want us to bring this jerk back, the easy way or the hard way, and 'persuade' him to save the day."

"Exactly." The crone nodded sharply, smiling again, rather unpleasantly this time. "Think you can handle that?"

"Trust me, ma'am," Rand said with an unusual trace of sarcasm in his voice. "You've found the perfect people for this kind of job."

"We're not _that_ bad," Katt protested, then paused. "Are we?"

"The Hasecos are keeping track of our reputation for us back home," the big Farmlander told her gravely. "You might be surprised. Then again, you might not be."

"That business with Trout?" Sten guessed.

"Bingo."

"Sounds fair," Ryu said quickly, heading that off before it could get worse. "We'll do it."

"Good." She nodded. "Cure the queen, and the Therapy Pillow's yours."

"We'll be off in the morning, then." He inclined his head towards the group, and they left the room. "See you when we get back." Once they were back in the streets, he glanced at Deis. "So, what's with 'the three of you,' huh?"

"Tunlan has some pretty strange beliefs," Rand, of all people, explained. "They've latched onto the concept of reincarnation from Namanda, which is how I heard about this, but they're kind of weird about it. I think they figure that you retain the memory of your past lives, but you can't access it." He shrugged; the big man's devotion to the Namandian faith of his homeland wasn't something he talked about much, or in detail. "Welcome to Tunlan, I guess."

"Exactly." Deis nodded. "Trust me, it's easier just to keep it on that basis around here. Saves your head from hurting, too."

"I can see that." Ryu shook his head. "And all that's in addition to the chapel...?" He trailed off as, from the east, he suddenly heard the ringing of the bells to announce a sermon. "Huh. A little late... no, wait, timezones again. It would be about time here, now." He glanced over in that direction, feeling a certain sense of guilt over the sudden realization that he hadn't attended a service since midsummer, three months past now.

"Yeah, guess it would be," Bow muttered, glancing over as well; by the look on his face, he was thinking the same thing. The two of them had always been a more casual sort of follower than most sons of the Church, but they'd gone at least once a month. Circumstances had simply been against them lately, with Bow forced into hiding and Ryu traveling in parts of the world where the Church held little to no presence. Still, there had been plenty of chances ever since proving Bow's freedom, and the sudden realization that they'd been missing those weighed on both their minds.

"Guess so," Katt agreed, looking pensive as well; though Ryu had never actually gone to a service with her before, he knew her views on religion were the same as his and Bow's, and guessed that she was feeling the same way. "Hey, listen... before we hit the town, do you think maybe we should..."

"Go," Nina told the three of them softly. "We'll meet you outside when it's done." Despite her atheism, the Princess was very conscious towards the various religions of her friends, and sympathetic towards their faiths.

"If it is all right, I would like to accompany you as well," Jean said. "I have no particular alignment to any religion, but neither am I opposed, and I have always been curious as to what attending a sermon would be like."

"As would I," Spar added. "Although I do have another faith I follow, I would like to experience it, simply for the knowledge."

"Should be fine." Ryu nodded, reminding himself to ask Spar about that later; it was the first time the Grass Man had spoken of religious matters. "Just as long as you don't bring up 'another faith' in front of the other people in the chapel. We'll see the rest of you guys outside in an hour." The other four nodded as the five of them headed east. The chapel wasn't hard to locate; like the rest of Tunlan, it was built into the side of a higher level of the city. Walking inside, they quietly sat down in the back, and waited for the sermon to start.

Though the pews were only scarcely filled, the dozen or so natives who attended were clearly devoted to the faith, hanging on the priest's every word even as he "spoke" through a series of bells, translating the Book of St. Eva with what even Ryu could recognize as only moderate skill. Despite that, the gentle-looking old man was clearly doing the best he could; he seemed to have been sent to Tunlan out of an honest desire to help the natives, and delivered the sermon with a soft but firm passion. If he was startled by seeing such a strange variety of Clans among the visitors, he showed no sign of it.

Despite the fact that Bow was the only one of them who could actually understand the sermon, Ryu felt the same peace that always came over him when at a chapel, and as far as he could tell, the others did as well. It was a strange sensation, but a good one; for as long as they were listening, everything that normally bothered and worried and troubled him no longer seemed to matter. _Nothing_ seemed to matter any more; he was free of everything that burdened him, and could simply relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility.

"Interesting," Jean said quietly once it was done, eyes speculative, as the people started to leave. "I cannot say I am quite ready to convert, but I believe I see why others do. Perhaps I shall attend again."

"Perhaps," Spar murmured noncommittally, face as blank as always.

"It's fine." Ryu smiled slightly. "We're about as religiously tolerant as it gets, in this group. Let's go meet up with the others." Leaving, they joined the others, who were waiting outside by a fountain. "Hey, guys. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No problem." Sten shrugged. "How about we hit the beach, huh? It's a little early to start drinking, even for us."

Deis turned out to have been right; the taverns in Tunlan were the only good thing about it, as they discovered after they returned from the beach. Ryu normally wasn't much for bright, fruity drinks, but the ones they served there were as cheap as ale and packed five times the punch. The afternoon was enjoyable, and eventually they managed to find an inn with rooms that they all collapsed into, their troubles forgotten for the moment and the night.

_ Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your heart to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and soul to God. You will become God's power..._

In the morning, they made their way back down to the beach and called Grandpa up again; if Deis was surprised by the prospect of a whale ride, she didn't show it. The old behemoth knew their destination, and brought them there in a matter of hours. The Isle of Mt. Maori was even more forbidding than Tunlan's north side, a grim peak jutting straight out from the waves with only a single, rocky cove which the whale dropped them off on.

"All right, now we just need to find this geezer," Bow muttered. "Knowing our luck, he'll be up on the peak."

"Probably," Sten agreed.

"Could be," Deis acknowledged. "Or he could be in that cave with the smoke coming out of it." She pointed to said cave, at the head of the cove, which was indeed emanating a noxious-looking dark green smoke.

Everybody exchanged a glance, then took up positions lounging around the cove until the smoke had cleared off before Ryu carefully led the way inside.

"I _told_ you there was too much sulfur!" An angry man's voice was yelling as they made their way through a long tunnel. "I warned you, but did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew it all, didn't you?" They emerged into a large, rounded cavern, the back of which was elevated; that portion appeared to contain a bed and other furnishings, mostly untidy. The fore of the cavern was packed bookshelves, desks and counter, overloaded with books, scrolls and chemistry equipment. A blast crater in one corner had probably contained more of the same until recently.

The source of the yelling was an ugly old man clad in unkempt blue robes, stained by chemicals and ash. Bald as an egg with a messy gray beard, he stood with his back hunched and one hand held before him like a raised claw, screaming further insults. His victim, an ordinary-looking middle-aged fellow with a heavy mustache, was leaning back and cringing as he continued to unload before abruptly whirling on Ryu and company.

"And you!" He roared. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"The alchemist, Gedd, I presume?" Ryu replied, ignoring that. "Freelance adventurers, out of Auria. We need to ask you a favor."

"Mercs, you mean." Gedd scowled. "And why the hell should I give you the time of day? Whatever it is, I don't have time to listen to your crap! I'm a busy man!" He looked them all over, and his eyes narrowed as he smiled unpleasantly. "Unless it's some pretty girls, that is. I'll talk _all _night with any of them, heh heh heh. Looks like you've got enough to go around. If it's important enough for you to come all the way out here to look for me, surely you can spare one or two of them for the evening, don't you think?"

"Oooooooooh boy," Jean murmured as the three women all exchanged glances.

"Why don't you allow us to talk to this gentleman, Ryu?" Nina suggested casually. "We'll be happy to explain the situation to him."

"Yeah, we can do that." Katt nodded, bright and cheerful. "We're _good_ at explaining things to people."

"You could even say we specialize in explanations," Deis added, eyes sparkling. "By all means, leave it to us."

"We'll, uh, we'll let you do that, sure," Ryu agreed quickly, as did the others, including Spar and the other man. "Go right ahead. We'll be outside." Turning, they all marched right back down the tunnels as the women approached Gedd.

"Hey, hey, what's this?" The old man said, smirking. "All three of you? Well, I'm sure not going to complain..."

"Poor bastard," Sten muttered as they practically raced down the corner. Once they were outside, they leaned against the mountainside and waited as various violent noises came from back in the cavern. "_That_ was supposed to be a genius?"

"Welcome to Tunlan," Bow said flatly. Nobody argued the point.

"Who're you, anyways?" Rand asked the man who'd come with them.

"I'm the old man's apprentice," the man replied, shrugging. "Guess it's time to look for a new line of work."

"Nah, they won't kill him," Bow told him, then paused. "Probably. We need him in one piece to haul him back to Tunlan."

"Tunlan?" The apprentice blinked. "It's been a long time since I was back there. Are they retracting his banishment?"

"I'd suggest they might if he plays his cards right, but judging from what I know of his personality, that's highly doubtful," Spar said dubiously.

"The queen's really sick," Ryu explained, then paused. "As in, ill. The old lady hired us to haul Gedd back in order to cure her. One way or another."

"Is the 'one way or another' referring to him curing her, or to you hauling him back?" The apprentice asked cautiously.

"Take a wild guess," Sten told him as the noise from inside the cavern ceased. A few moments later, Katt emerged carrying a burlap sack over her shoulder, a pair of feet protruding from it. Nina and Deis followed her.

"Got 'im," the fiery Woren said smugly.

"We noticed." Ryu coughed. "All right, Jean, warp us back." He glanced at the apprentice. "You coming?"

"No way in hell," the man replied quickly, shaking his head. "I'll clean this place up. Guess if he's not back in a month, I'll take the boat out of here."

"If he does not return by _then_, you will most likely have the right idea, _mon ami_," Jean told him before casting the spell, dropping them right outside the palace gates. The guards gave them a quick glance, then exchanged a look and shrugged before waving them on.

"Oh, _come on_," Sten grumbled.

"Would you _prefer_ it if they were to object to this?" Spar murmured quietly. "Even I am eagerly awaiting the conclusion of this trip already."

"Welcome to Tunlan," Ryu agreed as they headed back up the stairs to the throne room. "The less that complicates this, the better."

"We're back," Deis called towards the Castellan as they walked in. "And we're pretty sure he's still alive."

"Glad to hear it," the old lady drawled sarcastically, but there was a smirk on her face as she saw the sack over Katt's shoulder. "We kind of need him."

"We went easy on him," Katt promised. "Easy for us, anyways. Oy, sunshine. Wakey wakey." Tipping the sack forward, she shook it, and Gedd came tumbling out, bruised and slightly charred but otherwise intact.

"Forget it," he growled, crossing his arms. "Like I'm doing anything after that? Take a hike, all of you." He glanced over at the castellan, and his glare softened slightly. "Hey there, Baba. How're you doing?"

"Worse off for seeing you in such good health," she snapped. "I was hoping they'd rough you up more than this."

"And your tongue's still sharp." He chuckled, glaring at Ryu's group again. "Can't say I expected you to hire thugs like this, though. They said something about the Queen? You might as well tell me what's wrong if I'm already here."

"You'd better see for yourself," Baba told him grimly, walking back towards the bedroom. "If she doesn't lose some weight, and soon..."

"You beat me up and hauled me all the way back here for a _diet_ treatment." Gedd gave them a withering glance. "Guess it is true what they say about mercs. I'm out of here."

"Get in here and see for yourself, or I'll ask them to _throw_ you in here," Baba snarled.

"We'd do it, too," Rand told him gravely. "Better do as the lady says."

"Bah!" Throwing his hands up, Gedd followed Baba into the bedroom.

"Should we accompany them?" Jean asked politely.

"I don't particularly need to see that any more than I have to," Ryu pointed out.

"Oh, hell no," Bow grumbled, and the others all made various noises of assent as Gedd began to curse at great length and volume.

"I didn't think it was _that_ bad," the old man admitted, visibly shaken, as he and Baba emerged from the bedroom. "All right, it looks like you were right to come to me. It's going to take all of my skill to save her life at this point." He paused, and glanced keenly at the girls. "I'll even lower my asking price to one kiss from each of you."

"See, there's a problem with that," Deis said, smiling slightly. "The problem is that if we _do_, you're the kind of guy who'll grope us, and then we'll have to break your arms on general principle. Which would make it a bit difficult for you to do your job."

"Yeesh." Gedd grimaced. "You're not even joking about that, are you."

"Nope!" Katt agreed cheerfully.

"Fine, fine." He shook his head. "The sooner I get this done with, the sooner I get to go back to my island and never see any of you for the rest of my life, right? I know how this song and dance goes."

"About time you decided to be sensible about something," Baba grunted. "You'll be getting to work, then?"

"As soon as I can." The old man glowered at Ryu. "And I don't need an audience!"

"Right." Ryu waved as they turned away. "We'll be staying at the _Swan's Nest_ if you need us. If we're not there, try the _Grape Ape_ or the beach." Once they were a safe distance away, he lowered his voice. "Think it's gonna be this easy?"

"Not likely." Deis shook her head. "This is gonna keep on getting worse before it gets better. Trust me."

"Welcome to Tunlan." Sten sighed.

They spent the rest of the day at the bar, regardless, and when the next morning dawned without being called up to the palace, they proceeded down to the beach to relax. There were monsters, of course, but none of them were the types to let that sort of occasional interruption spoil the mood; some of them even seemed to see it as an additional bonus. It was only when they were making their way back through the city as sunset fell that a messenger from the palace came down to find them and explain that the castellan and magician needed them again, surprising nobody.

"How's it going?" Ryu asked bluntly as they walked into the bedroom.

"Shitty," Gedd grunted; he and Baba were both standing next to the Queen, who looked unchanged. "I've been giving it everything I've got, but none of it works. See for yourself." Pinching the queen's nose, he poured the contents of a tiny flash down her throat. For a moment, nothing happened, and then a cloud of smoke exploded over her. When it cleared, she was at the opposite extreme of body mass, a skeletal figure whose skin was stretched so tightly over her bones it looked almost as if she was about to break apart.

"You have done it!" Jean crowed. "Well done-oh." Another puff of smoke appeared almost instantly, and then the queen was massive once more.

"Told you," Gedd said crankily. "None of my cures are working. Every time I apply one, she reverts almost instantly. Baba was right; there's some kind of powerful, evil magic at work here, and it's rooted in her heart. If I mess with that, it'll kill her."

"Not good," Nina murmured. "But isn't it the intent of the curse to kill her anyways?"

"Wrong!" Gedd shook his head. "Look at her, you blockheads. There's no way in hell she should be alive right _now_. No, this curse seems to be trying to _alter_ her body. To transform her into something else. Some other lifeform."

"Shit," Ryu growled, glancing at Deis, who nodded once. Examining his Dragon's Tear, he aimed it at the queen, then narrowed his eyes as it went black. "Double shit. She's being transformed into a demon."

"A demon?" Baba yelled. "Our queen would never agree to _that!_ She's spoiled and selfish, and stupid too, but even she would draw the line at consorting with Infinity..." She trailed off, exchanging a glance with Gedd.

"Consciously, maybe," the magician agreed. "But as you said, she's always been like this. If somebody cursed her, and the transformation was fueled by her subconscious... she'd be vulnerable to that."

"She's not a demon yet, though, right?" Bow asked quickly. "Is there any way to head it off before then?"

"What do you think we called you here for, huh?" Gedd snapped, then paused, grimacing heavily. "I mean... dammit... I need your help. If... you could... please..."

"Don't strain yourself," Deis advised him, smirking slightly. "We don't get paid until the queen is cured, so no need for sweet talk."

"Good!" Gedd reverted instantly. Producing a piece of paper, he gave it to Ryu. "This is a list of equipment I'll need. Go see my apprentice on Mt. Maori, and get it from him. Bring it all back here, and there might be a way."

"Why didn't you bring it with you?" Katt asked pointedly.

"Because it's kind of hard to collect your tools when you're stuffed in a sack and dragged back!" Gedd yelled.

"Oh." She blinked, then scratched her head, looking slightly embarrassed. "Oh, yeah. Whoops. Our bad."

"Let's just go," Ryu told them, and they went back outside so that Jean could Warp them to the Isle of Mt. Maori once more. Heading into the cave, they found the apprentice tidying up the lab, and Ryu tossed him the list without preamble. "Hey. Your boss needs us to bring everything on here back to Tunlan."

"That bad, huh?" The apprentice scanned the list quickly, then frowned. "I'll be able to get most of this together in a couple hours, but... there's one problem. We don't keep _amanita rubroclupea _on hand; it goes bad too quickly once picked, and it's a pain in the ass to get, so we wait until we need some before we go find it."

"Let me guess." Ryu sighed. "You want us to go get some of whatever that is while you're getting everything else ready."

"Actually, it was the master's idea," the apprentice pointed out, showing them the letter. There was, in fact, a note after the last item reading, _Send these muscleheads to go get it while you get the rest of this together. Make sure they get the right one_.

"Figures." Bow snorted. "All right, what is this stuff?"

"_Amanita_..." Nina repeated slowly. "That's a mushroom, correct?"

"You got it." The apprentice pulled a book off a shelf and began thumbing through it. "This island is famous for its mushrooms. The one we need is only found at the mountain's peak, I'm afraid." Finding the right page, he showed them an illustration of a squat, round-capped fungus, red with golden spots. "There'll be a lot that look like it, so make sure you get the _rubroclupea_. It's the one with the four spots on the rim, each a quarter of the way around, and a fifth at the top, in the exact center. Think you cam remember that?"

"Spar?" Ryu glanced at the Grass Man, who nodded.

"I will be able to locate the correct specimen," it assured them.

"So now we're going mountain climbing." Rand sighed. "Super. That's just what my night needed. Do I _look _like I should be mountaineering?"

"Welcome to Tunlan," Katt grumbled.

"Here's a map," the apprentice said kindly, handing it to Ryu. "The fastest route to the top is on there."

"Thanks." Taking it, Ryu nodded at the others. "All right, no helping it. Let's go have ourselves a hike."

"Do not look so downcast, _mon amis_," Jean said brightly. "It will be healthy exercise, the fresh air will be wonderful, and the view we will have underneath the night sky? _Magneficique_! There are worse ways to spend an evening!"

Nobody had the heart to say anything about that.

"All right, according to this map, we take the trail winding around the west side," Ryu muttered as they emerged. Turning right, he glanced up said trail, which led over several streams and had chunks of it completely, outright missing in other places. As they stared up, a man-sized mushroom with a bulging eye and two long, spindly arms ending in grasping claws attached to its trunk hopped around into visibility. "Yeah, this is gonna suck."

"Got it," Bow grunted, firing his crossbow and pegging the monster in the eye. Flailing, it tipped over backwards and fell off the edge, presumably all the way down into the ocean. "Think there'll be more of them?"

"Does a harpy eat week-old carrion?" Rand muttered, glancing at Katt and Ryu. "Looked kind of like those dokadens from the Tagwoods, didn't it?"

"Kind of, yeah," Katt agreed, folding her arms behind her head and leaning back to stretch. "We'll have to watch out for magic. I'll go first; keep an eye out for more of those."

"I'd better go last, then," the big man pointed out. "If I trip or slip, anybody behind me's gonna be in a lot more trouble than I am."

"I'll just keep out of the way as long as we're on a narrow trail, if you all don't mind." Nina smiled slightly, wings beating as she floated off to the side. "I'll stay with you, though. Somehow, I get the feeling that just taking the fast way to the top by myself would get me an unpleasant surprise."

"Probably," Sten agreed. "I'll go after Katt."

"Me next, then," Ryu decided. "Then Bow, Spar, Deis, Jean, Rand. Keep an eye out both ahead of and behind us. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the locals try that after a while." He grimaced. "Single file sucks."

"Let's just hope it won't be this bad all the way up," Katt suggested, then grimaced. "Did I really just say that? Sorry."  
"Too late." Bow shook his head, mock-mournfully. "The damage is done. This is gonna suck twice as much now."

"That is not a logically sound equation," Spar muttered as they started making their way up the mountainside.

"Logic is optional when dealing with Tunlan," Deis advised it. "The problem is if you _try_ to apply logic anyways, it almost seems like you can, at the time. Then when you're finished, you look _back_ at what you were thinking, and it makes it even worse."

"See, now _that_ makes sense," Rand told her, then frowned. "Wait..."

"Can we talk about something else?" Ryu asked quickly.

"Sure," Katt called back. "Heads up!" She pointed above their heads, and everybody glanced further up the mountainside to see several hairy purple monopeds with one eye hefting boulders before hurling them down at the group.

"I've got this one!" Deis boasted, raising her hands and muttering. As the boulders fell, a cylinder of wind suddenly descended from the heavens, flinging both them and the unlucky monsters far out to sea. "See? Told you that you wouldn't regret hiring me on."

"The typhoon spell," Nina identified it. "Somewhat of a misnomer. I've been studying that one myself. Next time, let me try."

"I'd prefer that we get indoors so there _isn't_ a next time, if it's all the same," Bow grumbled. "That wasn't how I'd prefer we do things."

"According to the map, there's a cave up ahead," Ryu told him. "We should cut through it. You guys see it?"

"Yeah, here it is," Katt said, rounding the side of the mountain. "Chances on it being infested with monsters?" Despite her cynical tone, her eyes were bright, and the tip of her tail was twitching back and forth.

"Too high for my tastes, but not for yours," Sten grunted. "At least we'll be able to spread out in there." They waited for the rest of the group to arrive before heading in. As the Highlander had predicted, there were some kind of repulsive mobile fungus clumps living inside the cavern, resembling nothing so much as clusters of purple human arms rising from the central mass, hands waving idiotically.

"How many of 'em you see?" Ryu asked casually as the freaks of nature began slithering towards them along the ground.

"Five." Bow grunted, aiming and firing. "Make that four." He made a face as his target continued to come on despite the bolt sticking out of it. "Scratch that. Still five."

"No, you were right," Nina corrected him, lobbing a fireball at it, and the monstrosity expired without a sound. "Four."

"Make that three, then." Deis grinned as she dittoed the spell, then grimaced as the flaming monster kept coming. "Or maybe not. I hate math."

"Looks like three to me." Sten shrugged, skewering the beast with a thrown knife.

"Hold on, hold on..." Katt ran forward, frontflipped through the air, and brought the end of her battlestaff down on another one with enough force to splatter it for three feet around her. "Dammit, ew. Two!"

"One point five," Spar said clinically, lashing out with his wrap and entangling one. "Jean, would you mind adjusting the numbers further?"

"But of course, _mon ami_." Jean took up a stance, then skewered the monster repeatedly in a blur of frenzied motion. "One!"

"Zero." Ryu chopped the last one in half with an overhead swing; agility and speed were hardly their strong suits, it seemed. "Good job, people."

"Sorry I didn't join in, but I didn't want to get any on me," Rand told them, raising his fists sheepishly.

"Can't blame you," Katt grimaced, looking down at the bits that had splattered onto her lower legs. "Where's another waterfall when you... need one..."

"Whoa!" Ryu yelled as she suddenly buckled. "Katt, what's wrong?"

"Feeling... woozy," she muttered, leaning against the wall of the tunnel; her skin was starting to show a strange, purple discoloration. "And... really hungry, all of a sudden..."

"Shit!" Sten yelped. "Somebody, anybody, tell me you can cure zombification!"

"Zomb..." Ryu started to repeat, then broke off, eyes wide. "Oh, _hell_ no!"

"No..." Bow growled, exchanging a glance with Rand, who shook his head. "No, I don't know that spell yet..."

"Neither do I," Spar admitted clinically. "However, there is a Spring of Life back inside the magician's home. I saw it hidden in a corner."

"Too far down," Sten muttered. "She'll never make it. Shit!"

"Ryu...?" Katt whispered. "Am I... gonna be..."

"It's okay," Ryu started to walk towards her, then paused as Sten held out a hand, pointing at the goop on her legs. Narrowing his eyes, he nodded and kept going, embracing Katt gently while making sure not to touch the slime. "We'll figure something out."

"Indeed we shall, _mon ami_," Jean murmured, stepping forward and whispering. As he spoke the words of a spell, white dust fell from the air over Katt, and she suddenly relaxed in Ryu's arms, sleeping like a log. "Dream well, _mademoiselle_."

"Good thinking," Nina told him.

"Would somebody please explain just what the hell is going on here?" Ryu asked, quiet but angry, as he lowered Katt to the floor.

"Zombification is seriously bad shit, boss," Sten explained. "It's reversible, but until the victim is cured, they basically become a brain-dead ghoul. She'd have started trying to take pieces out of us in another minute; it takes about two to set in completely. Healing magic and the Water of Life are the only cures. I thought we'd have to knock her out, but Jean had a better idea."

"That magical sleep should keep her out for a couple hours as long as nothing shocks her awake," Deis continued. "Plenty of time for her to get her back to the spring."

"Should we turn back, then?" Nina asked quietly.

"No." Taking off his shirt, Ryu wrapped it around Katt's legs, covering the slime. "Katt wouldn't want us to. She'd tell us to keep going, that we had plenty of time to get to the top and still bring her back down before she woke back up." He glanced at Rand. "Right?"

"Yeah." The big Farmlander bent over and carefully hefted her over one of his shoulders. "She'd never let us live it down if we went back without the mushroom."

"Let's keep going, then." Ryu nodded. "There's a waterfall up ahead. We can clean our weapons off there. Probably best not to touch anything that touched those until we can repeat it back at the Spring, though. And if we run into any more of those things, waste them."

Nobody said anything more as they continued out the other end of the tunnel, onto a narrow ledge across the back of the mountain. It passed under another waterfall, which they used to clean their weapons off as Ryu had told them, and then led to a second cavern. This one held a couple of carnivorous giant flowers; as soon as they entered, both turned and opened their maws to spew waves of fire at the group.

Jean, Rand and Ryu took the brunt of the attack, shielding the others with their bodies; almost as soon as it ended, Bow and Spar were healing them. Nina, Sten and Deis moved forward then, and with narrowed eyes and bowed fingers, returned the favor with a triple pyramid of flame that obliterated the arboreal menace.

"Second exit on the left should take us to the peak," Ryu grunted as they walked past the destruction, trudging uphill through the cavern. They found the cave mouth without any more trouble, and walked out onto a trail wider than it had been down below. Around a corner, they finally saw the top of Mt. Maori, where a small lake poured down the side, surrounded by trees. Several small islands dotted its surface, and flowers were in abundance, as were red-capped mushrooms.

The only unwelcome sight was a bronze idol, roughly the same size and shape as the Queen of Tunlan had been. It looked to have been made out of a pair of spheres, one smaller and set above the other with a pointed top; crude features had been set in it, resembling a human face. As they walked up, it swiveled on its base to stare at them in immobile curiosity.

And then, as they approached further, the earth began to shake beneath their feet.

"Not again!" Ryu yelled as they were slammed around, smashed against the ground itself by the violent motion repeatedly. Thankfully, nobody actually fell off, and when the quake ended they were all bruised and battered, but still alive. "_That_ does it. I'm gonna-"

"You know what?" Rand said, calmly and quietly. "I've had enough shit for tonight. You mind, boss?" Without waiting for an answer, he handed Katt over to him, then advanced on the bronze idol, slow and purposeful. Suddenly, the enemy lunged bodily at him, but Rand was ready, catching it in his massive arms. With a grunt of effort that rose until it was a furious bellow, the big Farmlander gripped the statue tightly and raised it high into the air before turning and hurling it over the edge of the mountain to plummet into the deep blue sea below.

"Holy _shit_," Deis murmured, staring, as he walked back over, breathing slightly heavily but otherwise calm.

"Let's get this mushroom and get off this damn rock," he told them as Ryu handed Katt back to him.

"I believe it's this one," Spar said, walking past him and proceeding over to the base of a tree. Bending over, it pulled a mushroom the size of its head from the earth; it looked identical to the picture in the book.

"Good, good." Jean smiled, but even on him, it looked strained. "Now then, back to the bottom for us, yes?"

"You were right about one thing," Nina murmured as he Warped them back down. "The view _was_ very nice."

"We can enjoy it another time if we really want," Ryu told her as they went back into the cave. The apprentice was still inside, packing things into a satchel; as they walked in, he looked up and his eyes widened as he saw Rand carrying Katt.

"What happened?"

"We need to use your Spring of Life," Bow told him flatly. "Now."

"Oh." He grimaced. "The Banbhands, right? I should have warned you about those."

"Yes, you should have," Ryu agreed tightly as they all crowded around the Spring. Rand set Katt down in it, propping her back up against it, and Ryu took his shirt back, making sure to soak it as well. "Everybody clean your weapons off again, too. We don't want to take any chances with this kind of shit."

"Ryu?" Katt muttered, eyes slowly opening; the purple tinge was fading quickly, and within a few moments, she was both awake and back to normal. Looking around at them, she blinked, then smiled wickedly. "So, is there a reason you're not wearing your shirt right now? Not that I mind the view, but..."

"I..." Ryu started to say, then blinked, remembering what Nina had said as they were on their way down. Turning, he saw her look away, blushing slightly. Despite how much he wanted to say something, nothing came to mind, and he became aware that the others were all pointedly looking _away_ from him, most of them trying to hide smirks of their own. After a moment, he gave in and closed his eyes, growling. "Let's just go back to Tunlan, already. We got the right shroom, right?"

"What?" The apprentice blinked, then glanced at the specimen Spar was holding. "Oh, yes. Yes, that's the correct one. Here." He handed the Grass Man the satchel. "This is everything else the master will need."

"Let's get back, hand it over, and get some sleep, then," Ryu grumbled, pulling his shirt back on. "I've had enough excitement for one night."

"Awww," Katt muttered; what exactly it was that she was disappointed about was a topic he decided not to inquire further on. Another Warp later, they walked back into the palace and headed back up to the bedroom.

"Oh, there you are," Gedd growled, stepping off of the bed; he'd been affixing an ancient, threadbare pillow over the Queen's eyes. "What kept you?"

"Easy," Katt, of all people, muttered as she grabbed Ryu's arm. "We still need him. For a while, anyways."

"Here," he grunted, shoving the satchel at Gedd. "Now then, if you don't mind-"

"Actually, I do," the old man cut him off. "We'll need to commence the operation immediately. Why do you think we got the Therapy Pillow ready for you?"

"For _us_?" Bow repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Just what exactly do you have in mind?"

"I'd like to know that, too!" Baba chimed in; she was sitting in a chair nearby, apparently keeping herself awake through sheer willpower. "If we're using the Therapy Pillow, this had better be good. What are you up to, you old goat?"

"Normally, the Therapy Pillow transports one into a world of dreams, comprised of the user's subconscious memory," Gedd explained, taking ingredients and vials out from the satchel and mixing them, including the mushrom, which he began grinding into a powder. "The potion I am currently making, however, will temporarily shut down all of the queen's higher brain functions, leaving only those that self-regulate her body's systems."

"All right," Nina said after a moment. "I think I followed that."

"I didn't," Katt muttered.

"I'll explain it to you later," she promised. "What next?"

"At that point, I apply this magical mirror, to slightly redirect the Therapy Pillow," Gedd continued, pulling said mirror out of the satchel; it was round and about the size of a human head, trimmed in blue. "With the brain only partially active, it should be possible to alter the function so that the pillow creates a physical representation of the queen's _heart_, where the curse is rooted, rather than her brain."

"And if we create a physical representation of her heart, the curse will also be given shape and form," Spar deduced.

"And you boys and girls can wipe it out the easy way," Gedd concluded. "Well, easy for you, anyways."

Everybody exchanged a glance.

"Welcome to Tunlan," Nina murmured.

"Let's just get this over with," Ryu decided. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

"You're learning, kids," Gedd grunted, pouring the ground potion into a glass of sparkling blue liquid. Climbing back into the bed, he forced it between the Queen's lips, then nodded sharply after a moment. "Good. Now you all get up here. Everybody put a hand on the Pillow, close your eyes, relax, and clear your thoughts." Clambering around behind the Queen's head, he held the mirror up above it, touching the bottom rim to the pillow.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Sten grumbled as they all climbed on as well, save for Rand, who simply reached between Katt and Sten to touch it with one finger. Everybody else put a hand on it, including Ryu, who did what the old man had said, closing his eyes and thinking of nothing. He could only do it for a moment, but that moment was enough; the world abruptly _shifted_ around him, and then he was suddenly standing on a warm, unpleasantly soft surface, and there was a deep, repeating sound from all around.

Opening his eyes again, he saw that they were all standing in a tunnel of living, pulsing red flesh. The sound was the Queen's heartbeat; as he looked around, he saw the walls expanding and contracting in time with the noise. The air seemed filled with a red mist that was constantly rushing in and out, and everything had a coppery, salty smell.

"I do believe this is the most disgusting thing that has ever happened to me," Spar stated with perfect calm.

"Pretty sure that's unanimous," Rand said with visible distaste, then glanced at Deis. "Well..."

"No, no, this tops the chart," she agreed, raising her hands. "So what are we looking for?"

On cue, a blob of gelatinous red goo creeped around the corner, walking on fleshy tentacles that surrounded most of its body. A single green eye on the front turned to stare at them for a moment, before it squealed and bolted back the way it came.

"After it!" Ryu yelled, drawing his sword, and they all gave chase, bearing down on the unfortunate monster like a stampede. The conclusion was fairly foregone; after a couple minutes, they ran it into a dead end, and proceeded to pulverize it.

"There's another one!" Bow pointed out, firing at a second blob creeping along the ceiling and missing. "Damn!"

"Should we not do that?" Sten asked as they chased it down. "I mean, if we damage any of this..."

"Doesn't look like the bolt did anything," Ryu noted, thinking as he ran. "I guess since this isn't really real, it's fine."

"All right!" Deis raised her hands. "So I can unload, then!"

"Ah, _mademoiselle_?" Jean said quickly. "We _are_ rather tightly packed in an enclosed space, yes?"

"Oh, fine." Pouting, she simply lashed it with lightning, slowing it enough for the rest to catch up and finish it.

"Another one over there!" Nina called, pointing down another hall, and then another. "And there, too!"

"How many of these things _are_ there?" Rand grumbled, barreling after the first one. "We're gonna be at this all night."

"Welcome to Tunlan," Spar replied without a trace of sarcasm or humor.

In the end, it actually took a little over an hour; the "heartworld" was divided into four sections, which apparently made sense according to the more intelligent members of the group. They advanced quadrant by quadrant, making sure each one was completely cleared of the curse's physical manifestations before moving onto the next. The instant they finished off the last one, the artificial environment shifted around them again, and a moment later, they were unceremoniously dumped back onto the floor of the bedroom.

"You did it!" Baba crowed, and they all looked up to see that the Queen had deflated into her emaciated, skeletal form once more.

"Not bad," Gedd grudgingly admitted, checking her over with some complicated-looking instruments. "Yes... it looks like you've completely destroyed the evil magic. There's no chance she'll become a demon now!" He paused. "Of course... now, she's so weak, she won't even be able to get out of bed. Maybe if I..." He produced another bottle and administered it, and in a puff of smoke, the Queen adopted a more normal appearance. "There we go! I'm a... damnation and hellfire!" More smoke signaled another reversion. "Even without the curse, it's not sticking!"

"You're getting old, goat," Baba said, though it lacked rancor. "Losing your touch. Happens to everybody, I guess."

"Why, you-" Gedd started to sputter, but she continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"It must be rough, living on Mt. Maori at your age," she mused absently, looking up at the ceiling. "I'll have to make the Queen agree... I mean, get her permission... but I'd say saving her life is grounds for forgiveness. Why don't you have your useless apprentice bring all your things back here, and move back into your old quarters?"

"I... suppose I could do that, yeah," Gedd agreed, looking at the floor. "If you think it'll be okay, that is." He coughed. "Anyways, these jerks did all the real work."

"Oh, of course!" Baba snatched the Therapy Pillow off of the Queen's face and handed it to Ryu, who took it wearily. "You've more than earned this. Thank you, all of you. The land of Tunlan owes you all a great debt."

"If anything else ever comes up that needs a special touch, we operate out of a town east of Mt. Fubi," Ryu told her, against his better instincts, as he took the treasure. "Reasonable rates."

"_Very_ reasonable, I'd say," Nina murmured, then raised her voice slightly as she glanced at the Queen. "Will she be all right?"

"She'll be fine in a while," Gedd assured her. "We'll feed her up until she's able to walk again. It might take a while, but she'll make it."

"So basically..." Bow said slowly. "All of this was her fault... and her reward is to lie around in bed for a month and do nothing but sleep and eat?"

There was a long silence.

"Let's just go," Ryu said flatly, and everybody nodded as they turned around. "See you guys around, maybe. This was really... something."

"'Something' is a good word for it, all right," Sten muttered as they walked out. "And now, I for one need 'something' at a local bar."

"Um..." Gedd coughed from behind them. "Hate to say this, folks, but... they'll all be closed by now."

Everybody froze in place.

"Welcome to Tunlan?" Jean suggested.

"Nah." Ryu shook his head after a moment. "We'll re-open one. Friendly-like."

"Try the _Swan Song_ over on Rose Street," Baba suggested. "They haven't paid their taxes recently."

"Can do." Bow raised a hand as they all walked out. "Yeesh. What a day. What a week."

Then they all got drunk, defaced some public property, vomited in a fountain, and passed out.

_MUSIC MAKES THE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER _


	25. Chapter 23: The World Of Dreams

_**Chapter 23: The World Of Dreams **_

_ Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your heart to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and soul to God. You will become God's power..._

Ryu woke up.

He immediately wished he hadn't; his head was pounding like an erupting volcano, and his mouth dittoed the sensation. All four limbs were feeling dead, and his guts were in open revolt. The chatter of an amused crowd below wasn't helping. Opening his eyes, he winced at the bright tropical sunlight, then began looking around, squinting. The source of his discomfort immediately became apparent; he was lying prone across the arm of a statue in the middle of a square, set inside a fountain, which also explained the crowd.

"What the hell am I doing here...?" He muttered, prompting another groan from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Bow sitting on the shoulder; a quick look-over located the rest of the crew, all either on the statue or in the fountain below. There was another Highlander as well, wearing a blue uniform; Ryu didn't recognize him at all, and had no desire to try to at the moment.

"Same thing we all are, man," Bow grumbled. "Gotta admit, this is probably a new personal best, even for us."

"Speak for yourself," Deis groaned from where she was wrapped around the statue's head. "This doesn't even come close."

"Oh..." Nina whispered; she'd been lying flat on her face against the statue's chest, which was inclined slightly, arms and legs and wings all splayed. "My head... what happened? How much did we..."

"You don't wanna know," Katt assured her blearily; she was dangling by her feet, which seemed to be held in one of the statue's hands. "Let's just say I'm pretty sure _you_ pretty much doubled whatever your old record was."

"Why do you _do _this?" Spar gurgled plaintively, sounding as if it was underwater; glancing down, Ryu saw that it _was_, or at least its upper body was, legs sticking out of the fountain's basin. Apparently, lack of air wasn't a problem for Grass Men. "Why did _I _do this? Does this _always_ happen with excessive consumption of alcohol?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Sten grimaced, not moving from where he was lying in the same position as Ryu on the other arm. "You get used to it."

"Still should have known better." Rand tried to stand up, overbalanced and fell forward back into the fountain; he'd been sitting against the statue's base next to Jean and the other Highlander. "Why did we do that again?"

"We needed it."

"Oh. Right."

"I do believe we went a bit overboard, _mon amis_." Jean simply fell forward without even trying to get up. "I would offer to take us back home, but in my current state... ah, _mon dieu_..."

"Right." Ryu slowly nodded. "Sober up first, _then_ go home." He glanced down at the second Highlander. "Hey, pal. Who are you again? Sorry, but... don't think I remember."

"Name's El," he said slowly, putting a hand to his face. "You're the guys with the new town, right? Pretty sure you are. Said you didn't have a town guard yet, so you hired me as the chief of one. Or something like that."

"Huh." Ryu blinked. "Don't remember that. Anybody else?"

"I... think so, yeah," Rand said slowly. "You're... the son of the Highland Ambassador, right?"

"Yeah," El confirmed. "Had training, but that's it. No real time in the trenches."

"Uch." Sten grimaced.

"Pretty sure something like that happened," Deis muttered. "Don't ask me about the details, though. All gets hazy around when we started drinking by the pint."

"What's wrong with drinking by the pint?" Katt asked.

"Whiskey?"

"Oh."

"Crap." Ryu put a hand to his forehead. "Okay, if we agreed... you get the job. Doesn't matter if we were piss drunk. Was our own fault for doing that."

"Thanks, pal." El looked up at him and smiled slightly; he was an androgynous-looking man, thin and willowy, but something in his eyes implied that he was far more dangerous than he looked if pushed the wrong way. "Won't let you down, Mister... uh... what was your name again?"

With a massive splash, Bow fell off the statue into the fountain.

It was the better part of an hour before Jean had recovered enough to Warp them back to their town, El included; once they were back, they all went their own ways, as there was an unspoken but unanimous agreement that they would be taking the day off to recover. Ryu, for his part, spent most of it with his head in a bucket of ice. He suspected the others had their own methods, some probably more exotic than others, but had no intentions of asking about them. The only communication that took place was exchanging the news that they would be having a meeting tomorrow, and after breakfast on that day, they all gathered there, more or less recovered.

"All right, let's keep this one short and sweet," Ryu said flatly. "First order of business. We never speak of that last job, ever again. Agreed?"

"Agreed," everybody except Niro replied in unison.

"Awwww." The old man frowned.

"Trust me, you _don't_ want to know," Sten assured him.

"Second order of business." Ryu glanced at Niro. "Anything come up around here we need to know about?"

"Same old, same old." Niro shrugged. "That second set o' houses is pretty much finished. Already assigned one to that new guy. Good thinkin', gettin' someone to run a guard, even if it's a squad o' one for now."

"I can't say I'm too impressed by the guy," Sten admitted. "An ambassador's brat who never actually served, I mean."

"Keep in mind what kind of town this is," Nina reminded him. "His position will probably be as a figurehead only, and with that in mind, people will simply look at him and think a Highlander knows what he's doing."

"I guess." Sten grimaced. "Probably best if I avoid him, all the same. If he's been on Tunlan most of his life he won't recognize me, but..."

"It's fine," Ryu assured him. "Anyways. Third order of business. We've got the Therapy Pillow, so it's time we concluded our deal with you, Spar. Tomorrow, we're going back to the Sea of Trees, and we're gonna take care of Gandaroof's mind... and hope the Demon Lord on site stays out of it until we're gone. Which brings me to my point." He glanced at Deis. "You've been through this 'world of dreams' shit before. What are we looking at?"

"You remember how the old man called up the physical representation of the Queen's heart?" The Sorceress reminded them. "The Pillow's gonna be doing the same thing, except for Gandaroof's mind instead, and I don't mean his brain. It's going to create a land out of his psyche, and it won't be a small one, either. All the ones I've seen have been about the size of the entire Isle of Tunlan, and they were normal beings. Who knows what a Wise Tree's mind will be like."

"What's a psyche?" Katt muttered.

"I'll explain it later," Nina told her.

"Will there be monsters?" Rand asked.

"If there's a mentat responsible for this?" Deis nodded firmly. "Definitely. They can access the world of dreams even without the Therapy Pillow, and scatter as many in there as they like. The monsters'll be the same, though, so we can kill 'em the same, too."

"Our goal will be to cure Gandaroof's amnesia," Spar explained to her. "How exactly will we need to go about that?"

"Never done that before." She shrugged. "But if it's in his mind, it'll be in the World of Dreams. We'll just have to find whatever looks screwed up, and figure out a way to stop it. Not my favorite way of doing things, but with this, there's nothing else to do. Mind magic sucks." She made a face. "We'd better get ready for a long haul, though. Once we're in, we won't be able to leave until the mentat's influence has been broken."

"Figures." Ryu sighed. "So, a couple of weeks?"

"At least." She nodded.

"No helping it," he decided. "All right, let's kick back while we can. Tomorrow, we're back on the clock." He glanced at Niro. "Anything else come up?"

"Just a mail call," Niro grunted, putting some letters on the table. "All came in via magic while you were out. One from Ray, one from Mina, one from Petape, and one from Silvia. The one from Ray's sent to all of us, but I'm guessin' the rest are private."

"Well, let's open that one up, then," Ryu decided, doing so as Nina, Jean and Bow took the other three. Removing the letter, he read it aloud. "Greetings, friends. I hope you're all still doing well. Not that that's likely to be necessary; you've certainly been keeping busy, haven't you? The rumors about your activities in Highland are all over the spectrum; some of them are even more ridiculous than your usual escapades, as difficult as that is to believe. My favorite was the one where you were all agents of a secret Namandian wet works team sent in to disrupt ties between Highfort and the Church."

"Remind me to whack Ray one for that next time I see him," Rand grunted to Katt, looking profoundly unamused. "Gently, of course. Ray's sort of a friend."

"Sort of?" Katt raised an eyebrow. "Besides, what's that got to do with anything?"

"Regardless, I assume the Demon Lord in residence has been dealt with," Ryu continued, ignoring that. "The late, unlamented General Shupukay, I suspect. I met her once during a discussion of a contract, and I can't say I'd be surprised. Unfortunately, as before, just when one problem is resolved, another rears its head. The path of corruption continues even further south of Sima, as I feared; my information suggests a Demon Lord may be active deep in the southeast, either in Carmen or Scande. Either would be highly troublesome, to say the least."

"Chances on that being this Aruhameral jerk?" Sten asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Minimal," Nina murmured. "The Sea of Trees is north of both; strictly speaking, it's not even on the same continent. Ray would be aware of that."

"So if he's right, there's _four_, not counting Barubary." Bow put a hand to his face. "Can we catch a break? Just once?"

"Catching a break isn't in the cards," Deis reminded him. "That happens to other people. We're not that lucky."

"From what I hear, you were successful in gaining the aid of a Grass Man; hopefully, I will be able to meet him or her soon," Ryu read on, giving Spar an apologetic shrug. "I've finished my mission on the Isle of Guntz, and am being reassigned to Scande next; hopefully, I'll be able to gain more information there. Wish me luck, and may St. Eva guide your paths as well. Ray Braddoc." Putting it down on the table, he grimaced. "All right, this isn't exactly comforting news, but it doesn't change our immediate plans any. We can figure out what to do about this _after_ we help Gandaroof out."

"Surely _monsieur_ Ray would not attempt to slay a Demon Lord alone, no?" Jean asked, rubbing his chin.

"He'd _better_ not," Katt growled. "Ray's good, but he's not _that_ good. Don't think there's _anybody_ who's _that_ good."

"Well..." Rand gave Deis a look.

"I know a couple guys." The sorceress shrugged. "But they're retired. And one-on-one isn't my style. I can dish it out, but I'm not that great at taking it."

"Ray's not stupid." Ryu shook his head. "And he trusts us. After we told him how the fight with Kuwadora went, he's not going to get in over his head." He started to stand, then paused, glancing at Niro. "I forgot to ask. How are the new guys settling in?"

"They're doin' okay." Niro shrugged. "Hanz is gettin' his goods shipped in like he said, so that's comin' along nicely. Salvadore ain't here yet, but Baretta an' Lemington came in while you were off in Tunlan, and they're settin' up too."

"Huh." Ryu glanced around at the group, and they all nodded. "Why don't we drop by there and see how they're doing before we head off? I think most of us could have some business for them." They nodded again, and everybody stood, following him out of the building and over to the house in question, which already bore signs of remodeling; there was a back door as well, leaning open; Ryu glanced through it, assuming it would lead to the business side of the building. "Hello?"

"Come in!" A cheerful-looking young woman called from a wall of crates as she hefted another one onto the stacks. She wore a practical-looking green dress, and her hair was short and brown; despite her slim build, her arms held a surprising amount of muscle. The room was full of pieces of armor and weaponry on display, the latter hanging on the wall and the former on stands. Glancing over at them, she smiled in recognition. "Nina! I'd heard you were back. It's good to see the rest of you as well."

"I'm glad to see you're doing well," Nina said, crossing over to give her a hug. "Is Uncle Lemington here as well?"

"There's only one girl a voice that sweet could belong to," a voice boomed from the door leading further into the building, and it swung open to reveal a heavily built old man, bald as an egg with a short, soot-stained white beard. He crushed both girls in an embrace of his own, grinning broadly. "Little Nina! I told you you would grow up pretty, didn't I? Can't say I expected you to go into this line of work, though."

"I've fallen in with rough companions," Nina joked, smiling over her shoulder at the team. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"I'll think about it," the old man teased her right back before releasing them and walking over to the team. "So, you're the ones who picked little Nina out of that Magic School, huh?" Surveying Ryu, he smiled again and stuck out his hand. "Glad to see she's making more friends. Name's Lemington. Thanks for the house."

"Any friend of Nina's a friend of ours," Ryu replied, taking the hand and wincing at the old man's crushing grip. "Especially a couple people in this line of business. Guys like us do well to know some folks like that."

"I assume that's why you've come here today?" Baretta asked. "We've heard from the gossip around town that you're going to be heading off on a major assignment sometime soon."

"You got it." Bow nodded. "Big job over in the Sea of Trees. And some of us had our armor busted up pretty badly on a recent one, so we figured we should probably get that replaced at the least before we went in."

"Well, we're still just setting up, so custom jobs will have to wait," Baretta admitted, looking them over. "But we've got a stock of plate mail from Tunlan in; it's a lot more lightweight than most plate, and just as durable as the standard. I should be able to fit most of the men, except for you, big guy." She nodded apologetically at Rand.

"Comes with the territory." He shrugged. "Nothing I can do about it."

"Now hold on." Lemington glanced at Baretta. "Speaking of Tunlan, remember that one experimental set I brought back from their?"

"That ridiculous set of stone armor you made out of one of the golems?" Baretta snorted. "I still think that's absolutely useless. Who could even..." She paused, the light dawning in her eyes, then glanced at Rand. "Well, maybe... yes, I suppose it would fit him. He's strong enough to carry it, too, I'd wager, and it's thick enough to provide protection."

"It'll slow you down like you were dunked in lead, though," Lemington admitted honestly. "Kind of a downside, there."

"Speed and agility aren't exactly specialties of mine anyways." Rand shrugged, smiling. "If you can get a full suit that'll actually fit me, you'll be the first I've ever seen; most of my Clan don't lead violent lives, so I haven't seen anybody who's bothered before. I'd be glad for it."

"I'll dig that out of the crates, then." Lemington nodded. "Probably don't have anything for the women just yet, I'm afraid, but we'll work on that. Enchanted robes and cloaks aren't really our specialties, but I've got a lot of contacts, and some of them should be able to get something in better than what you've got now."

"I can deal with weight, just as long as it doesn't restrict freedom of movement," Katt told them. "Guessing Nina and Deis would prefer that, though."

"What of helmets?" Jean asked. "I would have liked to have picked one up like _monsieur_ Sten's while we were in Highland, but we did not have time for such things, as it turned out."

"I take it that you refer to Highlander nation helmets?" Baretta guessed. "We have some of those, but not in a wide variety of sizes, I'm afraid." Eyeing them up, she pointed at Ryu, Jean and Bow. "The three of you, I think. As for the rest... we _do_ have some enchanted hoods from Tunlan. They won't be quite _that_ effective, but they'll do better than standard."

"Helmets for the three of us, then, and hoods for the other five, if that's okay with everybody?" Ryu asked, and they all nodded. "Good. Now then, on to weapons." He brought out his claymore. "This one's actually doing pretty well for me, but if you can do better, I won't say no."

"Huh." Lemington took it up, testing its weight and balance. "Not bad. We might be able to, but we don't have anything on hand."

"How about crossbows?" Bow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Now _that_, you came to the right people for." Baretta opened up a crate and pulled a strange-looking crossbow out, handing it to him; it looked like it had the mechanisms for two shots side by side. "Highland Twin Bow. Fires twice before you need to reload it, same trigger. You might need to adjust how you sight, but..."

"But it'll be worth it." Bow took it, practiced sighting, and nodded. "I can work with this. I'll take it."

"How're you with daggers?" Sten asked, scratching his chin. "I'm okay on my collection, but like the boss said, if you can turn out better, I'm interested."

"Give us a while on that one too." Lemington nodded at him, and then again at Jean. "Same for you. Rapiers aren't really our usual, but that doesn't mean we won't be able to."

"I suppose I cannot continue using the sword of my people forever," Jean conceded. "I will be glad to see your efforts when you are finished."

"Let's add this onto that, too." Katt tossed her battlestaff to Baretta, who caught it nimbly. "If you've got one of _these_, I'll eat a gold fly; I've seen 'em made before, but barely ever, and bronze is the best I've been able to find. Think you could do one in steel?"

"Interesting design," Baretta murmured, spinning it around before testing the tiny blades on the end. "Difficult to reproduce... but possible, in time. We should be able to."

"Unfortunately, I doubt a new whip for me would be easy to procure," Spar guessed.

"Bet?" Lemington reached into the box again and pulled out a coiled, thorned whip, green-dyed leather by the look of it.

"I stand corrected." The Grass Man took it, nodding approvingly as it looked it over. "Yes, this should do perfectly. My thanks."

"I never did get the hang of weapons, myself." Deis glanced at Rand. "I'll just stick with my cane, thanks."

"Same here." The big man held up his hands, showing them the heavy knuckle guards. "I just hit things. And even if you had something, I doubt it'd be in my size."

"Give us time," Baretta assured him. "That, we _will_ be able to do. Even in your size. Which just leaves you, Nina."

"I'm afraid I'm still as unused to the physical arts as ever," Nina murmured. "A focusing ring is about the most I can manage."

"Well then, try this on." Lemington tossed her a ring adorned by a bright red ruby, carved in the shape of a leaping flame. "Should work just fine for all the elements, and it'll kick your fire spells up a notch, too."

"I can tell," she murmured, looking it over before slipping it on. "My thanks."

"Looks like that'll do it, then." Ryu nodded. "If you can get it all out, we'll try it on, and then we'll pay up. Keep our accounts separate; I'm pretty sure we can all afford everything."

"Music to my ears, young man." Lemington chuckled, pulling open another crate.

After fitting and paying, they walked next door to see how the other new place of business in town was doing. Hanz had begun shipping supplies in for the general store, as he'd said he would, and the group took advantage of that in their preparations for the upcoming trip. It was unlikely that they would be able to forage for food in the world of dreams like they normally did when in the field, so they stocked up, packing more rations than they normally carried. They even brought a couple of kegs; nobody wanted to face the prospects of multiple weeks of forced sobriety.

It was only late at night, after dinner and drinks, that Ryu took some time to sit down by the Statue of Ladon outside their house and fill the spirit of the God in on their recent adventures. He felt kind of bad about how he'd been neglecting to do so recently; for several reasons, they weren't really talking as much as they had in the early days of the company, where they'd all chatted with Ladon on a regular basis. It had taken them a surprisingly short amount of time to get used to the concept of a talking statue, for some reason; even the hard-core skeptics like Sten and Nina had adjusted quickly.

Theoretically, he could have claimed the reason was because he didn't want any of the other townspeople seeing him talking to the ancient idol, especially the more devoutly religious ones. Kay, in particular, probably wouldn't have responded well at all. In truth, though, he knew that it had a lot more to do with when they'd met Martin; the bitter old man's opinions on the Dragon God had stuck with him, despite his obvious bias. No matter how hard Ryu tried to put them out of his mind and remind himself that Ladon had always been fair to him, he kept thinking of the burning hatred in Martin's eyes when he'd talked about the Dragon God.

"It sounds like you've been having quite an interesting time, as of late," Ladon said quietly once he was done telling the tale. "The Grass Men... quite possibly the most interesting species ever to arise on this planet, and certainly one of the rarest. Young Spar is breaking new ground for his people by his participation in your activities, and I believe both they and the rest of the world will be better off for that."

"Let's hope so." Ryu glanced at the statue. "Can I ask you something? It's... well, I guess it's kind of personal."

"Go right ahead," Ladon agreed.

"Who still worships you?" He asked bluntly. "At first, I thought barely anybody did, but the more of the world I see, the more I wonder. The Highlander Clan still do, don't they? Although I'm guessing we probably shouldn't mention that to Ray." He paused then, frowning. "Nothing personal, but I hope El doesn't start doing that around here. It might cause trouble if some of the other neighbors see that."

"The Highlander Clan tend to be pragmatic about their religious observances," Ladon assured him. "You're correct, by the way. The Grass Men do as well, along with the Forest Clan; there's a reason they abandoned their towns and villages and retreated back into the woods following the rise of the Church of St. Eva. The Fusion Clan, though they're down to one family at the moment; it's a good thing they breed strong, or they'd be extinct. And then, of course, there's both the Mole and the Dragon Clans. Yes, they still exist, though I'm afraid I can't provide additional detail on that."

"Understandable," Ryu said after a long, frozen moment as the implications of that simple statement sank into his mind. He'd always known, logically, that his mother had to have come from _somewhere_, but until then he'd never actually _thought_ about the possibility of more Dragon Clansmen still living, isolated from the world. "Speaking of the Dragon Clan... I met that 'wild card' you told me about. Martin. He bumped my Breath of Fire up another level."

"I thought he might." Ladon sighed. "I'm sure he told you a great deal, as well."

"In a vague sort of way, I guess." Ryu nodded. "Just like everybody. Which I actually appreciate, so that's fine. I think you kind of understated his opinion of you, though. I'd ask just what it was you _did_, but I don't think I want to know."

"I did what was necessary," Ladon said somberly. "And it brought me no joy to do so. If there was another way, I would have taken it, but... well, you're right. Best not to get too far along in this line of discussion."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed, uncomfortable now; he still wasn't entirely sure where he stood on the "destiny bullshit" angle these days, and he tried to avoid thinking about it. After another long moment, he stood up. "It's getting late. I should probably be turning in. Big day tomorrow and all."

"Indeed," Ladon murmured. "Sleep well, Ryu. I will see you again when you return."

"Later." Ryu nodded, turning and walking into the building.

Laden down with their supplies, they set off for the Sea of Trees the next day. Unsurprisingly, Rand carried the greatest portion of the packs, grumbling under his breath. Katt missed no opportunity to tease him about that; her Breath of Spirit would have enabled her to carry just as much as him, but that kind of bulk being laden onto her tiny frame would have made her useless in a fight, so she'd received a much lighter share, though not as much as Nina and Spar. Watching the big Farmlander and the fiery Woren bicker lightly as Jean warped them directly to Gandaroof, Ryu hid a smile.

"We are here again, elder," Spar said once they'd arrived, approaching Gandaroof as it had before. "Our quest was successful."

"Eh?" Like the last time, the Wise Tree's wooden face appeared. "What? Messful? That's not even a word! What are you talking about, Spar?"

"Ah..." Spar blinked, nonplussed. "I meant that we did it, Elder. We got the Therapy Pillow from Tunlan."

"Tunlan, Tunlan..." Gandaroof muttered absently. "That's that place... with the thing, ain't it? Real nice people there. You ever been to Tunlan, Spar?"

"He's grown worse since we were last here," Nina murmured as Spar wavered, clearly out of its depth. "Not a good sign."

"Not at all." Ryu shook his head. "Let's try just showing it to him." Rummaging in his pack, he pulled the Therapy Pillow out of it and handed it to Spar. "Here."

"Oh!" Gandaroof stared down at it before Spar could even speak. "That's the Therapy Pillow! You got it!" Its eyes crossed. "What did we need it for again?"

"We'll be entering your mind, elder," Spar reminded it. "So that we can heal the damage caused by the Demon Lord."

"Oh." Gandaroof seemed to consider this. "Will you be entering my mind, then?"

"...Yes."

"Okay."

"Let's get on with this," Ryu said flatly, walking forward. "Deis? How exactly are we going to do it?"

"Same way we did on Tunlan," the Sorceress explained, following him. "Put the Pillow up against the tree, everybody put your hands on it, and clear your thoughts." She paused. "Also, the landing's probably going to suck."

"Landing?" Rand asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see."

"Who's landing what now?" Gandaroof demanded blearily as they all crowded around its base. "Not in my forest, they aren't!"

"Just relax, sir... or ma'am," Bow told it, prompting a disgusted look from Spar. "We're professionals."

"Professional what?" Gandaroof grumbled before falling quiet, as they all placed their hands of the Pillow once more. The second time was easier than the first had been; almost as soon as his eyes were closed, Ryu felt reality shift and waver and melt away.

A moment later, he realized he was falling, and his eyes shot open again just in time to see the grassland below him before he hit it with a loud thud and a great deal of pain.

"It is becoming increasingly difficult to remain optimistic about life," he muttered to himself, face down in the dirt that had been kicked up by his landing. This, of course, prompted Bow to land on him immediately.

"Sorry, buddy," he grunted. "Didn't see you there until I was already there. You okay?" Before Ryu could respond, Katt bounced off of him, both their heads colliding. "Ow!"

"Dammit," she growled, landing next to them both. "I'm gonna whack Deis one the next time I see her. You two too, huh? Are we all... gonna..." She trailed off as a shadow covered them, and they all stared up in horror, too late to move out of Rand's way.

"Ow..." The big man groaned; miraculously, Ryu's head was the only part that hadn't been caught underneath him. "Guys? Where... aw, damn. Sorry." He grunted twice in succession as Nina and Sten both popped out of the air and flattened themselves against his back like bugs on a window.

"On occasion, I truly despise physics," the Princess murmured.

"I just hate everything," Sten added. "We'd better get off before Jean hits." Unfortunately; it seemed he was too late; the Siman Prince slammed into Rand with a heavy impact and rolled down his back like a boulder, sweeping them both off along the way.

"Oh, dear," Spar murmured, landing lightly on top of Rand's back, actually managing to do so on its feet. "This is hardly an auspicious beginning to our expedition." It glanced back up, still calm. "Oops."

"Look out below!" Deis called as she crashed into it.

"That's all of us," Bow muttered from underneath Rand. "Now we just need to figure out how many bones we all broke."

"I'm not _that_ heavy," Rand told him, finally prying himself off of them.

"Bet?" Katt moaned, not moving.

"Hey, guys?" Sten chimed in. "Not that I'm disagreeing with all of you about any of this, but you might wanna check this out."

"Check what out?" Ryu glanced upward, then froze. The sky was no longer blue, or black, or any natural color at all. It was a silver sea, rippling waves endlessly flowing upside-down over their heads from horizon to horizon.

"Well," Jean commented after a moment. "That is... different, yes?"

"Huh," Nina murmured. "Strange."

"Yep," Katt agreed.

"You get used to it." Deis shrugged, looking around. "Kind of odd that we didn't land in a town, though. That's usually where we always started off."

"That was when used on a species that associates such places with their natural surroundings, though," Spar pointed out, glancing at the trees around where they'd landed; they weren't quite in a forest, but the grassland was still rather heavily dotted with every kind imaginable, mixed and matched in an unnatural jumble. They were near a cliff wall, and from the sounds of it, there was a waterfall nearby. "My kind consider this to be a more comfortable environment."

"I guess that makes enough sense." Ryu stood up and stretched, grimacing, as the group began spreading out to look around. "So, do we just explore until we find something, or what?"

"If it's finding something we're after, I'm way ahead of you, chief," Sten said flatly. "Over here, guys. You'd better see this."

"_Now_ what?" Bow grumbled as they all walked over to the Highlander, who was standing before a signpost. "What the hell...?"

_Welcome, boys and girls,_ it read. _Welcome to the past. ~Aruhameral _

"Oh, great," Rand muttered.

"Well." Nina rolled her eyes, wings lifting her back up into the air. "That's certainly not ominous at all."

"A thought occurs to me," Bow growled. "If he's somewhere in the Sea of Trees, but none of the trees can tell Spar _where_, then there's only one place left, isn't there?"

"Yeah, we really should have seen this coming." Ryu glanced at Deis. "Chances on us walking straight into a trap?"

"High." She made a face. "And it's Aruhameral, too. I _remember_ him from from the First Dragon War. This promises to be moderately unpleasant."

"'Moderately unpleasant' is an understatement when it comes to the nobility of Infinity, _mademoiselle_," Jean told her, wincing.

"So I am learning," Spar agreed.

"Yeah, they're pretty nasty," Deis admitted. "Still, there are worse things out there. I'd put 'em about on par with the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" Sten asked skeptically. "Highland had _biographies_ on _them_."

"There's a town over to what I believe is the west," Nina called out, now about twenty feet up. "And a river to the east, coming down from this cliff. The grassland continues south."

"All right, let's go to this town first," Ryu decided. "We'll see if there's anything there that'll give us answers. If this Demon Lord wants to play, then it's too late to back out now. We'll just have to deal with it."

"For some reason, my tail stands on end when you say that," Katt commented as they all began walking west. "And that's coming from _me_."

"I was about to say," Bow commented. "Thought you were a combat junkie. Don't tell me you're actually growing up."

"Yeah, right." She snorted. "Besides, this, coming from you? Anyways, it's only good when it's _fun._ And Demon Lords?" She glanced at Ryu.

"_Not_ fun," he agreed. "About as far from fun as you can get."

"I would agree with that statement," Jean murmured slowly. "However, I am unsure as to the rationale behind it."

"Come on, man." Katt grinned at him. "You can't tell me you've _never_ felt the rush. Not even once?"

"Is this supposed to make sense?" Spar asked politely.

"Nah," Rand told it. "I figure they've both just taken too many hits to the head."

"I can vouch for that," Bow muttered. "For Ryu, anyways."

"It _would_ explain a lot," Nina admitted, floating down to join them. "But then, Deis has taken just as many, I'm fairly certain, and she's not afflicted." She paused. "Are you?"

"Nah, brawls are fun every now and then, but so're a lot of things." Deis shrugged. "My special interests are more exotic."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Ryu held up a hand. "I do _not_ need to know."

"Don't think any of us do," Sten agreed, prompting a rude noise from the Sorceress.

"Can we change the subject?" Rand asked plaintively. "Now?"

"There's that town, up ahead," Katt told him as they climbed a hill. "I can see it now... whoa." She broke off staring, as did most of them.

The "town" up ahead was an anomaly of reality; a series of huge stone blocks stacked on the northern edges of each other, staircases carved into their front sides. Despite that structural design, and the fact that each was roughly the same size, the bottom of each one rested on the ground in total defiance of logic. Trying to look at it all at once made Ryu's eyes water; glancing at individual aspects was all right, but seeing the whole picture simply made him painfully aware that there was no way it could exist in reality.

"Holy _shit_," Bow muttered after a long moment.

"Huh," Nina murmured again. "Strange."

"It's like a painting I saw once." Katt tilted her head to one side. "If you stare at one small bit of it, you can almost pretend it's not a total mindscrew."

"This is the most illogical thing I have ever seen," Spar said sourly.

"World of Dreams." Deis shrugged. "Did you _expect_ it to make sense? Reality is optional in here. This kind of shit happens all the time."

"Is that a _desert_ underneath the back end of it?" Rand asked, glaring over at it. "It is. It's a freaking one-mile desert. What the hell."

"I find the hole in the side of the sixth one up from which the endless stream of water is falling into the lake more troubling, myself," Jean said vaguely. "I am fairly sure that is not supposed to happen that way."

"Well, we're not gonna get anywhere standing here staring at it," Ryu said, starting towards the town. "Let's go see who lives there."

"If we're lucky, everybody there'll just be a representation of part of Gandaroof's consciousness," Deis explained. "That's what happens in most cases."

"What happens if we're _un_lucky?" Sten asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since we usually tend to be."

"Could be Aruhameral's the kind of sicko who thinks it's funny to throw anybody he meets in here." The Sorceress shrugged. "Mote did. Into his _own_ head. Creeped even me out, and that's saying something."

"I'll bet," Katt grunted. "Okay, here's a guy." There was an old man standing at the bottom of the first block, next to the staircase; he looked human at first, but a closer glance showed that his dark brown skin appeared to be carved out of wood, though his hair and beard were natural enough. His face was identical to the one that had appeared on Gandaroof's trunk; as they approached, he glanced blearily up at them.

"Oh, there you are," he mumbled. "This is Oldtown. It's the part of my mind related to my old age. Who are you, again?"

Before any of them could respond, he started to snore.

"Yeah, okay," Ryu said after a moment. "I don't think we'll be finding any monsters in here. Let's split up and see how much information we can get out of the 'locals'." He glanced at a door in the wall of the block with a sign above it identifying it as an inn, frowning; there was a strange sort of wavering in the air, like ripples in a pond, that he did his best to ignore. "Meet over there in an hour, unless we find a tavern around here, which probably isn't going to happen."

"Somehow, I doubt Gandaroof patronized those very often," Spar murmured in agreement as the group split off and began wandering around.

Unfortunately, most of that hour turned out to be a waste of time; the rest of the old men in the town, identical to the first, all seemed to be as senile as the first, and tended to ramble about unimportant things rather than provide any useful information. Eventually, he simply gave up and walked over to the "Inn," only to look inside and see that it was simply a cave containing a couple of beds, much to his disgust.

"Yeah, I think camping out in the open's the way to go here," Bow muttered, looking over his shoulder. "Get anything?"

"An extended dissertation on the juvenile form of carnivorous Siman plantlife and which areas of the world said pollen can survive in after being blown there across the oceans by high winds," Ryu said sarcastically.

"I found out that what's advertised as a bank is actually an armory." Bow grimaced. "Here come the others. Let's ask them."

"Wait, wait." Ryu held up a hand as they gathered around. "Just to save time here, let's skip the whole go-around. Does anybody have anything actually _useful_? Anybody?" After a long moment, Jean raised his hand; a moment later, Nina did as well.

"Apparently, there is something called a 'Memory Tower,' somewhere in this world," the Prince explained. "What that is, or where, I do not know, and neither did any of these gentlemen."

"Right." Deis snapped her fingers. "There's always one of those, and it's always the core of the place. I should have remembered that. Man, _I_ must be getting old."

"No comment," Ryu said quickly. "All right, Memory Tower, look for it. Nice thing about towers is they're fairly easy to spot. Nina?"

"There are supposedly two more towns, over to the east of here," she explained. "One representing middle age, and one for youth. The former is apparently southeast, and the latter northeast."

"Okay, let's go from there." He nodded. "And by go, I mean now. This place is just weird, and I say that coming out of Tunlan less than a week ago."

"It is fairly disconcerting, even to me," Spar agreed as they left town. "I believe that is all that needs to be said on the subject."

The next few days were spent on travel; they headed south first, on the assumption that said town would be easier to reach. For a while, aside from the strange sky, they were almost able to act like it was just another trip; there were monsters, of course, but those were nothing they didn't know how to deal with by now. After their third day, however, something became apparent that made things even more complicated.

"Hey, Rand?" Katt asked around noon, as they approached a bridge across the river, the first one they'd seen. The next town was on the other side; its rising-block formation had been visible for hours now. "Are you feeling okay?"

"We're _here_," Rand reminded her. "Am I _supposed_ to be?"

"Well, there's _that_, yeah," Sten admitted. "But I think she was referring to how you're kind of looking a little... different, recently."

"Really?" Ryu gave the big Farmlander a glance-over. He seemed to be mostly the same, but his walk was a little quicker, more energetic, and his face was subtly altered. "You're right. He... looks younger, just a little."

"Look, just because I'm an adult compared to most of you..." Rand grumbled.  
"Take it from _me_, then." Deis raised an eyebrow. "You're losing years. What were you, thirty? I'd say twenty-five now."

"Huh." Rand examined his own arms. "I do feel a little less... me, I guess. But why am I the only one?"

"It is simple, _mon ami_," Jean explained. "Relatively, you are the senior member, yes? Aside from _monsieur_ Niro, of course."

"Shame we didn't bring _him_ along," Katt commented. "Now I'm kinda wondering what he'd be looking like around now."

"I understand," Spar said, eyes widening. "As we travel through this land, we progress backwards in age, which begins to affect us as well. None of us are elderly, so we were unaffected until this point. Rand is the oldest in relative age, so he was first. It must take into account that I am, by my Clan's standards, still young. As we continue towards youth, the rest of us will begin to be affected as well."

"Wait, wait, what?" Bow yelped. "We're gonna turn back into _kids_?"

"That... would appear to be the case," Nina murmured.

"Oh, _hell_ no." Sten shook his head. "Nuh-uh. No way. Not happening."

"Not a _chance,_" Rand agreed.

"We might not have a choice in the matter." Ryu grimaced. "We've gotta find that tower, and I haven't seen it so far."

"What I'm wondering is, why..." Bow started to say, glancing at Deis, then broke off. "You know what, never mind."

"Are you sure?" She asked sweetly.

"Positive." He nodded quickly.

"Let us hope the tower is near the next town, then," Spar said as they walked onto the bridge. Halfway across, they all paused, then turned and stared down over the waterfall's edge as it spilled endlessly into the same void that made up the sky.

"Huh," Nina murmured. "Strange."

"Right." Ryu nodded after a while. "Nothing to see here. Move along."

"Agreed," Katt and Bow both said simultaneously, and the others made noises of acknowledgment as well.

"You know, I always wondered about that," Deis commented as they continued east. "What would happen if you actually went all the way to the edges. Kind of wishing I hadn't, now. Wondered, I mean."

"Sometimes, you just gotta know when you don't want to know, in advance," Sten agreed. "Okay, there's that town up ahead."

"Right." Ryu nodded. "Same plan as before. Split up once we get there, ask around, meet back up in..." He thought for a moment, then looked the town over; it had the exact same layout as the Oldtown had. "Whatever passes for an inn again."

"So what does that make this place?" Bow asked. "Middletown?"

"It's as good a name as any." Ryu shrugged, nodding at the man standing by the stairs; he was

an average-looking human male, though his hair was pink, and his skin had a strange tint to it akin to Spar's petals. "Hey."

"Welcome to Middletown!" He replied cheerfully. "If you're looking for Youngtown, it's north of here. That's the town where everybody's a kid, you know. They call it Youngtown for a reason! Kind of why they call this place Middletown, 'cause we're all in between old age and young age. Except we're not really real, we're just physical manifestations of my memory! Well, all except for Barose, of course, but he's in Youngtown, not Oldtown! You'd think he wouldn't be, since he still looks so old, wouldn't you?"

"That a fact?" Ryu nodded politely, then paused. "Wait. Barose?"

"Barose the Cerulean?" Nina asked quickly.

"Yep, that's him!" The man continued to ramble. "You heard of him? Not too surprising! He was a world-class magician back in the day! Even knew a few mind-magic tricks, which is how he managed to come here! Wasn't a full-fledged Mentat, but that just makes it all the more impressive, right? Hates people, though, which is why he lives in Youngtown now. Gandaroof was his only friend, so he asked to move in to get away from everybody to a place where nobody could find him. One of those angry geniuses, you know?"

"Right." Ryu fought the urge to grimace. "Well, we're heading on into town now. See you around, I guess." Ignoring the continued blathering, he just walked past him, the team at his heels. "Well, at least they're more talkative. Somehow, though, I'm slightly worried about how much actually useful information we'll get out of them."

"At least we know we have this Barose guy to fall back on if nothing else works." Sten glanced at Nina. "You know him?"

"Of him, certainly," Nina agreed. "He's a legend in the field of magic. Almost up to Deis' level. There are entire books at the Magic School devoted to his exploits."

"I never really paid much attention to that history crap." Deis made a face. "It kind of loses it's allure when _you're_ history yourself. I just attended to try and help remember everything I forgot while I was sleeping. I think I've got most of it down again, but there's still a few tricks..." She trailed off, shrugging. "I'll remember 'em eventually."

"Right now, let's try to get some information out of the locals." Ryu rolled his eyes. "Again. And hope it goes better this time around."

Unfortunately, it turned out not to; while the once-more-identical men in town were much more capable of holding a sustained conversation than the elderly had been, their ability to focus on anything that was asked of them was minimal. They tended to simply ramble on about what had been going on during that period of Gandaroof's life, which by the sounds of it was the First Dragon War and aftermath thereof. Ryu would have found it more interesting if he hadn't read so much about it himself just a short while ago; as it was, there was little to nothing new to him.

"I _guess_ it was relevant to our interests, but we've got more important things to worry about than free history lessons," Bow summed it up that evening as they knocked back a round of drinks around the fire; they were about a quarter of the way through their supplies by now. "Gotta admit, I didn't expect the old guy to have _been there_ when they assaulted Obelisk."

"By that point, Myria had made it abundantly clear that all the world was her enemy," Spar explained. "My people came out of their isolation and joined the other Clans of the world for the final battle once that became apparent. For most of the world, that was the first true 'proof' that we actually existed, and were not just myths."

"Dark days." Deis stared into the campfire. "That one changed the entire world in a lot of ways, and there was no going back afterwards." Shaking her head, she looked up. "Like Bow said, we've got better things to think about. What are our plans?"

"What choice do we have?" Ryu shrugged helplessly. "We go north."

"Any idea what we're gonna do about the monsters, then?" Katt pointed out. "I'm the last girl who wants to be all gloom and doom, but trying to fight them once we're all knee-high might not go so well."

"I got some repellant smoke pellets from the general store back there," Sten told her. "They work pretty well at keeping monsters away. Won't be perfect, but they should help."

"Good thinking." Ryu nodded. "As for the ones that come after us anyways, magic should still work. Hopefully that'll be enough." He grimaced at Katt. "Which doesn't really help the two of us. Not much I hate more than being useless."

"You can say that again," she grumbled, pulling her knees up to her face. "I'll still be able to bust heads, but my battlestaff'll be out of the question. Bleah."

"It is not so much the monsters that I am concerned about as our true purpose here," Jean pointed out. "Should the Memory Tower indeed be in the north, then we will have to ascend it in those forms, yes? Fighting a Demon Lord in that state would not... be a good thing."

"Uh, noooooooooo," Bow drawled.

"That's where the one piece of useful information we got out of that last place comes in handy," Ryu explained. "This magician, Barose, who lives up north. If that guy was right, he's still an old geezer, which means he knows a way to beat the effect. We'll just have to talk him into sharing it with us when we get up there."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sten agreed. "That just leaves the issue of clothing. What we're wearing right now probably won't fit if we lose a few feet. "

"Ah, there, I am ahead of you, _monsieur_." Jean smiled. "I was able to locate a store selling such things in town, and purchase enough for all of us once the affliction sets in. The sizes will not be precisely exact, of course, but they will do in a pinch, I believe."

"Good thinking," Ryu told him, and meant it, a rare case with Jean. "Sounds like we've got it all covered." The others all agreed, and the next day, they set off along the uphill road leading to the tops of the northern cliffs.

It was several more days after that before the consequences of that choice kicked them in the face all at once, when they were least expecting it.

"All right, kids, rise and shine," Deis' voice rang in Ryu's ears as he slowly stirred; she'd been the last one on watch last night. "The sooner you get up, the sooner you get used to this."

"Get used to what?" Katt muttered, her voice sounding abnormally high-pitched. "Oh, no."

"Huh?" Ryu opened his eyes and blinked; the forms scattered around the fire in their bedrolls were all much smaller than he'd expected. "Aw, crap." Staring down at himself, he swore again; he was about the same age as when he'd first met Bow.

"All right, folks, first things first." Deis began moving around; she was the only one unchanged. "Clothes. Change in your bedrolls; even if you're all kids, best for everybody." She tossed a pair of shorts and an undershirt to Ryu, the same kind he and Bow had both worn when they were that age, before moving on to the others.

"I should certainly hope so," Nina murmured, sounding embarrassed; all Ryu could see of her was her head, and that her hair was much longer, unlike Katt's.

"The hell is this?" The Woren complained as she saw what she'd been given. "Are you kidding me?"

"It's what we've got," Deis told her. "Better get used to it."

"Ugh!"

"This sucks," Bow complained, rising from his bedroll in the same kind of clothes Ryu was changing into. He was the only one who looked familiar, though it had been a long time since he'd been the pudgy, cheerful-looking boy Ryu had first met in Gate so long ago. "Won't even be able to use my crossbow like this."

"How do you think I feel?" Ryu grumbled, standing up. "What do you think's likely to happen if I try my sword right now? Something ugly, that's what."

"Best for all of us if we keep the physical stuff to a minimum, I think," Sten suggested, rising as well; he was similarly clad, which probably meant all of the males would be as well. He looked more like a shrunken version of his older self than anything else; though he was smaller, his limbs were just as lanky, and his face just as wry and cynical. "Easier that way."

"Speak for yourself," Katt snapped, throwing her bedroll aside, and Ryu blinked; she was actually wearing a dress, albeit a simple, fairly short blue one. "First monster I see's getting it right between the eyes." To punctuate that statement, she picked up a nearby rock and crushed it in her grip, evidence that her Breath of Spirit was still just as strong even if her physical form was not. "_Somebody_ needs to pay for this."

"It's not _that_ bad," Nina told her, wearing an identical dress. Both of them were sweet-looking little girls, ones who wouldn't have looked out of place side by side on a bench in a park back in Hometown, chatting over their lunches. "I'll admit, this is a rather uncomfortable experience, but there are worse things in life than dresses."

"So why isn't _she_ wearing one with us?" Katt asked crossly, gesturing at Deis. "I wasn't gonna ask about last time, but this is just ridiculous."

"I'm special," Deis replied dryly.

"All beautiful ladies are special in their own way, yes?" Jean added as he stood up, garbed like the other boys. "Ah, _mademoiselle _Nina, this brings back memories, does it not?"

"Indeed it does," Nina agreed. "Hopefully we'll avoid fountains this time."

"Fountains?" Katt asked.

"Long story." Nina glanced at Jean, who coughed.

"Very long."

"I'll bet." Deis walked over to one of the two remaining bedrolls and poked it with her staff. "Hey, Rand. You decent yet or what? Come on, come on."

"Yeah, yeah." Grumbling under his breath, Rand stood, and everybody blinked. Though he was still comparatively large, at least six feet tall, most of his massive musculature had shriveled down to a more compact build. That wasn't the strangest thing, though; the normally calm Farmlander's face bore an even heavier scowl than Katt's. "This is total bullshit. Sooner we get back to normal, the better. Where's Spar?"

On cue, a huge pink vegetable bulb, around the same size as most of them, rose from Spar's bedroll on a pair of feet covered in shoelike red growths of root and regarded them all silently.

Everybody stared back.

"Huh," Nina said eventually. "Strange."

"You keep saying that," Jean pointed out.

"It always is, isn't it?"

"She's got a point," Ryu agreed. "Uh... hey, Spar. Guessing you can't talk right now, but... you can hear us, right?"

The bulb bobbed up and down in what seemed to approximate a nod.

"Right." Bow coughed. "Let's, uh... let's get going. Up to Youngtown. And we should probably get one of those smoke pellets out."

The remainder of the trip was surprisingly less unpleasant than Ryu had thought it would be, though their progress was somewhat hindered by their youth, as they were unable to travel the same distances as they could when older. The magical prowess of the rest of the group, at least, was unaltered, and they were able to deal with what monsters still sought them out despite the smoke without undue stress. They ate less, as well, and for obvious reasons Deis was the only one drinking alcohol, despite the complaints from some of them. The Sorceress wisely chose not to rub that in; her early jokes about their status had ceased as soon as Sten had started calling her "the babysitter."

Half a week later, they finally made their way into the town on top of the cliffs, on the side of the lake that poured into the waterfall near where they'd first fallen into the world of memory. Despite its proximity to the water source, the town's grass and trees looked faded, as if just coming out of a long winter and awaiting spring soon. The round little boy at the entrance was a solid, deep pink in both skin and hair, and gave them uncertain directions to the "inn" hole in the block when asked for Barose.

"So you're the ones Gandaroof brought in to help him," an old man's voice growled as soon as they walked in. He was sitting behind a desk, using some strange device that seemed to involve producing a lit flame and then freezing it solid, despite the obvious impossibility of such a thing happening. He was short, stout and bald, clad in an ugly yellow robe, and his unkempt beard and mustache were a dirty gray. Glaring at them from behind a set of heavy goggles, he stood up. "Can't say I'm too impressed, but that ain't your fault."

"We kind of noticed," Ryu agreed dryly. "Barose the Cerulean, I presume?"

"Don't call me that," he snapped. "Just Barose. And no, I'm not going to tell you how I got that rider on my name in the first place if I hate it. Let's cut to the chase. No, I can't turn you back into adults. No, the memory tower isn't up here. And no, you... hrk!" He cut off, eyes bulging, as Deis followed them inside.

"Oh, goody." She smirked. "A fan."

"I can't see how this could possibly work out to our advantage," Katt commented.

"You!" Barose sputtered. "You're... you're _Deis!_ That means..." He broke off again and started staring at the rest of them, particularly Ryu and Nina.

"Correct," Nina murmured, voice dry. "It's around that time again. To be fair, it's been about a thousand years since the Second Dragon War, so it's not that hard to see coming. The world was due for it."

"That's some pretty heavy sarcasm, coming from you," Sten pointed out.

"It's been a long week."

"Got that right." Ryu glanced up at the man, not even bothering to try to look intimidating. "What were you saying?"

"Eh?" Barose blinked, then shook himself like a dog. "Right. As I was saying, this wasn't a waste of time. Follow me." He shoved through the crowd, though he carefully avoided Deis, and clomped outside. Exchanging glances, they followed him back out of the town. "You're looking for the Memory Tower, right? That's why you came all the way up here."

"That is correct, _monsieur_," Jean confirmed. "The patrons of the previous two towns were, I must confess, singularly unhelpful, and we did not have high hopes for a change in that factor."

"See, that's where you screwed up," Barose grunted, continuing towards the edge of the cliff. "Not that that was your fault either. Mister high and mighty crapass has been on a rampage here since the day he slipped in."

"So the Demon Lord _is_ on site." Sten scowled. "Met him?"

"You some kind of idiot?" Barose snorted. "He'd have ripped me apart and sewn me back together the wrong way around just to amuse himself. I know when I'm outclassed. Been staying as far away from that asshole as possible."

"I was wondering why you were surrounding yourself with brats," Rand grumbled; his inexplicable bad mood had been present ever since their unwilling transformation. "Can't see why anybody'd do that willingly."

"Same here," Deis cracked.

"Hey." Katt gave them both a glare.

"Honestly speaking, this whole place is starting to get on my nerves." Barose sighed heavily. "Sounded like a great deal when I first set it up, but after a decade in here, I'm actually thinking it's not all it's cracked up to be. Sure, the world's full of idiots, but at least they're actually capable of intelligent thought, not that many of them choose to exercise it. I came here thinking I could get away from it all, but instead I just get walking memories that _think_ they're people."

"Yeah, I can see how that would get old." Ryu grimaced, remembering the conversations he'd had with the locals. "Well, hey. Once we're done here, we'll be heading out. You could probably hitch a ride if you want."

"And are you going to give me a free house, too?" Barose snorted derisively.

"If you so desire," Jean told him, before anybody could stop him. "We are, in fact, founding a new town, one which is open to those who are willing to live there."

"That a fact?" The old man gave him a long look, then nodded as they reached the edge of the cliff. "I might just take you up on that. All right, take a look down there, where you first came in, and tell me what you see."

"Huh?" Ryu stared down; even from up here, the strange wavering in the air was still visible around the town, and he suddenly realized that it hadn't been present in either of the others. As the others joined him, the distortion suddenly grew heavier, and like a fading mirage, the town melted into the air. Where it had been, a tall brown tower now stood, like the trunk of a tree stripped of branches and leaves and roots but remaining upright.

"Oh, _no,_" Jean moaned.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Katt exploded. "It was right there the whole time and we just walked right on past it? All of this was total bullshit?"

"Technically, we walked right _into_ it, and back out again," Nina explained, remaining calm despite obvious irritation on her part as well. "How did _that_ happen?"

"World of Dreams." Deis shrugged. "Bullshit like this is just par for the course. Can't say I'm surprised, even if I didn't spot it myself." She gave Barose an appraising look. "So, how'd _you_ know about it?"

"Don't you know how to listen?" Barose snapped, awe already gone. "I've been here for a decade now. Like I'm not going to notice when some shithead Demon Lord turns the Memory Tower into another town one day?"

"That does it," Rand growled. "Let's get back down there and feed this piece of shit his own ass, already."

"Allow me." Barose raised his hands, and a sudden gust of wind jerked them all off their feet. Seizing them in an invisible embrace, it carried them down the face of the cliff and deposited them on their feet near where they'd first dropped; the slight crater caused by Rand's landing was still there.

"Hey, thanks," Ryu told him.

"Didn't do it for you," the old man grunted. "Sooner you fix the problem, the sooner I'm out of here, is all. Might want to get some sleep before you head in, though. The age effect kicks in when the conscious mind is out of it."

"I was kind of wondering about that," Bow said flatly. "Good to know."

"All right then, it's getting on towards sunset anyways." Ryu nodded. "Tomorrow it is, then. Huh?" He watched as Spar walked over towards Aruhameral's signpost and jumped up and down before it. Walking over, he glanced at it himself, and saw that it had changed as well.

_Hope you enjoyed the warmup, _it now read._ Now come on in and let the real show start. ~Aruhameral _

"Yeah." Katt walked up. "Tomorrow." Pulling the sign out of the ground with a swift jerk, she ripped it in half as if it had been made from paper. "And then we'll show this joker what we think of his sense of humor."

"Damn straight." Rand cracked his knuckles.

_SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS _


	26. Chapter 24: The Illusions Of Time

_**Chapter 24: The Illusions Of Time**_

"Everybody ready to go?" Ryu asked, hand on the door of the memory tower, and the other eight all nodded behind him. Some looked angry, some resolute, and others perfectly calm, but they all obviously shared a common sentiment; the absolute resolve to find the asshole who'd been screwing with them all week and return the favor in a much less subtle manner.

"Remember, _anything_ could happen in there," Barose yelled from where he was still sitting, over at the campfire. "If the outside's this messed up, who knows what he'll have done in there. Only thing you can count on is that he'll be on the tenth floor."

"The top one," Bow called back. "We remember."

"Let's get this over with, then," Ryu said, opening the door and leading the way in. Looking around, he grimaced; the circular hall was a lighter brown color, and had a spongy, living look to it that almost seemed to pulse. It wasn't quite as bad as the Whale Cave or the Queen's heart had been, but it was still unpleasant.

"We have _got_ to stop doing this," Katt muttered, apparently thinking the same thing, and most of the others murmured in agreement.

Further discussion was cut off by a group of six tiny green dolls, dressed in ludicrous little uniforms with pointed hats. There was nothing amusing about the knives they held, however; faces locked in painted scowls, they advanced, and with a nod from Ryu, Deis and Nina opened the fight with a pyramid of fire and a blast of frost from a floating head of ice. To their dismay, every single one simply dissipated against the dolls without doing a thing.

"Well," Nina said calmly after a moment. "Over to the rest of you, then."

"Brush _this_ one off, assholes," Katt snarled as she and Ryu rushed into the fray, Jean and Sten flanking them. Unfortunately, the little dolls proved to be highly resistant to physical force as well; it took several swings from Ryu's sword to shatter one of them, and Katt's staff was equally ineffective. Jean and Sten were even worse off; fortunately, Bow and Spar came to their rescue, while Rand took a fifth, choosing to simply pummel it until it stopped moving. The last was advancing on Nina and Deis, who were backing away, the latter holding her cane before her like a shield.

"A little help here?" The sorceress drawled.

"On it," Katt growled, dashing over. "Let's try _this_, then!" The end of her staff blurred in a series of dizzying motions, and a moment later, the doll fell apart, its head crushed and limbs scattered. "Okay, at least _that_ works."

"You're getting better at that Chopchop thing," Rand told her, examining his smashed doll for a moment before judiciously hitting it once more. "How many times was that? Seventeen?"

"Eighteen." She grinned. "Any more?"

"Nah, we got 'em." Sten made a face as Spar pulled his whip away from their crushed target. "Let's just hope they don't come in bigger packs than that, though, or-" Suddenly tensing up, he put a finger to his lips and glanced down the dark hallway; something else was approaching.

"Nah, it's cool," Bow told him, and Katt nodded as well. "Just one of the old guys."

"Eh?" One of the men who'd been in Oldtown before stepped out of the darkness, squinting. "Who are you?"

"Just passing through," Ryu told him, sheathing his sword.

"Oh, it's you again," the geezer muttered. "Sorry about that. My eyesight isn't what it used to be."

"Again?" Jean frowned in thought. "But if we have been here before, then that means..."

"Don't overthink it," Deis told him. "It doesn't even make sense to _me_."

"Right." Ryu grimaced. "This way leads up, right?"

"Should." The old man made a face. "Unless it suddenly leads down. Wouldn't put that past me, the way my thoughts have been going recently. Why, I remember the time..."

"Right, right," Bow said quickly. "Thanks for the directions."

"It's just after nine, that's what time it is..." The old man continued to mutter to himself as the group walked past him, Nina and Deis both calling up magical spheres of glowing light to see by as they moved further down the hall and away from the open door. Another group of dolls at the end was dealt with before they continued up a staircase which turned around on itself, made of the same wooden substance as the hall.

Thus, when Ryu stepped out onto the second floor and found himself entering the empty ghost of a kitchen in what must have once been a lavishly furnished manor house, he could only blink in surprise, staring quietly.

"What the hell?" Bow demanded. "This is Trout's! What are we doing back there?"

"Count Trout was the nobleman who framed you for the theft of the Magic Hood, yes?" Spar recalled.

"Well, he didn't do it himself, but yeah, that's the guy," Bow explained. "Wait a second here..." Running over to a window, he glanced out of it. "Okay, ignoring the fact that this is impossible, that's a full moon out there. Just like the night I pulled the robbery."

"I get it." Deis snapped her fingers. "We're back then and there. This place called up that memory out of your head."

"Is _that_ why I suddenly feel like I'm on top of the world?" Bow asked. "Back then, everything had come up roses for me that night. I figured I was invincible." Lowering his head, he grinned sheepishly. "Was I an idiot, or what?"

"Hey, we all get like that sometimes." Katt beamed. "No biggie."

"As much as I hate to ruin our cheer, _mon amis_, a thought does bother me," Jean pointed out. "We are... in Bow's role, yes? Here to rob this poor fool? That is to say... what happens if we get caught?"

Everybody stared at each other, then bolted back down the stairs just in time before an armored guard walked into the room.

"Shit," Rand muttered as the guard walked over to the stairwell; they were clustered in a pile down there. "All right-"

"No, wait," Nina murmured, cutting him off. "He doesn't seem to be bothered." Indeed, the guard's pace was a lazy stroll, and when he reached the stairwell, he stopped before it.

"Idiots," he said, looking at them without seeing. "When I find out who left this unlocked..." Producing a key, he locked a nonexistent doorknob, then turned and walked away, humming under his breath.

"Bow?" Ryu asked quietly once he'd left.

"I got in through the back door, the first time," he explained as the group crept back up, much more quietly this time. "Got a key from Kilgore. Good thinking, Jean. I don't know know what's going to happen if we get caught, but I'd rather not find out."

"Don't worry about it." Sten smiled; now that the threat was gone, everybody was relaxing, letting the confident feeling return. "We aren't going to get caught. Let's just find the way out of here and keep on going, huh?"

"Stop," Spar said, voice unusually sharp, and everybody else blinked as it held up a hand. "Optimism? From _you_, Sten? I mean no offense, but that is _highly_ unusual. Do you not usually prefer to plan for every contingency, in case something _does_ go wrong?"

"Well, usually, yeah," Sten admitted, chuckling sheepishly. "But come on, this is just a simple heist. We're not gonna screw... this... one... up..." He trailed off, eyes widening in realization.

"Except I _did_ screw it up," Bow said quietly. "I already did. But I _still_ feel like this is gonna be the easiest thing in the world. What the hell is _wrong_ with me?"

"I don't know what you're all talking about," Katt admitted; she was the only one still grinning. "But hey, that happens a lot, so whatever. Seems fine to me."

"It would," Sten commented, then waited a moment, watching her carefully; she showed no reaction to the jibe. "See, normally you'd kick me for that."

"I would, wouldn't I?" She blinked. "But I'm in such a good mood, I... I'll..." Slowly, her grin faded. "What the... I can't even get angry! What the _hell?_"

"This place is altering our emotional states," Deis said bluntly. "It's making us feel like Bow did when this actually happened. This isn't _so_ bad, right now; we can live with overconfidence. But I doubt this is going to be the only place we see in here, so depending on what _else_ it calls up..." She shook her head. "Good thinking, Spar."

"My emotions are so minimal that such manipulation was immediately noticeable," the Grass Man explained. "Now then, where would the path upwards be?"

"There's a second floor, but I never went up there," Bow said dubiously.

"Then that won't be it." Nina frowned. "I'm beginning to understand how this works. The tower called this up from inside your head, not from the actual manor in Auria. Only what you've seen exists. No... these stairs don't exist within the hallucination, and neither will the ones leading up."

"You said that this back door is where you came in," Sten told Bow, who nodded. "Then if that was the 'start'... the other staircase should be at the 'end.'"

"The storeroom." Bow glanced over towards the northwest. Back that way. Let's go check it out." He glanced at Ryu. "You feeling okay, buddy? You're being awful quiet all of a sudden."

"It's fine," Ryu assured him; he'd been staying back and leaning against a wall while he'd watched the others figure the situation out, smiling. "I'm just thinking. We're turning into a pretty good team."

"I have known that for months now, _monsieur _Ryu," Jean told him, beaming.

"Hey, I never doubted it either," he assured them as he walked forward, and they followed him, creeping down the hall. "Just saying. All right, let's keep our voices down out here." Carefully opening the door, he led them out into the hall, and they crept along towards the storeroom. Twice, they had to duck into side rooms to dodge the guards; fortunately, the hired thugs weren't particularly quiet, and they had plenty of time to duck into a side room both times. In the end, they made it to the storeroom undetected, and when Ryu cautiously opened the door, a stairwell leading up was behind it.

Continuing up it, they emerged under a night sky once more, but this one much more dismal. They were outside, for one thing, in one of the northern countries; Windia, perhaps, or Nanai. For another, it was winter, and bitterly cold; dirty, long-fallen snow covered most of the ground and the few trees scattered around, thinner on the road but still present. Dark clouds covered overhead, promising more of the same, and only the light of a single campfire far away showed any sign of life.

"Okay, this look familiar to anybody?" Ryu muttered, wincing; there was no question about the forced emotional state now. As soon as he'd stepped through the door, his stomach had started screaming at him, as if he hadn't eaten in a week. It had been a long time since he'd felt that kind of hunger, or the crushing, dismal sense of despair that had come with it, making him almost stop and wonder why he was even bothering to go on at all.

"Damn," Katt whispered, answering his question. Whipping her head around to stare at everything, she cursed again. "_Damn_. Why this? Why _this_ night?"

"Oh, _Skyqueen_," Nina hissed like she was cursing, clutching her stomach. "It _hurts_. Why..."

"Yeah, I could have gone my whole life without feeling like this ever again," Sten muttered. "Okay, the sooner we get out of this one the better. Katt, where do we go?"

"Over... over there," she replied after a long moment, pointing towards the campfire. "That's... where I went."

"Right," Ryu said, frowning. "Come on, people. Let's get this over with." They walked slowly over, keeping an eye out for monsters. As they approached, they saw what looked like a rich young couple, their cart parked by the roadside. Laughing, they were eating and drinking from a veritable feast, their only weapon a crossbow at the man's side.

"Oh, _mademoiselle_," Jean said softly. "I did not know..."

"You get used to it pretty quickly," Bow told him, though he wasn't able to tear his eyes away from the fire. "When you grow up like we do. Some have it, some don't. Just the way the world works. Nothing you can do about it."

"What did _you_ do about it?" Rand murmured, glancing at Katt.

"I..." She stared at the campfire, hands tightening on the battlestaff. "I guess we... gotta wait here. That's... what I did. Waited here. Until something shows up."

"Something?" Ryu asked quietly, hand on the hilt of his sword; as he stared at the campfire, a deep, dark rage was building up in him, eroding his thoughts bit by bit.

"If we want _something_ to happen, we can take care of that ourselves," Deis snarled, starting to raise her staff.

"Stop," Spar told her calmly. "I feel the same way you do, for once, but we should stick to the original course of events."

"Yeah, I didn't..." Katt licked her lips before continuing, still staring at the campfire. "I almost did, but I didn't. Just a little longer... it should be any minute now."

"How long?" Rand's fists clenched. "What if it doesn't happen? What if something goes wrong?"

"Indeed," Jean murmured, eyes flashing. "Perhaps we should-"

"Stop," Ryu told them both, then nodded at Katt when they turned towards him. "Look. If _she_ can control her temper, you two sure as hell can."

"They're not used to it," Sten told him, then inclined his head towards Nina, who had fallen silent, arms wrapped around her middle. "Her either. They don't get this worked up. That's why it's hitting them worst. They can't hold their rage."

"Spar's fine," Rand argued.

"I am something of a special case," Spar reminded him. "Which is not to say that I am not troubled by some of the implications here."

"No," Katt whispered; far from expressing the anger she normally would, she was staring at the campfire in what almost seemed like horror. "No, I was just... thinking about stealing some. That's all. I wasn't going to..."

Whatever it was she was claiming not to intend, she never said; before she could finish, a wild birubiru crashed out of the snow into the campfire's light. Swearing, the man snatched up his crossbow and killed it, and after a few snatches of conversation with his wife too quiet to hear, they piled everything they had back into their cart and drove off, leaving the dead monster by the fire. As the cart moved away, the portal into the staircase was revealed behind where it had been, simply hanging there in the open air.

"Okay, that's just weird," Bow commented after a moment.

"Let's go," Ryu said, and they all walked over. As soon as they entered the door, the feeling of starvation was gone, bearing the despair and hatred along with it. Walking up the stairs, he looked over his shoulder at Katt. "That didn't really feel like you."

"That was a bad day," she admitted quietly. "Normally, I'm better than that."

"It explains a little," Rand mused, following them up and through the next door. "Wonder who's going to be next..." He froze as soon as he emerged; they were standing on a porch, overlooking broad fields of various vegetables, just beginning to sprout. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, and birds were singing. The farmhouse behind them was large, but not lavish; still, it seemed comfortable enough. It was the kind of place Ryu had occasionally dreamed of living as a child; simple, but pleasant. "Oh, _hell_ no."

"This is you, then?" Ryu asked.

"Yeah, it is." Rand scowled, staring at the fields as if they were a teeming mass of raw sewage. "I should have known."

"What's wrong with this?" Bow asked, baffled. "Well... I guess it could get kind of old after a while..." He scowled then, looking around. "As a matter of fact..."

"It seems pleasant enough to my eye, but my heart disagrees," Jean said, sounding confused. "I feel... as if we should be gone from this floor, as soon as possible."

"Well, that makes sense," Katt growled, shaking off her earlier gloom. "The sooner we get up there, the sooner we make this asshole _pay_ for all of this. Come on, let's go, already!"

"Perhaps it would be best to simply move on," Deis agreed, looking Rand over speculatively. "You're the one who knows this place, big guy. How do we get going?"

"The north road," Rand grunted, setting off, and after a moment, they all followed. "We just go to the northeast. That's where the road passes by the fields, after the turnips. And then we just keep on walking. Leave this place behind, in the dust. Where it belongs."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Ryu muttered. It was almost as strange to feel the bitter resentment from Rand as it had been to know despair from Katt; the big man had always been one of the most calm, steady people he'd ever known. The rest of them seemed to feel the same way; following him through the fields, they remained silent until they reached the road and continued down it, finding the exit only once the farm behind them was no longer visible.

"What do you suppose happens should we continue down the road?" Jean asked once they were on the staircase. "Or off in any other direction?"

"Somehow, I think I can live without experimenting," Sten said flatly. "It probably won't be pleasant. Anybody else picked up on the pattern here yet?"

"It's going in the order in which we joined up." Bow glanced at Ryu. "Except for you, buddy."

"Probably saving me for last," Ryu guessed. "Which means Nina will be next."

"Yes," Nina agreed quietly. "But there's more. As soon as we see what's up ahead, I'll know for sure."

"Know what?" Katt asked blankly as they walked out into a familiar sight to the two of them and Ryu. They'd emerged into a dank, dark, stone labyrinth, one that stretched beneath the castle at the peak of the city of Winlan. "Hey, I remember this place. Weird."

"As do I." Jean glanced around. "_Mademoiselle_ Nina, this is your home, is it not? I must confess confusion as to why we are here."

"Yes, it is," she whispered. "That confirms it. We're all seeing the worst days of our lives. The lowest points. When Bow was framed, when Katt was... that... and when Rand left his home, or so I assume. I'm next."

"This doesn't feel so bad, though," Ryu said quietly, then jumped as an old woman of the Wing Clan emerged from the portal into the staircase behind them, dressed like a servant. "What the hell? What's going on here?"

"This way, Princess," she whispered, then frowned. "Who are your friends?"

"Say something that'd make sense!" Deis hissed. "Or else it'll all come apart!"

"They..." Nina hesitated for a moment before continuing. "They're the other servants' children, remember, Nana? Ryu, and Katt, and Jean, and Deis, and all the others?"

"Oh, yes," the old woman muttered absently, eyes glazed over. "Well, children, the princess and I need to speak in private. Leave us."

"The guards said they saw some monsters in here," Bow said quickly. "It's not safe. We should come along and guard you."

"Where are you going?" Ryu joined in, fighting the light confusion; for some reason, he felt like he could trust the old woman. "If it's private, we'll just stay outside and guard the hall."

"Oh, let them!" Nina said quickly, haltingly, as if reading from a script she hated. "If there are monsters in here, it would be terrible!"

"Very well," Nana consented grudgingly. "But you must stay outside. Follow me." She began leading them through the catacombs, and they followed silently.

"Where will the door be?" Spar whispered as they walked.

"I... don't actually know," Nina murmured. "I... suppose it would be where I lost consciousness. So, inside the room she's leading us to. She won't let you inside, though."

"Let me handle that bit," Deis told her.

"All right, here we are," Nana said, turning around a corner. "Stay out here. We'll be back outside soon enough."

"Wait!" The sorceress protested. "There might be monsters in there. We should check it first, to see."

"It'll just be a moment," Ryu agreed, leading them around the corner, as Nina hung back with the old woman. Around the corner, they found a large room, empty save for a long metal table and a couple of chairs. There was a bottle on the table, and a piece of cloth; on the floor was a doctor's handbag. The door was on the wall above the table; nodding at the others, he climbed on and in, up the stairs.

"It's all clear!" Deis, the last one in, called behind her. They all waited in the stairwell, and a few moments later, Nina joined them, eyes dark and vacant. Nobody asked her what exactly had happened there, though Ryu had suspicions, ones that filled him with almost as much rage as he'd felt during Katt's memory.

"So," Bow said as they approached the top. "You're next, Sten."

"Yeah, I am," the Highlander agreed, voice grim. "All right, everybody hold on a moment. We need to talk about this."

"You already know what to expect, I assume?" Spar asked politely.

"No question about it," he agreed, face locked in an expression of forced neutrality. "Here's what you need to know. As soon as we go through that door, you follow me, and stay in the middle. Let the other guys take the hits, and don't feel bad about it; they won't be real. They're all already dead. Just keep running towards the front gates. Once we get close, there'll be a ditch to the right of the path filled with bodies. The door'll be in there. Pretend you got hit and fall in. Judging by the way the people act in these, they won't care about you once you do that."

"Right." Ryu nodded. Nobody else said anything; there was nothing they _could_ say, and they all knew it.

"Okay." Taking a deep breath, Sten nodded sharply. "Let's go."

They emerged from the door at a run, and instantly found themselves surrounded by Highlander soldiers charging out of a barricade; presumably surrounding a basecamp. Ryu couldn't see more than two feet in front of his face, thanks to the gray fog filling the air; despite it, the air was swelteringly hot, which accentuated the hideous thirst he suddenly felt. It bore with it a sharp, hideous fear that he was charging into suicide, that there was literally no way he would be able to survive the next ten minutes, and that his death would be as grisly as they came.

"Come on, you monkeys!" Sten yelled, sounding as if he were totally fearless. "Let's go knock on those pigs' front door and blow their house down!" The soldiers around them cheered, though some took a few moments longer to do so, enough that Ryu's group was able to join in without being noticeably late. Without missing a step, they ran through the fog, Sten at their head and the rest in the middle, as he'd told them.

When the men started dying, it was sudden and brutal. A bladed bola, two wickedly curved steel crescents on opposite ends of a rope, whipped through the air suddenly, decapitating a Highlander without a sound. His body fell forward as his head flew over them, and they charged on, not even looking. More bolas flew and more soldiers were hit; the lucky ones died instantly. Those less fortunate only lost limbs, or took the hits in their torso; falling to the earth with screams of agony; they were left behind as the soldiers charged onward.

"This is insanity," Spar whispered, a note of discontent actually audible in its voice for once. "Why would anybody do this? What could possibly be worth it?"

"It's complicated," Ryu told him shortly; the fear of death was getting worse, and it was taking all of his concentration to ignore it. Suddenly, the gates loomed before them, along with the walls of the fortress. Remember Sten's words, Ryu hurled himself to the right with a yell, and found himself surrounded by the heaps of the dead, thrown unceremoniously into a ditch like garbage. Both Highlander and Ogre Clansmen were mixed, along with a few Farm Clansmen, in various states; some were still bleeding, while others looked to have been dead for more than a week.

"Oh, St. Eva!" Katt gasped as she fell next to him. "The smell!"

"The door!" Jean choked out, sounding as if he were about to vomit. "There!" The staircase hung in the air, and they all rushed it, throwing themselves through as if fleeing an explosion. Sten was the last one in, and as soon as he was, he began climbing over the rest of the group like they were obstacles. Only once they were between him and the war they'd fled did he sit down on the stairs, breathing heavily, head in his hands.

"Sten?" Nina asked gently.

"Okay." He raised a hand to wave her off. "I'm okay." Standing back up, he dusted himself off nonchalantly. "Let's keep going. We're more than halfway up, but we've still got a long ways to go. Jean should be next."

"I must confess, I am not entirely sure what we will see here," Jean murmured as they walked up the stairs, emerging into a dark room filled with strange, advanced technology much like that which had filled Highfort. The only light was from glowing glass devices, and in the center of the room, a panel of that same glass was set above a board of tiny metal squares meant to control it. Jean's sister Petape was lying on the floor, limp and lifeless, a pretty adolescent girl with pink and white skin in a golden dress. The only other man there stood over her; as they entered, he turned to face them.

"I thought I heard you following me," Kuwadora, the false Prince who'd attempted to gain control of the kingdom, said with a hint of amusement. Tall, brawny and handsome, his sky-blue skin was offset by his cold, lifeless golden eyes. "Kuwadora, Kuwadora! You useless simpleton. Even now, you have no idea what is truly at stake here."

"I know that you have harmed my sister," Jean said, glancing at Ryu and nodding slightly; the door onward was visible at the back of the room, where a secret compartment had hidden their national treasure, the Soul Sword. "That is enough."

"Is it?" Kuwadora smiled coldly. "And if I have not only harmed her, but _killed_ her already, you slug?"

"Then you are dead as well," Jean replied in a voice entirely unlike him, and they all felt the sudden, flat _lack_ of all emotion that killed the fear they'd felt upon walking in, the terror of being too late to save the day. Drawing his rapier, the Prince began walking forward. "Defend yourself, or do not. It shall make no difference to me."

"Ha!" Kuwadora laughed. "_That's_ more like it! Much better! _Now_ you understand reality! Very well, then. As you wish!" He drew his own blade, and the two of them began to duel as the rest of the group crept around them. "Only eight guardsmen with you? You should have brought more! Not that it would have done you any good!"

"They will observe, nothing more," Jean continued without a beat. "Repent your sins while you can, _fils de pute_, though it will change nothing. Were you to beg me for forgiveness, I would still take your heart."

"Still with the flowery speech!" Kuwadora sneered. "Still with the fancy foolishness! Perhaps I _should_ kill your sister! Perhaps if you _watch_ me cut her throat, it will finally wake you up!"

"Then she yet lives," Jean murmured, and a surge of hope hit them all, along with a solid, unyielding resolve, as they walked through the portal and up the stairs. "You will _never_ touch my sister again. I have given you every chance in the world, and you have thrown them away. No more! Today is the day you die!" The footwork of the duel had turned them around so that his back was to the door now; seeing that everybody else was through, Jean feinted, then stepped backwards through it.

"I think you win the best acting award, man," Bow told him gravely. "I almost thought you were actually gonna finish it for a moment there."

"I was, as you say, tempted," Jean admitted. "I take no joy in violence for its own sake, but I must admit, it would have given me a small measure of satisfaction to maim that particular villain a second time. However, there would be no point, and the circumstances following were... moderately unpleasant." He shrugged. "It is in the past. He is dead, thanks to all of you, and my sister is fine now. Shall we move onwards?"

"Yes, let's," Spar agreed. "I believe I know what we will be experiencing. Simply follow me, and the way onward will present itself."

"Gotcha." Ryu nodded. They stepped through the door into a dark forest, and instantly, he felt a surge of fear and confusion. Something was out there in the trees, and it was hunting him, and they all started running because they had to do _something_, and couldn't think of anything else. Strangely, it was the confusion that seemed to be prompting the fear, rather than the sense of being hunted; Ryu couldn't think straight, and he had no idea what to do, and for some reason that was terrifying to him, so much that he caught himself whimpering like a kicked puppy.

"Shit..." Bow was cursing under his breath. "Shit..."

"Control it," Spar muttered absently, sounding more like it was talking to itself than them. "It can be controlled. It is only an emotion. Thought is superior."

"Over here!" A man's voice called from behind them. "Keep after him, boys! Hey, flower child! Your ass is grass! Ha ha ha ha ha! Get it? Grass?"

"What the hell are they even talking about?" Nina demanded, then gasped as a net suddenly spread out in front of them, catching them all and tightening around them.

"A trap!" Katt spat. "Of course! They were running us into it!"

"Indeed," Spar agreed, sounding grateful for the distraction of explanation. "Once I realized that, I was quite rueful."

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" A familiar voice boomed, and they looked up to see M.C. Tusk standing over them, grinning devilishly as he fingered one end of his mustache. "A little lost flower, is it? Well, my good sprout, rest your artichoke heart, for your days of loneliness are over! Welcome to the Circus Maxitusk!" Turning, he waved a hand, and circus goons began dragging the net after him, towards a circle of carts around a fire.

"Hey, boss!" One of them yelled as they pulled the net towards the back of one cart. "What do we do with the rest of them?"

"Oh, throw them in the cage, too, for now." Tusk shrugged. "We'll go back and see those pleasant young Harpy ladies again tomorrow and see if they're interested in some... fresher meat." They all laughed as the net was hauled into the cart, where a large metal cage awaited them; the door of said cage held the stairs, and with some grunting, the thugs actually shoved them through.

"All right, we're clear," Ryu said once they were all on the other side, and those of them with bladed weapons drew them, hacking the net apart.

"Get off me," Rand grumbled towards nobody in particular; for obvious reasons, he'd ended up at the bottom of the pile.

"Well." Katt made a face. "That sucked. Now what?"

"Now, it's my turn," Deis told her, looking unusually grim. "And I'm pretty sure I know what we're going to see. If I'm right, then the good news is, nobody will notice us. The _bad_ news is, they won't _need_ to. Stay as far away from it as you can, and get to the door as fast as you can. Don't stop moving, don't stare, don't get involved. Just go."

"It?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "What's 'it' going to be?"

"You'll see," she said flatly. "Let's go."

"Why do I have a very bad feeling about this?" Sten muttered as they proceeded up the stairs, and peered out through the door.

The end of the world was on the other side, in full swing.

The behemoths were both at least a hundred feet tall, probably closer to two hundred. One was a hideous, misshaphen monstrosity, her lower body a mass of eyeless, fanged golden serpents whose jaws dripped with venom. Rising from the center of the cluster was an upper torso like nothing that could ever be natural, a top-heavy mass of scales bristling with strange blue spheres and twisted green horns. Two spindly arms extended from the upper back, claws grasping, and the front extended outwards above a pair of grinning mouths, one atop the other, tiny black eyes glinting behind them.

The other golden giant was just as fearsome, but far less horrendous. Its body was centaurian, four clawed legs bearing its weight, clad in the same armored carapace as the rest of it. A long tail lashed behind it, and from its back, mighty white wings beat against the air. A shaggy red mane draped its chest and shoulder, below multiple horns, and its face was that of a mighty dragon, roaring in defiance. Where the first's body glowed with a tainted, corrupted sense of glory, this one's body shone like the sun itself.

They fought each other with power beyond comprehension, before the eyes of the stunned team, shrieking threats and curses and insults and boasts in voices that rang against the heavens above them, seeming to shake even the stars in the night sky. Trading blows like tavern brawlers one moment, calling up phenomenal magical powers the next, they summoned weapons the size of city blocks only to discard them after only a few strikes in favor of some new spell or blade or technique, both absolutely determined to destroy the other.

When one called up the fires of a volcano being born, the other countered with the frigid heart of an ice age. A tidal wave that would have crushed a continent was dispersed by enough electrical energy to power an entire city of lost technology, and a tornado that towered into the heavens met a single huge boulder of stone that absorbed its fury. A network of blinding white light was laced with threads of absolute darkness, constricting and tangling within and throughout each other, as the titans continued their struggle atop a plain of flat metal.

Ryu never knew who was the first to move. As soon as he'd seen what awaited them, he was stunned by what was happening, so much so that he barely even noticed the deep, resolved sorrow that hit him; it was the sadness of one prepared to commit a dreadful deed, to shatter their own heart in order to do what was necessary.

Despite that sorrow, and the terrifying battle before them, eventually the group emerged and began circling the fight, staying as far away as possible without nearing the edges of the battlefield; they all knew that should they go over the side, they would not be able to return. The door onward awaited on the other side; after what seemed like an eternity of running, they reached it and crowded through and up, leaving the clash of the gods behind. Only when they were safely inside the stairwell did they lean against its walls and fall to the floor, all of them breathing heavily, even Spar.

"Holy _shit_," Bow said after a long moment.

"_Mon dieu_," Jean agreed.

"You are almost, but not quite, precisely correct," Spar told him, voice calm despite its visible shivering.

"What _was_ that?" Rand demanded, apparently not getting it.

"The end of the Second Dragon War," Nina guessed, staring at nothing. "When... when..."

"When the heroes joined together to create the living incarnation of the Dragon God, Ladon, who slew Myria," Ryu finished for her. "When they killed the Goddess of Lies." He shuddered, remembering the _feel_ of the naked power surging through the air around them. "I thought it was just a metaphor. For the heroes killing her."

"No." Deis was the first of them to regain her calm; she was standing normally now, but her eyes were closed. "No, it actually happened. I was one of them."

"But why was it..." Katt started to say, then trailed off. "Sorry. Never mind."

"Top floor's up ahead," Sten said after another long silence. "Boss?"

"Right." Ryu stood up. "My turn." He took a deep breath, then turned towards the top of the stairs. "I'm ready. Let's go." The others followed him without a word, and they stepped out into the glen behind the town of Gate, against the cliff with the gigantic, sealed doors that had given the town its name. The stairs led out of the central one; stepping out, they all looked around the gently sloping hill of tall grass leading down towards the small town where he'd been born.

"It looks like a nice place," Katt said after a moment.

"It was," Ryu agreed.

"Never saw this side of it," Bow admitted. "Up here, I mean. Kind of wish I had, now." He glanced over his shoulder, and stumbled forward, eyes wide. "Whoa!"

"Huh?" Sten did the same, then yelped, falling on his ass in the dirt.

"Sorry," Ryu apologized, turning around to face what he'd been trying not to see. "I should have warned you." The gigantic, silver-white dragon that slept on the cliffside was still there, head over the largest, central door and claws covering the other two. It was nearly the size of the entire town, larger than anything Ryu had ever seen save for Barubary, but its face had always seemed strangely gentle to Ryu, despite its fearsome horns and teeth.

"Is this... who I think it is?" Nina asked softly as they all looked it over.

"According to Ladon?" Ryu nodded. "Yeah." Walking up, he put a hand on the side of its snout. "My mother. I thought she died when I was five... when demons attacked our town. My parents led the townspeople who fought them off, and when my mother disappeared and this dragon came to save us..." He shook his head. "She's been sleeping here, ever since. Guarding these gates. So it doesn't happen again."

"Then this portal... it is the source of the demons, yes?" Jean guessed. "Does that mean it leads to Infinity?"

"Maybe." Ryu turned away. "But that's something we can deal with another day. This isn't actually Gate. It's just an illusion. Let's get it over with." Leading them down through the tall grass, he tried not to think about the fact that he still remembered the easiest way through, even after all the years he'd been away.

"May I inquire as to the circumstances?" Spar asked politely as they walked through Gate, avoiding the townspeople, who were giving them dark looks and muttering quietly to each other. "The people seem hostile."

"They didn't remember me," Ryu explained. "Or my family. There was a new priest, one everybody thought had been there for decades." He slowly narrowed his eyes. "I never really thought about it before, but if there's corruption in the Church... he was probably a plant. We'll have to send Ray a letter asking about that."

"I had no idea, man," Bow muttered. "Sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," Deis told him as they approached the cathedral where Ryu had been born. "That's on this asshole's head, and now, it's time for some payback."

"Wait." Ryu froze, even as he stood in front of the door. "Did you say that the guy we're after right now is..." He trailed off, unable to finish vocalizing the thought.

"Probably the one who did this to your town." Deis nodded grimly. "Amnesia... false memories replacing the real ones... that's a Mentat's kind of thing."

Before anybody could say anything else, the door swung open by itself, revealing the inside of the cathedral.

"Ah, Ryu." Ganer Bateson, his father, looked up from behind the pulpit and smiled with his eyes closed. "I was wondering when you would return. Yua's upstairs, having her nap. Have you made some new friends?"

"What the _hell_?" Bow said slowly, as everybody froze, including Ryu, who felt as if he'd turned to solid ice.

"Oh, you son of a bitch," Deis growled.

"Now then, children, that language is hardly appropriate," Ganer admonished them lightly, still smiling and squinting. Much more muscular than most men his age, he spent just as much time working outdoors as he did on spiritual matters, lending his skin a sun-browned tone that offset his snowy white hair and beard, both cut short. "You might be my son's friends, but this is the house of God, after all. Behave, and I'll bring out some snacks for you. How about that?"

"Wait a second here..." Katt sounded puzzled. "I thought you said..."

"Oh." Rand's eyes widened, then narrowed. "_Oh._"

"Top floor..." Sten muttered, drawing a knife, but before he could throw it, Ryu had burst forward, sword slicing at his father's neck. Without thinking, without speaking, without anything other than white-hot rage, he beheaded Ganer in one swift blow, and the old man's head flew through the air.

"Ryu!" His father snapped angrily, reaching up with one hand to catch his own head even as blood sprayed from his neck. With the other, he clipped Ryu on the jaw, sending him stumbling back. "What have I told you about that sort of behavior? And in front of your new friends, too!" Holding his own head in his palm, he finally opened his eyes, revealing them to be empty white spheres, and his smile turned sinister. "It looks like I'm going to have to discipline you."

"You... you are a Demon Lord," Jean said softly.

"That is correct, prince." The old man set his head back atop his neck, turning it this way and that. "Congratulations on making it this far, all of you. I suppose I should greet you properly. I am Aruhameral, Demon Lord of Famine... famine of emotion, of memory, of thought and hope and mind." The church shimmered around them, and then they were standing in a wooden room like the first floor, with Aruhameral up against a wall. "All of these things, I am taking from the Wise Tree... just as I did from the people in your town of Gate when you were just a boy, Ryu Bateson."

"Where is my father?" Ryu roared, hurling his sword aside and seizing Aruhameral, ramming him against the wall. "Where is my sister? What did you do to them? Tell me! _Tell me!_"

"And will you bow down, and give thanks, if I do?" Aruhameral sneered. "We _do_ need more of your power. _God_ needs more of your power. Will you give your heart to God? Will you pray to God? Will you praise God? Will you sacrifice your heart and soul to God, and become God's power?"

"We might be persuaded to put you out of your misery sooner, rather than later," Sten offered. "You know, normally, this group doesn't go in for the other sort of thing. And hey, I understand that. But before I joined up, I learned a few... tricks that I've found to be useful on occasion. And you know, somehow, I think everybody would agree to make an exception to our usual standards in your case. Any objections?"

"_Where are they?_" Ryu screamed again, barely even hearing that, as he slammed Aruhameral's head into the wall again and again.

"Well, since you're being so persuasive..." He said, still grinning hideously. "One of my superiors had... _history_ with your father, and took him with him when we departed. Whether he still lives or not, I honestly do not know, and do not care... nor do I have anything to tell you of the little lost girl. She fled from us, on your father's command... how touching it was, to sacrifice himself for her sake. Of course, a three-year-old girl, alone in the wilderness, with monsters out hunting... well, such tragedies do happen..."

With an audible crack, Ryu snapped the Demon Lord's neck.

"It's useless," Deis told him as he threw the body to the side. "You cut off his head already, remember? None of this is real. Until we figure out a way to nullify at least some of his powers, all we'll be doing is playing his games."

"Nullify my powers?" Aruhameral sneered, picking himself back up. "As you did with little lost Mote, dear Sorceress? Don't make me laugh. He was a victim as much as he was a villain, a poor, mad child who sealed away his own conscience to try and hide his deepest, darkest wish for suicide, to free the world from his malignity. Of _course_ he left you a weakness you could exploit. Where as I have lured you here, into _my _world."

"Because you are Aruhameral, blah blah blah." Bow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we know. We've heard it."

"Indeed." Aruhameral raised one hand, and around them, the wooden hallway became a battlefield under a bloody red sunset, thousands of men and women of more than a dozen Clans slaughtering each other without rhyme or reason. "I _am_ Aruhameral, and I am no such child. Even in the days of the First Dragon War, I was ancient and depraved, and many were the fools who sacrificed their lives for my amusement, and that of my Goddess. Only two among my kind are elder and more terrible than I, and you think you will find a way to break _my_ power?"

"Indeed we do," Spar told him coldly. "For in your arrogance, you have forgotten that the mind which you now inhabit is even elder to your own." Bending over, it lowered its hand to the floor, and the battlefield vanished once more, leaving them back inside the wooden hall.

"What?" Aruhameral's head whipped around, mocking grin vanishing. "What have you done?"

"That was not me," Spar explained, actually smiling now as it stood back up. "I am of the Grass Men, and my mind is linked to that of my elder. Gandaroof has waited until now to use the last of its willpower; what I perceive, it can as well. Did you really think it had given up when it stopped fighting you? It was saving its strength for this moment. This is not _your_ mind, and so long as we are within another, you cannot draw us into yours. There, you would be invincible, but here... here, you are not. You thought to lure us into your trap here, but now, you are the one who is cornered and vulnerable."

"Well, well, well," Nina murmured softly. "Isn't _this_ an interesting turn of events."

"Cut to the chase," Ryu said shortly, picking his sword back up again. "Does this mean we can kill him now?"

"Looks like it." Deis smirked nastily. "Why don't we do something about that, then?"

"And you think it will be that easy?" Aruhameral smiled again, skin rippling and moving unpleasantly. From under his fingernails, thorned vines suddenly sprouted, and more plant growths erupted from the rest of his body, bursting from his flesh. "You rely on the Wise Tree to defeat me? I _came_ here to destroy his mind in the first place because his knowledge was inconvenient to our God! And once I have dealt with you, I will finish that task, and leave nothing but twisted fragments of thought in my wake!"

Lichen and grasses and sprouts and leaves all grew in the blink of an eye, engulfing him entirely in the mass of flora, an unnatural amalgamation of dozens of kinds of life all part of the same pile of plant matter. From the center, a bright orange flower began to bud, and to each side of it a long vine whirled around, ending in two claws like the maws of carnivorous plants. The flower opened, five bright orange petals spreading, each with a rolling white eye embedded in it. At its center, a hideous green face scowled at them, vaguely human with eyes the same orange as its petals.

"All right, people!" Ryu growled, feeling the Breath Of Fire rise up inside him as he charged forward. "Let's-"

"Aruhameral, Aruhameral, Aruhemeral, Aruhameral, Aruhameral..." The Demon Lord hissed, cutting him off before he could transform, as his claws and vines began whirling around in dizzying loops. Despite his rage, Ryu found himself unable to look away, and the others were all similarly caught, staring helplessly. It was like some sort of twisted dance, and as he watched, his mind became clouded, fuzzy and confused. Almost as if he were falling asleep, he forgot what he was doing, how he'd been doing it; he still knew he could transform, but he no longer remembered _how_.

"What the hell?" Rand muttered.

"My magic..." Nina whispered. "No!"

"Yes..." Aruhameral leered. "Forget it... forget your magic, forget your techniques, forget your skills and secrets and tricks and abilities... _now! _Aruhameral, Aruhameral, Aruhameral, Aruhameral, Aruhameral..."

"Can he _do_ that?" Katt demanded, clutching her head. "Agh..."

"Looks like it," Sten said flatly, glancing at Ryu. "Boss? Don't tell me..."

"Afraid so," Ryu growled, charging with his sword. "Can't even remember how to transform! I am getting _really_ sick of that not working on these assholes!" He took a slice at Aruhameral, and immediately realized that something was wrong there as well; it had been clumsy, amateurish, a sluggish hack based only on brute strength.

"What did you expect, boy?" Aruhameral asked mockingly, ignoring the slash across his lower body. Bringing his claws up before him, holding them for a moment in a position oddly like a boxing stance, he began lashing out with them, striking Ryu upside the jaw and sending him flying. "We have been waiting for your arrival for a thousand years! Did you really think we would be stupid enough not to prepare countermeasures for the Breath of Fire?" His head tilted to the left, then the right, and then it began to spin, the petals deflecting crossbow bolts and thrown knives both.

"Head's the only place we can aim for," Bow muttered, reloading. "I hate fighting plants. No vital organs or anything. Nothing personal, Spar."

"No offense taken," Spar assured him, standing back and frowning. "There is more than enough trouble here already."

"You can say that again," Deis muttered, lowering hers. "Nina..."

"I know," the Princess replied, dropping to the ground. "Everybody, get back. There's only one thing me and Deis can do now, and we'll only be able to do it once. Move out of the way, quickly! Trust me!"

"Hold on a second!" Bow yelped as the other seven all scrambled backwards, still shaking their heads to try and clear the fog. "You're not gonna-"

"It's better than being useless!" Deis snapped as the two women resolutely advanced on Aruhameral. "Now! Do it!" She raised her staff as Nina held out one hand, and then chaos erupted. Fire and lightning exploded out around them with none of the accuracy or shape or style a black mage normally used; it simply erupted in every direction, transforming the end of the hall into a blaze of destruction, and both women screamed in agony just as loudly as Aruhameral.

"_Que l'enfer?_" Jean demanded. "What are they doing?"

"Wild magic," Spar explained grimly. "The Demon Lord clouded their knowledge of magical technique, so they simply released their stores of power without any semblance of control. It turns upon themselves as much as the enemy."

"What?" Rand yelled, as did Ryu. Running forward as the magic faded, they grabbed the charred, moaning women and pulled them back; both were horribly burned and blasted. "Damn! Can we do that too? With white magic?"

"We could, but only once," Bow told him, biting his lip. "It'd use up all of our magic in one go, and we'd have to down enough Wise Fruit to kill us before we'd get it back."

"Exactly," Aruhameral said through the smoke, as sparkles of light covered him. "Whereas I, on the other hand, am perfectly capable of healing myself!"

"Don't," Deis moaned. "Save the magic for when everybody need it. Get him, before he heals all the damage..." Nina made a sound that seemed to be in agreement.

"Damn..." Ryu stared at them for a moment more, then whirled on the Demon Lord. "Damn it all! Do what they said! Let's take him down!" Everybody except Bow charged towards the mass of vegetation at the back of the hall, and again Aruhameral held his claws up before lashing out in a flurry of jabs. Spar, Sten, Ryu and Jean all stumbled, battered and bruised, but Rand kept coming, as did Katt, the former weathering the blows and the latter dodging them.

"Doesn't slow _me_ down all that much if you wipe _my_ brain!" The Woren girl taunted him, running up Rand's back and leaping into the air. "Maybe I can't use all my fancy moves, but I've still got the Breath of Spirit!" Descending awkwardly, without any of her usual grace, she still managed to land on the petaled face, bringing both feet down in a drop-kick. Aruhameral grunted in pain, and for a moment Ryu smiled, but then he heard a loud snap, and Katt screamed in pain, rolling backwards off of the heap of vegetation.

"Fool!" Aruhameral sneered, shaking the blow off. "Your Breath boosts your agility and your strength, but not your durability! How long did it take you to learn to use your full power without breaking your own bones? Oh, but you're so stubborn, I'm sure you'll be just fine without both of your ankles, won't-"

"Shaddup," Rand grunted, cutting him off, as he reached the Demon Lord and began laying into the floral face with both fists. As Aruhameral flailed, the rest of the team reached him, and for a moment, it looked like a successful dogpile would ensue, until both claws opened again and released billowing clouds of noxious-looking purple smoke. Stumbling back despite themselves, everybody began coughing, Ryu most of all; as soon as he'd realized what was happening, he'd grabbed Katt and pulled her away as well.

"What is it?" He gasped, choking and wheezing.

"Poison!" Spar yelled. "It's not fast-acting, but if this fight drags out..." It stumbled, falling to its knees; the Grass Man's delicate body had taken the blows from Aruhameral's claws much worse than the rest of them.

"I gotcha!" Rand helped it to its feet. "Come on!"

"Oh, no!" Jean yelled suddenly, staring towards the back of the hall, where the clouds were spreading over Deis and Nina's prone forms. "The ladies!"

"Crap." Ryu continued hauling Katt back, glanced at her feet, and winced; as Aruhameral had said, both ankles were broken. "Bow! We're gonna need that white magic now! Neither of them will last a minute otherwise, and Katt and Spar aren't looking much better!"

"Right!" Bow waited until Rand was clear, fired off two more shots in Aruhameral's direction, then made a face and closed his eyes in concentration. A moment later, a bright white sphere of light radiated outward from him, washing over them all, only fading away once it was near the Demon Lord. Almost immediately, all the bruises Ryu had picked up from the fight faded away, and he felt his lungs recovering, though that was quickly reverted as he breathed more of the poisonous purple gas that was still filling the hall.

"Damn!" Sten cursed, whirling back towards Aruhameral. "Should have waited for it to clear! Come on, let's go before he starts healing himself again!"

"Yeah..." Bow agreed, stumbling forward and leaning on his crossbow, suddenly looking completely floored. "Looks like I'm out of it now, though. I don't know how you do this all the time, buddy..."

"You okay?" Ryu asked quickly.

"Come on!" Katt pulled on his arm, back on her feet again. "Sten's right! He'll just fix himself right back up if we don't keep pressing him!"

"We've got him," Deis said, though she sounded just as exhausted, as she leaned forward to put a hand on Bow's shoulder; both she and Nina were healed, but they were still worn down. "Go! He's already starting!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Sten hurled another knife, and Aruhameral paused in his casting to deflect it. Before he could resume, Rand had picked the Highlander up in one hand and thrown him like a shotput. Though Sten slammed into the mass of vegetation with a pained grunt, he almost immediately began slicing into him, scoring several deep wounds before the claws knocked him away; while he no longer held the knives with the same professional grace, he was still able to do damage simply by hacking. "Take him apart! If he's got no vital organs, we'll just have to shred him!"

"Ah, of course!" Jean brightened up, charging forward. "Haha!" With a clumsy flourish, he shoved his rapier up to the hilt into Aruhameral just below the face, like he was burying a stake. Both he and the Demon Lord stared at it for a moment, and then their eyes met. "Oh, dear. That wasn't right."

Everybody else winced as a series of brutal blows to his chin sent him flying headlong through the air.

"We're lucky brainwashing him left _anything _at all," Katt muttered, prompting a snort from Rand. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Come on!" Ryu yelled, reaching the Demon Lord and chopping down into the mass with an overhead swing, wincing as he was battered anew by the lashing claws. "Let's-"

"Here you go!" Aruhameral cut him off with a triumphant shriek as the claws opened again, and the group gathered around him was once more covered in clouds of gas, this time a sweet-smelling pink. Coughing, Ryu tried to cover his face, only for the hallway to swim around him, then going dark as he pitched forward.

The next thing he knew, something hit him upside the chin.

"Oh, good," Rand drawled sarcastically as he opened his eyes; the big man was standing over him. "You're back."

"Knockout gas?" Ryu asked blearily as Rand walked over to Katt and judiciously slapped her as well.

"Bingo," he grunted as she muttered a curse and began hauling herself back to her feet. "Me and Jean were the only ones who didn't get a big enough dose. Had to _throw_ you guys out of his range. I don't think Spar'll be getting back up any time soon unless we heal it again." Moving over to Sten, he began slapping him around as well.

"Then what's..." Ryu started to say, then trailed off, eyes widening. At the end of the hall, he saw Nina, Deis, Bow and Jean moving around Aruhameral; as he watched, they all took hits, crumpling to the floor. "Those idiots! They're not in any shape to do that!"

"Had to distract him somehow, didn't we?" Rand pointed out. "We really oughta do something about it, though."

"No kidding." Sten surveyed the situation. "What we need is a plan."

"Yep," Ryu agreed, narrowing his eyes. "Okay, I've got one. Everybody rush him. Take a deep breath as soon as you get close. Hold it as long as you can. Dismantle him before he beats us up too badly."

"My kind of plan." Katt smiled viciously.

"Stay behind me until we're there." Rand turned to Aruhameral. "I'd like to see him knock _me_ on my ass." Without another word, he began running forward, and the other three continued along behind him.

"Ah, there you are!" Aruhameral sneered as they came close; the other four were all down. "I was starting to wonder if I'd have to start butchering one of these fools to get you to come play! Are you ready to finish this, then?"

"Yup," all four said shortly, simultaneously, before jumping him. As his claws lashed out, Ryu and Sten both reached up and grabbed them even as they were hit, hanging on like leeches. Cursing, he tried to shake them off, but before he could, Rand reached up and grabbed the vines just behind the claws. With a nod from him, they both let go, and the big Farmlander leaned back and hauled, slowly stepping backward. For a moment, Ryu considering chopping them off, but then he realized what was likely to happen, and instead simply began hacking into the now-defenseless Demon Lord.

Katt had slipped under one of Rand's arms and was now tearing into the mass of vegetation with her clawed, bare hands, ripping huge chunks out and throwing them away. Sten had jumped towards the head, slashing deep rents into it despite his own bleeding hands, likely caused by fumbling his knives. Ryu simply hacked as if clearing away foliage, and Rand continued to pull, the massive weight of the pile of plantlife keeping it from being hauled towards him. Aruhameral was screaming and cursing, threatening and pleading, begging and howling, and all of them ignored every word.

And then, with a hideous sound, both of his "arms" were ripped from his body, taking huge chunks of him with them, and the three of them all leaped back just in time before the black flames covered him.

"Damn you all..." He hissed. "I am Aruhameral! But you are too late... I have already accomplished my mission! Even without me, this old tree's mind will never recover completely! The knowledge you seek is lost to you, now and forever! Even though I fall, still your fates are sealed! God's time is at hand!"

"Wait for it," Sten said calmly. "Wait for it..." As they watched, Aruhameral collapsed into smoldering ashes, and he nodded. "And clear."

"All right." Ryu glanced at Rand. "Hate to ask you this, but..."

"Naw, it's cool," Rand told him, then closed his eyes and released his magical stores the same way Bow had. "Saved it for after the fight on purpose. Oooooooog." Swaying, he pitched over, falling flat on his stomach. "Okay, I'm done."

"We're all done," Deis pointed out, coming over and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Good work. That was pretty cool. Should be any minute now."

As soon as she finished that sentence, the world shifted around them once more, and then they were all lying in an unceremonious heap on the forest ground before Gandaroof, sprawled all over each other.

"We need to stop doing that," Bow muttered. "As of now." A moment later, on cue, Barose fell on them, rolling down the heap of bodies before crashing into a tree.

"Good job, I guess," the old man told them after a moment. "Hope you weren't expecting a thank-you note. I'm out of here. See you around, I guess." Muttering under his breath, he vanished.

"Elder?" Spar wriggled out from the pile and stood before the tree trunk, and the ancient face appeared once more. "Are you all right? The Demon Lord's spell seems to be fading from my mind, so I assume it is doing the same with everybody else."

"Yeah," Ryu grunted, shaking his head, as they all stumbled back to their feet, some more reluctantly than others. "I can actually remember how to use this sword again. Could probably turn into a dragon if I wanted to, too, not that I've got any reason to now." He looked up at the Wise Tree. "How about you? That asshole said the damage was too heavy..."

"He was right," Gandaroof said gravely, sounding more stable and serious already. "I'm recovering, but I can tell that there are a lot of things that are simply... gone. He did a great deal of damage before you showed up and he devoted his energies towards you instead. Still... some of it, at least, is coming back. Ask any questions you have, and I will do my best to answer."

"So he won after all," Nina murmured, glancing downward.

"I would argue that point, _mademoiselle_," Jean said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He is dead, and we are not. That is not what I would call a victory."

"Man's got a point." Katt nodded. "All right, big guy. What can you tell us about demons? That's the question, ain't it?"

"'Big guy,' Katt?" Spar muttered. "Really?"

"What?"

"Demons..." Gandaroof mused. "Hm... a unique Clan, in that even I do not know if any of their original number were born to that form. They add to their number by recruiting men and women of other Clans and twisting them into various horrific forms reflecting the depravities of their souls, who then reproduce... however, those born to the Clan are never as strong as those who enter into it willingly, making it necessary to constantly recruit more. Still, I have never known them to do so quite as vigorously as in recent years."

"So they figure something big is approaching." Bow nodded. "That fits with what they all keep saying about how 'God's time is at hand.'"

"Yes, this God of theirs..." Gandaroof frowned. "That worries me. The Demons worshiped Myria, Goddess of Lies, until her death. If they have found a new God to follow, one even more powerful and more vile than her... there is a word for such a being. A higher power of ultimate evil instead of good."

"A devil." Ryu closed his eyes. "Of course. We should have figured that out long ago. What else would demons worship as a God?"

"Isn't it _the_ devil, not 'a'?" Katt sounded puzzled.

"Does it really matter?" Sten pointed out.

"Guess not."

"There was something else..." Gandaroof continued. "Something I knew, or at least suspected, about this devil, but... I can't remember. It was related to the Second Dragon War..."

"The second?" Ryu frowned. "Not the First? I didn't think demons were involved in the Second. Well, some people think that two of the Tiamat Unit had demon blood-the brothers, Goda and Mote-but they sure as hell weren't connected to Infinity."

"No, it was definitely the first," Gandaroof assured them, eyes focusing on Deis. "You... you were there, weren't you? Seven brave men and women, led by a Light Dragon, set out to save the world, and they... I don't remember..."

"All right," Ryu said after a moment, glancing at Deis, who was frowning thoughtfully. "How about this, then? Can you tell us anything about why all the trees are dying in Gate?"

"That..." Gandaroof's eyebrows met. "That is the presence of the devil's greatest servant. His power is so great that he can drain the life from all things surrounding him simply with his presence, and turn it into energy for their God."

"They keep talking about that, too." Bow scowled. "About turning emotions and sins and minds and lives into raw power for this God of theirs."

"Their God, their devil, will tolerate no life that is not his," Gandaroof said, sounding more certain for a moment. "So long as his servants continue to plague the world, they will continue to drain it like leeches, until everything is dead and gone and _his_."

"We'll shut that down, then." Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Is it Gate, then? Is that the source of the infection?"

"Ah..." Gandaroof paused in thought for a moment. "That is where the greatest of his servants lurks, but... there are others. I sense a great corruption to the south, but there is also a spark of hope. The plants speak of others who know of this conspiracy, and seek to fight against it. Go south, and you will find them, and your enemies as well."

"Ray said there may have been another Demon Lord there," Nina murmured. "It seems that was the case."

"How many of these guys are there?" Rand groaned. "_Four_ Demon Lords, _and_ Barubary? You gotta be kidding me."

"More than that," Gandaroof told him gravely. "Four is the number of the nobility of Infinity, but two stand even above them, directly beneath their God. Barubary, you know of, but there is yet another, almost as powerful, and infinitely more malignant. Unlike Barubary, he hides in shadows, manipulating events from the background. It is he, more than any other, who offers the dark promises of Infinity to the weak and foolish, and turns their souls to evil."

"Their recruiter." Deis narrowed her eyes. "Back in the First, we always thought there was somebody else aside from Barubary and Aruhameral running around stirring up shit, but we could never actually get a read on him. The bastard managed to stay one step ahead of us. Never came out and showed himself."

"So both this guy _and_ the fourth Demon Lord are in the south?" Sten grimaced. "Yeah, this day keeps getting better and better."

"You would do well to be wary of him," Gandaroof continued. "He may be the most dangerous of your adversaries, for while Barubary is callous and merciless, this man's cruelty and sadism have scarred the world for longer than even I have lived. His very existence brings not just death, but suffering to all he touches. His name is... is..." He snarled, a surprisingly emotional noise from the Wise Tree. "I don't remember!"

"It's all right, sir," Ryu forced himself to say, though he felt almost as frustrated. "It's not your fault. That's all on Aruhameral, and we made sure he paid for it. You've helped us out as much as you could. The rest... we'll deal. That's what we do."

"Paid..." Gandaroof murmured absently. "That's right, there should be something else I should do, to reward you for your services. Ah, I know... when I was young, and the world was not quite so... regimented... I had an account with the Bank of Prima, though I rarely ever used it. I haven't even thought of it in some time, but I believe it's considered socially appropriate to compensate men in your line of work monetarily, yes?"

"That is the custom, yes," Jean agreed smoothly.

"Here, then." The branches above them rustled, and a large, broad leaf drifted down with writing on it. "Here are the details of my account. You're welcome to whatever amount is left inside it; I'm afraid I can't quite remember that, either."

"Our thanks." Ryu nodded, picking it up. "I hope you're feeling all right, even if..." He broke off, biting his lip. "Anyways. We'll be heading back home now. Jean, think you can do the honors?"

"Of course, _mon_ _ami_," the Prince said, and with the words of one more spell, they were gone, nobody commenting on the general feeling that what was supposed to be a major step in their mission had only seemed to set them back further than ever.

_I AM THE BRAINWASHER _


	27. Chapter 25: The Tower Beneath The Sea

_**Chapter 25: The Tower Beneath The Sea **_

"South of the Sea of Trees," Ryu said flatly as the group sat around the table. He'd called another meeting the morning after their return, and nobody seemed particularly thrilled about it, a sentiment he echoed; after everything they'd gone through to run Aruhameral down, the few scraps of information Gandaroof had been able to remember were a scant reward. There was the Wise Tree's bank account, of course, but monetary recompense would barely have been acceptable for Tunlan alone, and was completely out of the question for what Sten had gone through in Highland.

"All right," he continued. "Somebody who knows geography, narrow it down for those of us who don't. What's south of there?"

"Directly south?" Niro asked. "Or everythin' south o' the line o' latitude?"

Ryu gave him a look, as did Bow, Katt, Rand, and Sten.

"I was just askin'," the old man protested.

"Don't," Ryu told him with deliberate calm. "Please."

"Well, you head straight south, you go into Carmen," Niro explained. "Natural home o' both the Farm Clan an' the Ogre Clan, not to mention the Namandian faith. A lot easier to get yourself into hot water down there than you'd figure, 'specially with what's on the other side o' _their_ southern border. Scande, at least what's left of it. Ain't too many folks livin' _there_, since it's still a polluted shithole, even now. Only ones who bother for the most part'r the Church o' St. Eva. They got a strong presence there for some reason."

"It's down to those two, then?" Bow asked. "That' it?"

"If you're goin' straight, yeah." Niro shrugged. "But if you head east o' Carmen, you'll run inta the Isle o' Guntz pretty soon. Do the same when ye reach Scande, an' you'll find Evrai, not that you'll have much luck gettin' on _there_. All that's east o' those are a couple o' uninhabited islets until you get to Highland, an' you've all already been through your paces there."

"Excuse me," Spar said politely. "These other places are familiar to me, at least in name, but what is Evrai?"

"The holy city of the Church of St. Eva," Nina told it. "The capital of the faith, and the second-largest city in the world, second only to the undersea city-state of Prima. It's located on an island in the central south, roughly equidistant between Scande and Highland. Supposedly, it's a sheer cliff all around, at least a mile high, which helps them discourage visitors; nobody sets foot on there without the Church's permission."

"Which, on the whole, might be just a _little_ difficult for this particular group to manage," Sten drawled.

"A Namandian, an atheist, a Grass Man, and me," Deis agreed. "Yeah, that could be kind of tricky."

"If it comes down to that, Ray could probably get us in." Ryu shrugged. "It'd be difficult, though, and I don't really like the thought of asking that of him, so let's leave Evrai for last. We should probably hit Scande after trying Carmen; doesn't really make much sense to go around that way. So it's either Carmen or Guntz first."

"I say we hit Guntz," Katt suggested quickly. "No sense in going to Carmen unless we have to." Her eyes flickered over to Rand, and Ryu remembered the farm they'd seen inside Gandaroof's mind, and the big man's reluctance to talk about what it had meant.

"Seconded," Sten agreed.

"Now, hold on." Rand crossed his arms, frowning. "I appreciate the thought, guys, but let's be realistic here. We should choose wherever it's more likely, not where we _want_ to go. If that means I gotta face up to my past, I can deal. Won't be my idea of a good time, but I'll be able to manage it. Sten did, and he had a hell of a lot more to go back to than I do. So, where's it more likely? Guntz, or Carmen?"

"Carmen," Ryu said after a moment. "Not just because it's due south. Ray's already been to the Isle of Guntz, and he didn't find any traces of demonic presence there. It's possible he might have missed something, but not likely."

"Looks like we're heading to Carmen, then." Bow nodded. "Should we take Grandpa?"

"I wouldn't suggest it," Rand advised them. "The coastline's pretty treacherous, on account of how close it is to Scande. There are only a few places where it's even close to safe to land, and they're all commercial docks by now. Pulling a whale up to one of those might not look good."

"So we head south from the Sea of Trees over land." Deis nodded. "There shouldn't be much in our way, as I recall. Although my knowledge of geography around there's kind of out of date, to say the least."

"No, the only thing is..." Nina started to say, then trailed off, eyes widening.

"Fog Valley," Sten finished for her. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. I already went back there once, just to see if I could take it. I could. Won't be fun, but..." He shrugged.

"Thanks, guys," Ryu said, looking back and forth between him and Rand. "I appreciate this."

"Just take us on a vacation to Prima after we finally finish up," the Highlander suggested with a grin. "At this rate, it'll be the only part of the world we _haven't_ all seen by the time we're done."

"Har har." Ryu rolled his eyes. "All right, tomorrow we'll..." He trailed off as somebody knocked on the door leading out into the lobby. After a moment, Niro stood up and walked over to open it.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Silvia said, taking in the meeting room at a glance. "I came down to visit Bow, but nobody was at the..." She froze, eyes widening, as she saw Deis, taking in her old friend's new appearance.

"Hi, Silvia," Deis told her quietly after a long moment. "I hired on."

A long moment passed, as the two women stared at each other. Finally, face pale and eyes narrowed, Silvia strode around the table towards Deis and delivered a slap that knocked her chin towards the ceiling. Without another word, she turned right around and stomped back through the door, and out of the room.

"Aw, geez." Bow scratched his head, but despite his voice, he didn't look particularly troubled. "Sorry, Deis. I'll try and talk some sense into her."

"It's all right," Deis replied, voice strangely quiet as she readjusted her head. "I deserved that, really. I can't blame her."

"Well," Ryu said after a long, awkward moment. "I guess we're done here. Like I was saying, we'll head out for Fog Valley tomorrow, unless something comes up."

"Excuse me?" Another voice carried through the open door, this one an unfamiliar male's. Turning around again, Ryu saw a middle-aged Maniro standing near it, peering through as if not wanting to cause a disturbance. His scales were a deep green, and his features average, fins twitching slightly as he watched them. Judging by his expensive-looking robes and the amount of jewelry he wore, he was one of the more successful members of the mercantile Clan. "Are you the _Dragonkin_? I was told this was where I could find your agent."

"That'd be me, fella," Niro said, dropping his usual easy tones and assuming a much more precise, practical voice despite his strange accent. "Niro Mani, nice to meetcha. Come on, let's step out here into the lobby. What can I do for ya?"

"Should we..." Bow left it hanging, glancing at Ryu.

"Sounds like Niro's got this one, but I'll stick around in case he needs me." Ryu shrugged. "Meeting's over anyways." Taking the hint, the others got up; most of them headed upstairs, but Bow took off after Silvia like he'd said he would.

"I'll cut right to the chase, Mister Mani," the Maniro said as Ryu casually followed him and Niro into the lobby, leaning against a wall. "My name's Nunzio Clemenza, and I represent the First Bank of Prima. We'd like to contract your group's services immediately."

"Oooh." Niro glanced over his shoulder at Ryu, who shrugged noncommittally. "Could be tricky, considerin' we're kinda already on a contract. Still, no harm in hearin' you out. What's the job?"

"It's a rather simple, short-term one," Nunzio explained. "It would need to be completed immediately, but if what your group's anywhere close to as capable as I've heard, they should be able to do so within a day or two." He glanced at Ryu as well for a moment, eyes keen, then turned back to Niro. "Do you know what Sky Tower is?"

"Two-thousand-year-old artifact o' the First Dragon War," Niro rattled off. "Lost technology, usin' one o' the Goddess Keys, able to alter weather patterns all over the world. Used to be called Spire. Got washed out to sea in a geological disturbance a few centuries back, but somehow, the damn thing stayed upright. Can't use the weather control system no more, not without the Sky Key, so the Maniro Clan's gone an' started using it as an easy way to bring folks from other Clans down to the ocean floor so's they can get to Prima."

"Ah... correct," Nunzio said after a moment. "Of course, that last part is only on rare occasions, as it requires the use of a set of our artificial gills, which are difficult to reproduce. At any rate, the problem is simple. One week ago, we lost all communications with Sky Tower. At the same time, heavy fogbanks have appeared around the world, including over the Tower itself. That, combined with volatile sea currents that have spawned around it, have prevented anybody from outside being able to access the Tower. Presumably, none of the men within it at the time can leave, for the same reasons."

"These fog banks," Ryu chimed in with a sinking feeling. "I don't suppose one of them is located in Fog Valley, down in Carmen?"

"Why, yes," Nunzio admitted, sounding surprised. "I'm told that, combined with its natural state, the entire area is completely impassable at the moment. Why?"

"Oh, nothing." Ryu slapped his face. "Don't mind me."

"These currents you're talkin' about." Niro scratched his chin. "Reckon a big enough critter could get through 'em? Say, a whale?"

"A whale?" Nunzio blinked. "Well, yes, I suppose so... what, are you going to tell me you have one on your payroll?" He chuckled.

"More like we did a job for one a while back, an' the ol' fella owes us a couple favors," Niro explained. "Like, say, hitchin' a ride out there."

"I... see," Nunzio murmured, looking skeptical. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter how exactly you get there, so long as you can. To put it simply, we'd like you to discover what the problem is and rectify it. Presumably, somebody has managed to activate the weather control system somehow and keep the staff from taking the tower back. Figure it out, fix the problem, and the First Bank of Prima will pay you handsomely."

"Why don't we talk about exactly how handsome we're talkin' here?" Niro rubbed his hands together.

"I'm heading upstairs, Niro," Ryu told him; his part in the discussion was done, and there was no way sticking around for the financial portion of the negotiations could help. "Come on up and let me know the details when you're done." He started to walk away, then paused, remembering something. "While I've got your ear, Mr. Clemenza, I'd appreciate it if you could look into something for us while we're working. There's a very old account with the First Bank of Prima that we've been given access to, you see, so bringing it to an ordinary clerk would probably just cause headaches for all involved."

"Our clerks are very efficient, young man," Nunzio harrumphed, looking slightly offended, although he did accept a copy of Gandaroof's account information once Ryu had finished scribbling it all down on a piece of paper from Niro's desk. "Exactly how old an account are we talking here, anyways?"

"Ryu?" Spar called from the stairs as it descended. "Deis has gone into her room and locked the door. She's refusing to talk to anybody." It paused, taking in the way they were all looking at it. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?"

"Nah, it's cool." Ryu thumbed at it. "That old, Mr. Clemenza."

"I... see," Nunzio muttered, staring at the piece of paper. "Er... you do realize that our accumulated interest rates do cut off after a century of inactivity, yes?"

"Why don't you an' me talk about that, too?" Niro put a friendly hand on the now-shaken Maniro's shoulder and winked at Ryu, who nodded slightly.

"Come on, Spar," he said. "Let's go on up and tell the others the news." Doing so, they found that most of the team were waiting in the hallway of the second story, leaning against various walls; only Bow and Deis were absent. Ryu started to say something, then paused, before glancing at Spar. "How long were they up here?"

"They were all present when I descended from the fourth floor after attempting to rouse Deis," Spar explained.

"Snitch," Katt muttered.

"I don't believe this," Ryu said with mock exasperation, fighting to conceal a smile. "Were you all up here _listening_ on the conversation like a bunch of eavesdropping schoolchildren?"

"Of course not," Nina replied primly. "We were simply waiting for you to be finished, so we could be informed of whether the plan was changed or not."

"I'll bet." He shook his head. "Yeah, change of plans. Fog Valley's inaccessible, on account of some yahoo screwing around with the weather control system in Sky Tower. We'll be making a quick detour there to fix the problem first."

"And we'll get paid for it, too, right?" Sten smirked.

"Why wouldn't we?" Ryu shrugged. "Anyways, we'll still be heading off in the morning. I'm going to go talk to Deis." Continuing up the stairs to the fourth floor, he walked down to the end of the hall. All three of the women's rooms were on the same floor; apparently, saving that one for last had been the right call. Pounding on the door, he called through it. "Hey, Deis! Open up, huh?" When no response came, he pounded again. "Come on, Deis! It's me! If we can talk about my freakin' love life, we can talk about this, huh?"

Deis yelled something anatomically improbable.

"Your call, Deis," Ryu said casually, stepping back and starting to draw his sword. "We can afford getting the door replaced by now."

"You might not want to do that," Deis shouted back, a smug undercurrent entering her voice. "Considering your love life and all."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Ryu asked, pausing with his hand on the hilt.

"I'm naked in here."

Ryu paused.

He blinked.

"This isn't over," he yelled as he turned away, and was grateful when she didn't respond. Running down the list of the other team members and taking them off of it one by one, he walked down the stairs again, only to find the rest of them in the third-floor hallway, waiting for him. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes. "All right, the first time was funny, but this little gag had _better_ not get off its feet and start running."

"You had the right idea, boss," Sten told him, voice radiating innocence. "Poor girl's going through a rough moment. Wouldn't be the act of a friend to-"

"No," Ryu cut him off, then started looking around the room. For a moment, he considered asking Katt or Nina, but the glare in the former's eyes and the blush on the latter's cheeks quickly changed his mind about that. "All right, Spar. Sorry to put this on you, but _somebody_ needs to talk to her about this, and it looks like you're the only option available. Go up there, and do whatever it takes to get her to let you in so you can try and help her with this."

"I am... not exactly skilled in the field of emotional disturbance," Spar said, sounding dubious. "I am uncertain that I would improve the situation."

"As one who _is _an expert in such matters, _mon ami_, believe me when I say that well-meaning company will always help in such a crisis," Jean assured it.

"Yeah, something like that," Ryu muttered, fighting a sudden surge of doubt. "You'll do fine, Spar. The rest of you, clear out. I don't care if you're still holding a grudge about Deis or not-I'll admit, I'm still not happy about it either-but she's on the team, and we're not gonna start making exceptions on how we behave towards each other." Without bothering to look, he walked past them down to the second floor and went into his own room, where he spent the next several hours sitting on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Eventually, shortly before dinnertime, he walked back out and headed upstairs to see how Spar was doing. The Grass Man was nowhere to be seen, but the door of Deis' room was slightly ajar now, and he could hear them talking from inside it. Walking over quietly, he leaned against the wall, just out of view of the door. It wasn't _really_ eavesdropping, he told himself with a flash of guilt; he was simply waiting for the right moment to join the conversation now that Deis had presumably put her blouse back on.

"-should have seen it coming, really," she was saying. "Honestly, I'm pretty lucky most of them are taking it as well as they are, especially Ryu and Nina. Can't really blame Bow and Katt if they're not so quick to let it slide."

"I really wouldn't know," Spar murmured. "As I told Ryu once, this is the first time I've ever had friends, and I'm still unsure about my own ability to reciprocate that. Until now, the only other sentient being I had any real emotional attachment to was Gandaroof."

"You're lucky," Deis told it quietly. "Or maybe just smart. Or both. When you've got a lifespan like ours... making friends isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"If it's not impolite..." Spar hesitated a moment before continuing. "How long do you suppose you'll be... with us? Assuming, of course, that we don't fail horribly and end up brutally slaughtered by demons."

"Honestly?" Deis sighed. "Not much more than a year, at most. Once the Light Dragon of the day actually starts off on his adventure, it's always over in about a year, give or take a few months. _Maybe_ it'll go to a year and a half, but I doubt it. No, my money says by the time summer rolls around again, we'll have wrapped this up one way or another."

"I see," Spar said calmly. "And once we do, you'll return to your eternal slumber?"

"Wouldn't call it eternal, but yeah," she admitted. "I woke up early this time as it is. Been about ten years out in the world, waiting for you guys to find me. I haven't had that much time awake since... well, since a long time. Before both Dragon Wars."

"You're unused to it," Spar guessed. "It's altering the situation."

"Yeah." She sighed. "I've been friends with Ryu and Bow for years now. Only met Katt a few months back, but she makes friends fast, and she doesn't really appreciate this sort of thing. And Nina... hell, I've known Nina for nearly a decade. Do you have any idea how much fun it is to _intentionally_ change your body into a prepubescent one? It's not. At all."

"I imagine not," Spar said, slightly awkwardly. "Regardless... you have friends now, even if some of them are grudging about it."

"Yup," she agreed, though she didn't sound happy about it. "I do. Not that it matters, in the long run. It'll still end the same way for me."

"You have no choice in the matter?" Spar asked. "Could you not simply wait for a time, once this particular adventure is concluded? A few years, surely, would not be unacceptable. Especially in comparison to your time of service accrued."

"Sure it wouldn't," Deis said flatly. "Sure I could. But if I start doing that, I'll be tempted to do more, and to do it more often. To stick around after the fact for every time, and every time it'd be longer. Hell, even if I did it once, I might not be able to get up the nerve to go back to sleep until..." She trailed off.

"Until?" Spar prompted her eventually.

"Until they died," she murmured, so quietly that Ryu could barely hear her. "Until they got old and died, and you and me were the only ones left. That's what I can never face. What I always turn away from, when I go back to sleep. I know that when I wake back up, they'll all be gone, they'll have died while I was sleeping. But I won't have to watch it happen. I never have, not once, not somebody who's one of my... who's on the team. It's the only thing I'll never be able to do... and believe me, there's been a lot I have been."

Ryu shivered at the flat, dead tone she'd assumed near the end.

"Did they grow old and die last time?" Spar asked gently, and a long silence followed before it spoke again. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's a fair question," she replied, now sounding forcibly calm. "It's just... I can't deal with it. Not right now." After a moment, she continued, sounding slightly more normal. "No. Not all of them. But some of them did."

"Ah," Spar murmured. "I suppose that would make it worse. The juxtaposition of..." It trailed off. "I'll stop now."

"What about you?" She asked after another long moment. "What are you going to do, when you outlive them all?"

"It will hurt," Spar admitted clinically. "I'm sure of it by now. But even if the group splits up eventually, I will remain in contact with all of them, for the entirety of their lives. When they die, I will... see to arrangements, if nobody else will. And should they have descendents, I will continue to do everything I can to watch over them, as long as I am able. That much is something only I can do, with my lifespan."

"You're a good guy, Spar," Deis told it softly. "And I mean that as a non-gender-specific pronoun."

"It's worth it, Deis," the Grass Man replied, quiet but confident. "I'm already sure of that. Even though my Clan may frown on emotional attachments, even though we will outlive them all, and you will outlive even I... it's worth it."

Quietly, Ryu slipped away, mentally berating himself for not doing so earlier; there was no place in that conversation for him, and there never had been. Walking back towards the stairs, he paused on them, hearing more voices from above; it sounded like Katt and Nina were on the roof. Leaning against a wall, he told himself that once more, he was just waiting to see if the conversation was one he could join or not. And for a moment, he almost believed himself.

"-don't see how _you _can brush it off so easy, to be honest," Katt was saying, sounding like she was trying to be angry and failing for once; more than anything, her voice was resigned, tired. "I mean, you've been rooming with her ever since you got to the Magic School, right? And she was running a con on you the whole time. Doesn't that piss you off?"

"It did, at first," Nina admitted. "But then I started thinking about it, and I remembered that she'd tried to keep her actual lies to a minimum. She never told me anything about her past, or her family, and she never explained why she didn't have a last name. About the only real thing she did lie about was that she was my age. Everything else... she just avoided. I'm fairly certain she knew all along it would come to this eventually, and tried to make it as easy on us as she could."  
"Huh," Katt muttered. "I never thought of it that way. So you're saying you figure it wasn't her call?"

"Everything I know about the Dragon Wars suggests that Deis is even more a slave to fate than everybody else involved, when one of these little incidents pops up," Nina explained. "If we're all puppets, then she's simply one who can see the strings. That doesn't necessarily mean she can do anything about it."

"Yeah, okay," Katt said reluctantly. "I guess that makes sense. All right, I'll try and cut her a break. No promises, but I'll try."

"Thank you," Nina replied; for once, she sounded more cheerful than the other girl. "Ryu had a point, after all. She's one of us, now." After a moment's pause, she continued, sounding mischievous. "At least she's not in the running. We should be grateful for that much, hm?"

"The running?" Katt sounded confused for a moment, before the zenny dropped. "Oh. _Oh_. Yeah, that would be the _last _thing we'd need. Poor Ryu would probably go neurotic and run off to join a Namandian monastery or something."

"I'm not sure his reaction would be quite _that_ drastic," Nina murmured. "It's for the best, all the same. I daresay we'd both be in trouble, considering her... features."

"Listen to _you_," Katt said, semi-jokingly. "Like _you_ don't have it where it counts?"

"Compared to Deis?" Nina asked dryly.

"You're still better off than I am up there," the Woren girl pointed out. "And she doesn't even _have_ legs, so you're ahead of both of us on that one."

"Katt," Nina said gently, sounding slightly amused. "Most girls our age would _literally_ kill to look like you."

"Yeah, yeah." Katt sighed heavily. "But compared to you two... I dunno, sometimes I wonder if I'm ever going to be more... you know..." She trailed off, and Ryu had to resist the impulse to try and glance up the stairs to see the hand motions he guessed she was making.

"You're making too much out of this," Nina assured her. "Besides, with how much you exercise, at least you don't have to worry about staying in shape when you get older. I don't know how you do that."

"It's not like I really _like_ it that much," Katt explained. "I mean, I don't _dislike_ it, but... really, it's just because I've got so much energy, you know? Gotta burn it off somehow, or I feel like I'm going to explode."

"That's probably because of how much you eat," Nina pointed out. "Maybe if you worked on that a little..."

"Well, yeah, but..." Katt hesitated for a moment before continuing, sounding awkward. "I get... _weird_ when I'm hungry."

"Weird?" Nina asked.

"Yeah, you know," Katt said slowly. "_Weird_."

"Oh," Nina murmured, suddenly sounding flustered, and Ryu knew without even looking that she'd be blushing. "I see. Yes, best to avoid that."

"Heh." Katt chuckled once, sounding amused now. "Does that kind of thing still embarrass you? No wonder you always go red when Seso looks at you funny."

"Oh..." Nina seemed to grope for a word. "_Ladon. _She stopped doing that after I told her I wasn't interested, all right? Why does _that_ keep happening to _me_?"

"Like I know?" Katt asked teasingly. "If it helps, you're definitely not _my_ type."

"Oh, thanks," Nina replied sarcastically. "_There's_ a load off of my mind."

"No charge," Katt told her, still sounding amused. "Pretty sure Deis sticks to guys, too. Probably. No, what I'm worried about is the _rest_ of Seso's family. Sana got hot for Ryu-we should really talk to her about that one day-and Seso's all over Jean, right? So if we run into one of them who's got a thing for Wind..."

"I'm trying _very_ hard not to think about that," Nina said firmly. "Can we _please_ talk about something else?"

"We could go get dinner," Katt suggested. "Once the sun's down, anyways."

Ryu took that as his cue; turning, he continued down the stairs, still fighting the guilt he felt. It was an old habit of his, one that had come up as a natural result of having the Dragon's Tear combined with his childhood post-Gate, and he'd been trying to grow out of it ever since starting the group up, but every so often he relapsed. Returning to the second floor, he heard another conversation from below in the meeting room, and paused once more to listen and watch before descending further.

"-says she'll stay next door for the night," Bow was telling the other male members of the team. He, Sten, Jean, Rand and Niro were all sitting around the table, looking much more relaxed than they ever did when a meeting was happening. "Apparently they've still got some spare rooms for when the rest of their family shows up."

"I guess," Niro replied. "Still, I ain't sure that's such a good idea. Seso's okay, but Gigli takes some gettin' used to, an' Sana..." He glanced at Sten.

"Is, shall we say, unique," the Highlander finished smoothly.

"I know, I know." Bow shook his head, looking frustrated. "But when I offered her my bed and said I'd just sleep in a chair or something, she told me she didn't want to spend the night in the same building as Deis."

"Ouch," Rand muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding." Bow slumped in his chair. "Even I thought that was a little harsh. I've never seen her _this_ pissed off about anything."

"Consider the situation, _mon ami_," Jean suggested. "She has been friends with _mademoiselle_ Deis for nearly as long as you, or so I have heard, yes? And yet, she neither knows nor understands the complexities of fate and destiny which made this course of action an unfortunate necessity. To her eyes, it is simply an inexplicable betrayal, and thus unforgivable. Perhaps in time she will grow to understand just how tied all of our hands increasingly seem to be, and how much dislike we ourselves have for that situation, including Deis. But that will take time, as I said, and will certainly not happen tonight."

"That... actually makes a lot of sense," Sten said once the Creeper Prince had finished. "Are you feeling all right, Jean?"

"_Que?_" Jean blinked. "Everybody always says that whenever I give them advice. Is it truly such a strange occurrence?"

"Let's hope you're right," Bow muttered, brushing past that. "It's bad enough trying to figure out what to do about me and Silvia... you know, long term... without thinking about her and Deis hating each other for the rest of our lives."

"Deis wouldn't do that," Rand told him firmly. "I'll grant you that normally, she doesn't take any shit from anybody no matter how much she might deserve it, but this is different. Worst comes to worst, she'll just do her best to avoid Silvia. Kind of hoping it doesn't come to that myself, though, for a lot of reasons."

"You seem to know her pretty well, considering you _haven't_ known her for all that long," Bow commented, glancing at the big man. "Then again, I guess that ain't too surprising, considering..." He left it hanging.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Rand held up his hands, flushing slightly. "We're talking about _your_ issues with girls, not mine, pal."

"Man's got a point," Niro agreed. "'Sides, we can always come back to him once we're done talkin' about you."

"Criminey." Bow slapped his face. "All right, I'll come out and admit it. If she doesn't dump me, I'm probably going to end up popping the question to her in another year or so, after we've got all this destiny bullshit cleared up."

"Everybody who's surprised by this in the slightest, raise their hands," Sten commented. Nobody did.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Bow shook his head. "Look, she's a good girl, okay? And she likes my sorry ass, too. Never really told Ryu this-not sure how he'd take it-but I always kind of wanted to start a family eventually. Don't know if I'll ever really settle down, seeing how this is about the only line of work I've ever been any good at, but some of the other folks around here are raising kids, so I figure hey, maybe we could too."

"It seems that you have put a great deal of thought into this," Jean murmured, and the others nodded. "And yet, from your tone, you seem worried about something. What is the problem?"

"Problem is, she'd have to move here," Bow explained. "It's not about living space; I figure the guys could put together another house for us, even if they're all filled by then. What I'm worried about is how she'd take that thought. I mean, she'd have to leave the Ranger's Guild; Hanz is a contact, but he ain't running a full Guild office. And then what would she do? She's not the kind of girl who'd be happy just being a housewife or whatever."

"You mentioned kids," Rand reminded him. "That'll take up plenty of her time, trust me. Plenty of yours, too. At least you'll never have to worry about a babysitter around here."

"An' 'til then, I can train her up as my replacement for after I'm gone," Niro added. Seeing the looks on their faces, he snorted. "Now, don't nobody go tellin' me that ain't necessary. I'm comin' up on eighty, kids. I ain't gonna be around forever. Best for all o' us if there's someone around who can take over after."

"Guess so," Bow admitted. "Yeah... yeah, she'd be a natural at that. She usually works the desk at the Guild, after all. Thanks, man."

"Just makin' sense, that's all," Niro told him before turning to Rand with a grin. "Now then, about the other side o' the current problem..."

"Dammitall," Rand muttered, putting a palm to his face. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. It's not really that big a deal. She's a flirt. We all know this."

"Of course she is, _mon ami_," Jean agreed, smirking as well. "And yet, I notice that you seem to find yourself... how to put this... targeted by her attentions more often than not?"

"She just knows she'll get the best reaction out of me, is all," Rand argued. "I'm not really used to girls acting like that towards me. Never really happened much before."

"I don't know, man," Bow commented. "I've known her for a long time, and if it's still her, she goes for you more than I've ever seen her tease _anybody_. And believe me, I've seen her mess with a lot of guys. I think she might actually like you."

"Yeah, right." Rand scoffed. "Tell me another one. Out of all the guys here, you think she's going for _me_? I don't _think_ so."

"You sell yourself far too short, _mon ami_," Jean told him. "My own dear sister referred to you in extremely flattering terms when we were discussing your services on our behalf back in my home castle."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" Rand raised an eyebrow. "Nothing personal, Jean, but your sister's a little... yeah."

"And Deis isn't?" Sten pointed out. "Maybe not quite the _same _way, but..."

"Don't think _anybody_ in this team's what you'd call normal," Niro said with a shrug. "'Cept me, o' course."

"Right, and I'm the Count of Barm." Bow chuckled. "Anyways, just think about it, okay, man? Don't be too surprised if she actually _does_ make a move one of these days. Won't be anything permanent, of course, but hey, you'll have fun for a while."

"Can we talk about somebody else?" Rand asked plaintively.

"Don't look at me." Sten shrugged. "Me and Sana don't really do complicated. That reminds me, I should see if I can bring her back something nice from Sky Tower. Sort of help the process of getting back together."

"An excellent thought, _mon ami_," Jean told him. "I shall have to remember to do the same for _mademoiselle_ Seso. Not that she has shown any signs of discontent-she is a charming girl, but not a complicated one-and yet, a handsome man does not need necessarily need such a reason to do such a thing for a pretty girl, no?"

"Guess that just leaves me, then, don't it?" Niro waggled his eyebrows. "Not that I say much about it usually, but if this is _that_ kind o' talk between men..."

"Pass," Bow said firmly, and Rand grunted an agreement. "Nothing personal, but we do _not_ need to know."

"Guess the boss and the girls are the only ones in a complicated situation, then," Rand commented. "Any of the rest of Sana's family who moves in are gonna have to find boyfriends somewhere else."

"There's still Spar, right?" Sten pointed out. "It's single."

Everybody paused to consider that.

"How would that even _work_?" Rand asked slowly, in the tone of somebody who knew they were going to regret asking but had to anyways. "I mean, if it's not a guy _or_ a girl..."

"Wouldn't that mean it wouldn't even _have_..." Bow trailed off. "I mean, they've got to reproduce somehow, but... it's a plant, so..."

"Well, there're ways around that," Niro muttered speculatively. "Maybe not for _it_, but the lady in question... 'course, _explaining_ that to ol' Spar would be another story..."

"There is, of course, more to a relationship than simply the physical aspect," Jean pointed out, face scrunched up. "Many young women would, perhaps, simply enjoy a close companionship even without that."

"From _that_ family?" Sten pointed out, and Jean flushed.

"A valid point, _mon ami_."

"Do I even want to know what you're all talking about?" Ryu announced loudly as he came down the stairs, deciding to cut the conversation off before it got worse.

"Nope," they all said simultaneously.

"I didn't think so." Shaking his head, he walked around the table towards the door. "I'm going over to the Rivabs' to see what's for dinner. The girls and Spar will probably be down fairly soon, too. Anybody else?"  
"Sounds good to me," Bow agreed, and the others did so as well.

Dinner was a somewhat terse affair for once, mostly due to Silvia's presence; she was polite to everybody, but spoke little, and it was obvious that she was still in a nasty mood over her unfortunate discovery. Deis wasn't there at all, which was probably for the best; even so, Mrs. Rivab insisted that Spar take a plate of food back to their building for her. Ryu turned in once he was done, claiming that he just wanted to get the night over with and get some sleep, and nobody could argue with that. Reminding them that they were leaving in the morning, he went back to his room and eventually drifted off, after looking out the window at the night sky for a while.

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

In the morning, they set off, as Ryu had said; a Warp brought them back to the beach on Whale Cape, which was apparently close to Sky Tower. Calling Grandpa up, they told him where they needed to go, and the whale blasted off, apparently recognizing the name. Deis was looking a lot better; the Sorceress appeared to have gotten over her melancholia of the previous day and was acting more or less like her old self, though Ryu suspected that it was at least partially feigned.

Several hours of sea travel later, the fog that Nunzio had told them about began to creep around them as they approached their destination, and soon they were surrounded by blank whiteness, unable to see anything but the ocean below. Presumably, the sea currents were kicking in as well, but if they were, then Grandpa didn't seem bothered by them. It wasn't long before they saw the top of Sky Tower emerging from the waves up ahead, a gray stone cylinder stretching about ten feet above the water. Pulling up to it, Grandpa waited until they climbed off onto the flat top of the tower, then swam away.

"All right, we're here," Bow muttered, looking around. "Now what?"

"Now, we head inside before the weather gets worse," Ryu told him, leading the group towards a hatch in the center of the tower. "Not that it looks like it will, but best to be on the safe side." Bending over, he banged on the hatch. "Anybody in there?" A moment passed, and then the hatch opened, revealing a haggard-looking, purple-scaled Maniro.

"Who are you guys?" He demanded. "How did you get here?"

"Trade secret," Ryu joked, then decided to cut him a break; it looked like he needed one. "We're professionals from Auria. The First Bank of Prima hired us to come in here and solve whatever problem it is that's going on." Digging into a pocket, he pulled out the written contract Nunzio had insisted on signing with Niro, and passed it over.

"Thank St. Eva!" The Maniro said, wiping his brow. "Come in, come in, by all means." The group followed him inside, down a ladder into the only room above water level; the floor was a ring around the center, where water lapped at its edges. "Did Mr. Clemenza tell you about the situation, then?"

"He said he figured something's gone haywire with the weather control system," Ryu explained. "But since they couldn't get anybody in here, he didn't know how or why."

"If only that was the problem," the Maniro muttered. "On the contrary, this is deliberate. Some crazy witch wandered in here and got all the way down there before anybody thought to stop her, and she's been screwing around with it ever since. We can only assume her magical talents are strong enough to allow her to interfere with its functions."  
"Nobody's gone down to try and stop her?" Sten asked, blinking.

"Of course not!" The Maniro scoffed. "We're merchants and miners, young man, not fighters! We don't want to mess with anybody like that! That's what people like you are for!"

"People like-" Katt started to growl.

"Wait," Ryu asked quickly, putting a hand on her arm. "Miners?"

"Yes, the magic in this tower causes it to naturally accumulate deposits of all sorts of gemstones," the Maniro explained. "We mine them in addition to using this tower to access the sea floor easily."

"That doesn't sound like any magic I've ever heard of," Nina said dubiously.

"Goddess Keys," Deis grunted. "Anything connected to Myria is... _different_ from normal magic. It starts sort of leaking, eventually, and side effects start cropping up. You think _this_ is bad, you should see the Isle of Giants."

"I'd rather not," Ryu told her, then glanced down at the water. "So. It's all underwater from here down, then?"

"For the most part, yes." The Maniro nodded. "There are some rooms with air pockets in them, but not many. You _do _have artificial gills, yes?"

"Er..." Ryu scratched his head.

"I brought 'em," Bow told him, taking off his pack and opening it up. "Figured on something like that. Spar says he doesn't need 'em, and Deis has her own pair." Pulling out the apparatuses they'd received in Simafort, he began passing them out to everybody else except Jean. They mainly consisted of glass tubes that looked like they were meant to rest around the neck, with vented apparatus for breathing through and mechanical boxes on the rear ends.

"I require minimal oxygen," Spar explained. "I should be able to hold my breath long enough to reach the rooms without difficulty."

"Ah, _mon ami_s..." Jean frowned. "There may be a difficulty here."  
"Yeah, those are Siman models, aren't they?" The Maniro scowled. "This is salt water, kids. They'll work, sure, but not for long. I figure maybe ten minutes at a time. You'll need to clean the filters in the air rooms, too, or else they'll stop working."

"Great." Ryu glanced at Deis, who was looking smug as she affixed her own gills around her neck. "Not a word about yours being the Maniro model. Yes, I know that they are."

"I wasn't going to _say_ anything," she protested innocently.

"I'm sure." He turned back to the Maniro. "We should be able to make it to these rooms that quickly, yeah?"

"As long as you don't dilly-dally, yes." The Maniro nodded. "Oh, and watch out for the monsters. They avoid us, but they can be pretty nasty around strangers."

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Bow commented through the gills.

"Sooner we get it over with, the happier we'll all be, then," Ryu told him. "Come on, let's go." Climbing into the water, he began pulling himself down a series of stone rungs set into the side of the shaft, and the other followed, some muttering more than others. Rand in particular seemed grumpy when they reached the bottom a good minute later. The sunken tower looked just like any other old edifice would from the inside, save for its aquatic nature; they were now standing in the middle of a hall stretching both left and right.

"Okay, we've got maybe four minutes," Ryu said once they were all down there. "Deis, which way do we go?"

"How should I know?" The Sorceress shrugged. "Don't ask me."

"Haven't you been here before?" Rand asked. "Pretty sure I heard something about that."

"Yeah, but back then, the weather control system was on the top floor," she pointed out. "Obviously, that's not the case any more."

"Perhaps the Maniro Clan simply added another story on top of that one, in order to allow access," Nina suggested. "Thus, we started from atop the old roof, and descended through a shaft that was also added later on."

"Couldn't we just go back up and blow a hole through the floor, then?" Sten suggested. "You know, save some time?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Katt agreed. Everybody else ignored them.

"Well, from what I _do_ remember..." Deis frowned. "You have to pretty much cross every floor, every time, to get to the next staircase up. Felt like we dropped maybe five, so..." She paused, then pointed at the wall ahead of them. "Never mind. Problem solved." On the wall was a map of the Tower on which many rooms were marked with various colors; a convenient "You Are Here" arrow was indicating a room on the fifth floor.

"How thoughtful," Spar murmured, walking over to examine it; apparently, the Grass Man could talk without losing its breath, somehow. "Ah, I see that an 'Air Room' is directly to our right on the next floor up. We shall simply need to pass through a 'Hot Room' to access it. I wonder what that is, and why it requires a warning."

"Looks like there's 'Cold Rooms,' too," Sten grunted. "And 'High current areas.' That's encouraging."

"Oh, my." Jean grimaced. "I do dislike strong water currents. I would transform, but doing so in salt water... it is not a pleasant experience."

"Tell me about it," Rand grumbled. "Anybody else getting the feeling we're probably gonna end up not getting paid enough for this?"

"Leave that to Niro, I guess." Ryu shrugged. "At least it looks like they put in a lot more staircases all over the place, so we can use the closest ones. Whatever this 'hot room' is, we'll just have to get through it." Walking down the hall, they opened the door of the room they were seeking, and he immediately recoiled as nearly-boiling water began flowing out. "Yeow! What the hell is this?"

"Some kind of underwater heat vents, perhaps?" Nina suggested, wincing along with the others as the heat continued to pour out. "Oooh, I can _feel_ my wings wilting!"

"Let's just get it over with!" Bow suggested.

"Right," Ryu growled, running through the water towards the stairs as fast as he could. Behind him, he heard the others cursing and groaning, and he practically threw himself up the staircase and out of the water into an air-filled room. Lying on the floor, he idly noted that there was actual steam rising from his arms as the others followed suit. Rand's eruption in particular sounded as if Grandpa had followed them in.

"Ten minutes in, and I already hate this place," the big man grumbled.

"Think we all do," Katt muttered, waving a hand in front of her face; her normally somewhat ruddy skin was now a bright pink. "This discount tan had _better_ not last."

"How do you suppose I feel about it?" Nina asked; she looked, if anything, even worse.

"Yeah, I kind of miss the way this place used to be set up," Deis grumbled; she'd come up last, as her serpentine lower body wasn't really built for speed. "And considering what it _was_ like, that's saying something."

"All right, let's clean these filters out," Ryu grunted, pulling his gills off. "Jean, you know how to do this, right?"

"_Oui, mon ami_," the Prince replied shortly; even he seemed displeased with the way the job was going. "It is a simple thing." Following his instructions, the six of them with Siman models all had them cleaned out in a few minutes. Slipping them back on, they opened the door and found themselves in a narrow room almost like a closet, with a drainage gate for the floor.

"Airlock," Sten explained. "So the air room doesn't flood."

"Thoughtful," Spar murmured, closing the door behind him as they all crowded into the room; Katt and Nina actually ended up having to climb on Rand. "Shall we?"

"Right." Ryu opened the other door, and several tons of water hit him right in the face.

One series of painful batterings and bruisings for all involved later, they continued onward down the next hall, towards what was labeled as a 'Cold Room,' stopping only to kill a couple of shelled cuttlefish along the way; the fact that these turned out to be completely immune to magic garnered no more than a succession of unamused groans. The reason for the name of the room became quickly apparent when Ryu opened the door and winced as icy water poured over him; looking ahead, he could see that the ceiling was actually frozen over, including the top of the stairwell.

"Okay, how the hell does _this_ happen?" Katt demanded. "Yeah, I know we're heading into winter, but come on!"

"Just get in there and break that ice!" Bow told her. "Somebody's gotta open it up before we can get through there!"

"Oh." She blinked. "Right." Moving around Ryu, she charged up the stairs and shattered the ice above her with a punch. Everybody else waited until she'd finished clearing the shards out of the hole before following her up. As they recovered in the room above, Ryu idly noted that several of them were shivering.

"This much temperature shock can't be good for our health," Spar murmured clinically as the other began cleaning the filters on their artificial gills again.

"I'm just glad the water pressure isn't causing problems," Nina told it. "I'd heard that the Maniro Clan maintained enchantments throughout the tower to prevent that, but it's a bit hard not to worry about it, all the same."

"Water pressure?" Katt blinked. "What the hell is that?"

"Complicated," Deis told her. "Science."

"Bleah, forget it, then."

"We'll all have Kay take a look at us when we get back," Ryu decided. "All right, everybody ready?" Once they all had their gills back on, they went through the next airlock, identical to the first, down to the sudden surge of water they were forced to endure. Continuing through the halls, they fought off a bunch of red, humanoid catfish monsters; despite their form, they were mindless brutes with no hint of sentience, only bearing a slight resemblance to the Maniro Clan.

"I had not realized that a saltwater variant of these existed," Jean commented as they proceeded, stepping over the corpses. "They seem much more vicious than the freshwater breed common to my homeland, yes?"

"Let's hope they don't spread further," Ryu grunted. "All right, it says there's a 'High current area' in here. Let's see what that is." Opening the door, he was immediately jerked off his feet and pulled inside; the water inside was moving as fast as any raging river, apparently in a full circle around the staircase in the center of the room. Caught off guard, he was banged against several walls as he fought to regain his footing. "You have got to be _kidding_ me!"

"What is _wrong_ with this place?" Katt yowled as the others were pulled in as well, bouncing off a wall with an annoyed grunt. "Ow!"

"Everything," Spar told her gravely; even its voice was starting to take on an annoyed tone. "Everything is wrong with it. Despite the fact that that statement is non-quantifiable."

"What the hell does-" Sten started to snap, then whimpered as he saw Rand about to collide with him. "Aw, no."

"Sorry!" Rand grunted as he smashed the Highlander against the wall. "Oh, man, I'm gonna puke!"

"Not in your gills, not in your gills!" Deis yelled, somehow grabbing a hold of the railing in the stairwell; her body whipped out behind her in the water, tail trailing to the wall. "Grab on, people! If you can get into the stairwell, it's fine!"

"_Grab on?_" Nina protested.

"Not above the waist!" She growled.

"I don't believe this shit," Ryu muttered, reluctantly grabbing at her tail with both arms as he whirled past it again. Catching it, he began slowly climbing towards the stairwell. "This is worse than Tunlan." As soon as he was close enough to grab the stairwell, he let go and lunged for it, and managed to pull himself in.

"Nothing is worse than Tunlan, man," Bow grumbled as he did the same. "Nothing." The rest of them followed suit, and they climbed up the stairs into another air room one by one. Rand was the last, hand over his face; as Deis followed him up, he ran for a corner of the room, wrenched his gills off, and was noisily sick.

"Are we almost there?" He asked once he was done.

"Should just be one more," Deis told him as the others all cleaned their gill filters out once more. "Of course, I've kind of forgotten what's on this floor by now."

"I don't recall anything too troublesome, but my own memory may not be completely reliable after this series of unfortunate events," Spar told her.

"Let's just get it over with and get out," Ryu muttered, and the others all grumbled agreement, putting their gills back on. Moving through the airlock, they stomped out into the hallway, ready for anything.

Several Maniros looked up from the clusters of gems growing on the walls they were working with and blinked.

"Uh," Ryu said after a long moment. "Hey. Which way to the weather control room?"

"Oh, is that still going on?" One of them grunted, and the others turned back to their work. "St. Eva almighty. Yeah, it's the last door on the left."

"Thanks," Bow told him as they walked past.

"Oh, watch out for the Crodworms," another one added just as Ryu was opening the door. "They don't like strangers."

"Crodworms?" Ryu blinked as the door swung open.

Three hideous, puffy, eyeless blue blobs with gaping, ribbed maws full of needle-like fangs turned towards them and hissed in unison.

"Why," Bow said flatly, looking over one of his shoulders.

"Yeah, you know what?" Deis growled, peeking over the other. "No. Just no. Everybody outta the way, I've had enough of this crap." Shoving past Ryu, she raised her cane above her head as she moved into the room, and the water around them began glowing red and gold. Behind her, three massive pillars of flame curved over her head, ending in the shapes of clawed hand. Seizing the unfortunate crodworms, they slammed them into the ground and then dissipated, leaving the burning wreckage of the monsters behind; though the flames were soon extinguished by the water, the charred corpses remained.

"Holy _shit_," Rand muttered, staring, as she glanced back over her shoulder, smiling slightly.

"Shall we?"

"We might as well," Spar agreed, walking in. The others followed them up the stairs, and they emerged in to a bank of fog even thicker than the one surrounding the outside of the tower.

"Aren't we indoors?" Sten asked after a moment.

"Does that matter?" Jean replied, unusually bluntly.

"Guess not."

"Somebody's coming." Ryu growled, putting his hand on his sword as a humanoid figure began approaching. "Probably this witch they told us about. All right, let's..." He trailed off as she emerged from the fog.

"Huh?" The young woman said, sounding surprised, as she looked them over. She was slim, pale and beautiful, made highly apparent by how scantily clad she was; aside from a knee-length loincloth, all she wore were a few strips of cloth on her upper body. She did, however, have a great deal of jewelry on, including a strange golden headdress over her long, wavy green hair. Her eyes were green as well, though the unfocused look in them lent her features a certain dull, dreamy look. "Do I know you?"

"No, but we might know you," Ryu said with a remarkable level of self-control. "Are you one of Gigli's granddaughters?"

"Oh, you know Granny?" She blinked, and they all waited for her to think that over. After a moment, she blinked again. "You must be the ones we're all supposed to come find, over in southern Auria. My name's Spoo! Granny called us all and told us to come, but I forgot." She paused. "I kind of do that a lot."

"I'll bet," Bow replied levelly. "So. What's all this?"

"Oh, the fog?" She laughed, and Ryu had to deliberately avoid wincing at the total lack of thought that was practically audible in it. "I was bored, so I came in here and started making fog everywhere. Fog, fog, fog..."

"Fog, fog, fog!" Jean began singing along cheerfully.

"Fog, fog, foh!" Spoo began to dance, as everybody else's faces contorted except for Spar.

"Fog, fog..." Jean started dancing as well, then trailed off, stopping. "Ah, my apologies, but _mademoiselle_ Seso has asked me to stop."

"Oh, you're fused with Seso?" She stopped as well, looking at him with actual interest now before moving on to the others, nodding at Sten. "And you... Sana, right? Are they the only ones so... far..." She broke off, staring at Nina, and then she smiled. "Oh, my... and who are _you_? You smell _wonderful_."

"Oh, St. Eva, I _didn't mean it!_" Katt muttered fervently as Nina blushed, eyes widening.

"Mean what?" Ryu asked innocently.

"Never mind!"

"Oh, my, are you embarrassed?" Spoo slowly walked towards the silent Wing Clanswoman, smile widening. "You've never fused with either of my sisters, then? It's all right, it doesn't hurt..."

"Hold it," Deis said flatly, stepping between them. "Rule one, Nina doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to. Rule two, Nina doesn't have to do any_body_ she doesn't want to. Rule three, anybody who tries violating the first two rules gets fused with Gigli's boyfriend for a night. Plenty of other people here to try fusing with. Myself _not _included."

"Does anybody else really wish we could be somewhere else for the entirety of this conversation?" Rand muttered under his breath. "Like, on the moon?"

"Oh, all right," Spoo said, backing off. "I just prefer fusing with women, that's all. It doesn't _have_ to be anything more."

"Preference noted," Nina murmured, recovering slightly. "Thank you, Deis. I think."

"No problem." The sorceress glanced at Katt, who slowly nodded as well, and the two of them advanced on the girl. "Now then, missy. You made all this fog because you were _bored_?"

"That's right." Spoo nodded. "That's all." After a moment, the zenny dropped. "Oh, is it bothering you? I'm sorry!"

"It's bothering a lot of people," Deis told her flatly. "All over the world."

"Oh, I'll stop it, then." Spoo waved her hands, and the fog in the room began thinning immediately. "See? All gone!" She glanced at Nina, smiling again. "Do I get a reward?"

"What don't you-" Deis started to snarl, then cut off as Katt put a hand on her shoulder.

"I got this," the Woren girl told her, remarkably calmly. "Not that you're _wrong_. I'm with you. You're just being too subtle, is all. Here, let me try." Reaching over, she grabbed Spoo's necklace and began pulling her towards the door. "Let's go for a walk."

"Huh?" Spoo asked blankly before the door slammed behind them.

Everybody else in the room exchanged a glance.

"This has been the weirdest couple of days I've seen in a long time," Ryu said flatly. "And I turn into a flying lizard on a regular basis."

On cue, the door opened again, revealing Tiga Lee and Patty Smith, both who stared blankly at them.

"Of course." Bow slapped his forehead.

"Uh." Tiga blinked. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Not much." Ryu shrugged. "You?"

"Same old same old."

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Patty screeched.

"I could ask you the same question," Deis snapped back. "Who _are_ you people?"

"Somebody who wishes he knew _you_ better, babe." Tiga whistled appreciatively, giving Ryu another glance. "Damn, man. First Miss Windfree, and now this? How many hot girls do you _have_ on your team, huh?"

"One more, but she went off down the hall a moment ago." Sten shrugged.

"Same way Claris did, huh?" Tiga scratched his chin. "I'm guessing this isn't the records room, then?"

"I believe that would be the next one over," Spar told him.

"Told you," Patty said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah." Tiga waved as they turned away. "Good seeing you again. Take it easy."

"See you around," Rand told him as they closed the door again.

Everybody exchanged another glance.

"Do I even want to know?" Deis asked eventually.

"Probably not," Sten told her wryly as Katt slammed the door open again and led Seso inside with an arm around her shoulder; the Fusion Clan woman looked much more sober now.

"Hey, did you know there's another group of mercs running around here?" Katt asked them brightly. "Ran into one of 'em. Claris something. Seemed okay."

"Yeah, we've run into her and their head guy before," Rand told her. "They're pretty good guys, as far as we can tell."

"Why do I always miss the good stuff, huh?" She shook her head. "Maybe we should, Idunno, go drinking with them some time, then."

"Patty Smith's bankrolling them," Bow told her bluntly.

"Euch, never mind." She made a face. "Anyways, me and Spoo got everything straightened out, didn't we, Spoo?"

"Yes, ma'am," Spoo said quickly. "I'll behave."

"Well... good." Ryu coughed. "Why don't you... head over to your Granny's, then."

"All right," she agreed, glancing once more at Nina. "Just... think about it, okay?" Flickering, she vanished as if she'd been a mirage.

"Well." Ryu crossed his arms and glanced around. "Job's done. Good for us."

"Can we just go?" Nina asked, her face still bright red.

"Hold on." Katt blinked. "Does this mean we have to go _back_ all the way?"

"Oh, hell no." Deis shook her head. "Allow me." She began chanting, and the room shimmered around them, before melting into the one at the top of the tower, where they'd come in. "Exit spell. Like Warp, except it works indoors."

"Pretty handy," Bow admitted as the Maniro who'd let them in ran over.

"You did it!" He grabbed Ryu's hand and shook it. "Good work! I knew Mr. Nunzio had hired the right men as soon as I saw you! The fog's already faded away!" A thought seemed to cross his mind, and he hesitated. "Er... this wasn't C.O.D., was it?"

"Pretty sure it's not." Ryu smiled slightly, though he knew it would look strained. "Pleasure to be of service. We'll be on our way now." Leading the group up to the towertop, he glanced at Jean. "You can Warp us back from here, right?"

"But of course, _mon ami_," Jean assured him, and a moment later, they appeared back outside their home.

"Hey, fellas." Niro raised an eyebrow as they walked back inside. "Gigli said another-"

"We know," Ryu cut him off. "We'd rather not talk about it. Job's done, though. How much are we going to get?"

"Between that, an' Gandaroof's account?" Niro smiled. "We're gonna have a total o' twenty thousand zenny comin' in here once Mr. Clemenza pays up."

Everybody paused for a moment.

"Wow," Katt said eventually. "I guess we _are_ getting paid enough for this."

"Speak for yourself," Nina muttered, but there was no bite in it.

"Well." Ryu clapped his hands together. "I'd hate to do it again, but it's good to know we're getting what we've earned out of this one. Let's take tomorrow off, too, all the same. I think we've earned it. After that..."

"Carmen," Rand said, and though everybody could tell he was trying and failing to keep his voice casual, nobody called him on it.

_'SCUSE ME WHILE I KISS THE SKY _


	28. Chapter 26: The Land Of Peace

_**Chapter 26: The Land Of Peace **_

The northern border of the land of Carmen was, conveniently enough, located on the meteorological anomaly known as Fog Valley. From the south side, a pair of sheer cliffs loomed straight up on both sides, nearly perfect right angles at their point of termination stretching off towards the coastlines. The narrow pass between them constantly leaked the drifting white fog that filled the valley, even on a beautiful sunny day, out into the air, though it was sure to dissipate before long. Due to the acoustics at the tight end of the valley, sound often carried through as well, especially when travelers approached.

"Fog, fog, fog! Oh, this is Fog Valley's song!"

"Can I kick him? Please, can I kick him? Actually, you know what, I'm going to kick him anyways."

"Glad I stifled the urge to join in."

"Behave, children. We're almost there."

"How can you tell? When I find whoever created this place while I was out, I'm gonna... whoops, there's another Ogre."

"I got him. You know, it's really creepy when you talk about _geography_ like that."

"Good shot. Rand's right; I can feel the air changing."

"Can you really? I honestly can't tell the difference. Fascinating."

"Me either, but I can see it up ahead. About time." Squinting in the suddenly increased light, Ryu emerged from the valley, and gazed over the countryside before him as the rest of the group followed him out. Carmen was the natural home of the Farm Clan, and it showed; south of the equator, it was well in the grip of what was more analogous to Spring than Fall, and the land was lush and full of life. Gently rolling hills stretched off towards the horizon, covered in fields of corn and wheat and vegetables, with farmhouses scattered here and there to watch over them.

"Huh," Bow commented. "This is new."

"It looks nice," Nina said, smiling slightly. "Peaceful."

"Yeah." Katt shook her head slowly. "Man, why couldn't I have grown up around here, huh?"

"Carmen alone is responsible for nearly a third of the world's food supply," Spar told them, gazing over the fields with a blank face, as usual. "It boasts the most bountiful, if unremarkable, environment on the planet. Ironic, considering it borders the wasteland of Scande, which is more or less the exact opposite. Still, Carmen remains unaffected, and hopefully always will. The wandering tribes of the Ogre Clan are the only real source of strife; apart from them, both the Farm Clan and the humans dwelling here remain in a state of more or less constant peace and tranquility."

"That pretty much covers it," Rand agreed. "Lots of food, lots of plants, lots of peace and tranquility, and about as exciting as watching paint dry. Even the capital's a backwater. They just call it the capital because it's the biggest town in the country, you know? It's not even close to a city. Hell, it barely even qualifies as a _town_."

"Sounds encouraging," Sten drawled.  
"We'd better make it our first stop anyways," Ryu grunted. "Scouring the countryside for any traces of what we're looking for would be a blast, I'm sure, but I'd kind of prefer it if we could find word of it an easier way, and the capital's the best place to start for that."

"A couple days south of here." Rand shrugged. "All we gotta do is follow the road. I'm just saying, don't expect too much." The big man was fidgeting slightly, and carefully looking away when he spoke, although his face was blank.

"Sounds like you know the place pretty well," Katt said cautiously.

"You could say that." He nodded slowly.

"Any chance of an inn to stay at on the way, or perhaps two?" Jean asked hopefully. "A tavern, maybe?"

"Not likely," Rand told him bluntly. "Most of the villages are off the road. We'd be losing time if we tried to find one every night."

"How're the monsters?" Deis raised an eyebrow. "Last time I was through this part of the world, they weren't fun."

"They're not, but they shouldn't be a problem," Rand explained. "The road and all the farms are warded against them. Another reason not to go off exploring unless we need to. If it does come to that, mostly carnivorous plants and bugs, and an occasional metal golem or clay idol."

"Ugh."

"Well, we're not gonna get anywhere standing around here talking all day," Ryu told them. "The sooner we get there, the better, even if it turns out to be a waste of our time. Only one way to find out if it will be or not. Let's get moving."

The next two days were surprisingly uneventful, especially by their standards. Ryu was used to even the kind of day that involved nothing but walking being broken up by occasional monster attacks, but Rand's word was true, and the only ones who encountered any were Bow and Katt, when they went offroad to look for dinner. They, along with the others, seemed as discomfited by the flat monotony as Ryu was; by the third day, everybody was on edge, and he figured it was only a matter of time before somebody actually suggested going to _look_ for trouble. Fortunately, before it came to that, they finally saw Farmtown on the horizon.

"Anything we should know about this place?" Ryu said as they approached.

"Yeah." Rand sighed heavily. "A lot, actually. I've been trying to figure out the right way to talk about it for a few days now."

Everybody else exchanged a glance.

"Go on," Sten said after a moment.

"We're not gonna need to get rooms at the inn," Rand explained quietly. "Or maybe it'd be better to say we wouldn't be _able_ to. I kind of... know somebody here, and if we stayed anywhere but her house... she'd hear about it. And nobody in this town is gonna cross her, no matter _how_ much we'd pay them."

"One of _those_?" Bow guessed, wincing.

"She _invented_ 'those,'" Rand said, shaking his head. "Even the _Governor_ doesn't do anything that'd piss her off, on account of how she's one of the wealthiest landowners in the country. She owns about half the fields we're looking at right now. Good news is, if there's anything going on in this country, she'll know about that, too. Actually getting her to tell us about it will be another story, of course."

"Of course," Sten echoed quietly.

"I will use my charm to persuade her," Jean suggested. "Even the most-"

"No, no, don't do that!" Rand interrupted, eyes widening. "The last guy who tried _that_ on her had to get both arms reattached!"

"Does anybody else have a slowly growing feeling of impending doom?" Nina asked, raising an eyebrow, and most of the others nodded.

"It's not _that_ bad," Rand assured her, then paused. "Well. It won't be for you guys, anyways. I'll get the worst of it. Just let me handle it, and you'll be fine."

"That's not the way we do things, man," Ryu told him quietly. "We're not going to just leave you in the firing line like that."

"It is this time," Rand replied, staring him down. "You want my advice on how to handle the situation here, on account of me knowing the area? That's what it is. Don't get involved. Let me do the talking, and the dealing with what happens. It's nothing I'm not used to, and it'll make things a lot easier, for all of us."

"I think you should listen to him, boss," Sten said, no hint of humor or sarcasm in his voice. "It's personal, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Rand nodded. "It is."

"All right," Ryu agreed reluctantly. "We'll follow your lead. Just as long as it doesn't get out of hand."

"Yeah." Katt's eyes narrowed. "I'll keep my temper under control, but if something _too_ out line happens, we're gonna have problems."

"Ditto," Deis said, scowling.

"Just try, okay?" Rand pleaded, then paused, looking down. "About that. There's one more thing. I've... kinda got a request to make. Do you think, maybe, we could kind of... you know... not tell people just what it is we do for a living?"

"Would that not make it a bit strange, to be asking about such things as demonic activity, and those who seek to fight against it?" Spar pointed out.

"I'll figure something out," Rand told it. "I just... the person we're going to go see... I don't think she'd approve, if she knew what I was doing. Please?"

"It's your home town," Ryu said, shrugging. "We'll play this one however you want."

"There's a Ranger's Guild office here, right?" Bow recalled. "An Elder from your Clan was at that meeting. If you tell whoever this is that me and Ryu are ex-Rangers who got recalled for one last big job, the Elder'll go along with that."

"Good idea." Rand smiled, though there was little warmth in it. "Thanks, guys." Further discussion was cut off then, as they approached the town limits; a simple wooden gate was set up there, if you could even call it that, as it was really little more than two posts with a third tied across the top. A Farm Clansman in the same kind of toga Rand habitually wore under his armor was walking out, though his was orange; he was actually taller and even more muscular than the White Mage. Seeing them, he frowned for a moment until his eyes fell on his fellow Clansman and widened.

"Rand?" He said, sounding stunned, as he dropped the gigantic bale of hay he'd been carrying over one shoulder; it was larger than Katt was. "Is that you?"

"Hey, Jim," Rand replied, stepping up to the front of the group. "It's been a while. You're looking well."

"What are you doing back here, man?" The Farm Clansman grinned, walking over and shaking his hand firmly. "Everybody said you'd gone to some big city somewhere to get work there after you left!"

"Oh, I did." Rand nodded. "Things got a little complicated after that, is all. I guess you could say we're sort of here on business."

"Business, huh?" Jim looked the rest of the team over again. "You guys friends of Rand's?"

"Of course we are!" Katt punched Rand in the arm, grinning. "Somebody's gotta look out for this big lug, you know?"

"Well, that's awfully nice of you, little lady." Jim chuckled. "Guess you've got a point there." Sobering, he turned back to Rand. "Daisy wasn't too happy with you for taking off like that, you know. Nobody else in this town could blame you, but..."

"I know." Rand sighed. "We're going to go see her. I'm ready for whatever happens. I probably deserve it."

"Be careful, man," Jim warned him. "You might want to just camp out outside of town for today and wait until tomorrow to go see her. Another guy from the Church of St. Eva stopped by to see her today. They actually sent in a paladin this time."

"Won't make much difference, to Daisy." Rand shook his head. "Won't improve her temper, either, though. Thanks for the warning, but we need to get this done with as soon as possible. We'll wait until she's done with him, at least."

"Better you than me, in that case." Jim picked the bale of hay back up. "I'm gonna head out to the barn, then. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even manage to get out of earshot. See you tonight, if you're still alive." Shouldering the bale, he set off down the road.

"What was up with that?" Bow asked as they walked on, through the gate. "The part about the Church of St. Eva, I mean."

"Oh, they keep trying to get permission to build a chapel in Carmen," Rand explained. "For some reason, they always come to... the person we're going to go see. I don't know why, she always throws them out on their ass. Chances are, this paladin will be no exception."

"For once, I hope it's _not_ Ray, then," Ryu commented, casually looking around. "That would be a bit difficult to explain." Farmtown was, as Rand had said, a small, rural community. The streets were unpaved, and it was just as common to see them bordered by pens of cows or pigs as by buildings; there were only four of them anyways, forming a criss-cross of which the center was occupied by what looked like the town hall, the general store, the inn and the tavern, the latter two clearly connected.

The only building larger than the town hall was a huge, ancient-looking farmhouse at the rear of the town, looming watchfully over it atop a hill. This seemed to be their destination; as they walked past, it became clear that Rand was a familiar face in town. Other men, all clad in the same orange togas, hailed him as they labored away, herding pigs or hauling barrels, repairing roofs or driving wagons.

Rand, for his part, simply smiled and waved without stopping to talk, even when he received similar attention from the Farm Clanswomen, the first females of the Clan Ryu had ever seen. They were more humanoid than the males, lacking the heavy shells and leathery gray hides of their counterparts; they even had hair, usually curly blonde locks. Despite this, their cloven hooves and the shapes of their faces clearly identified them, as did their unusual size. Each of them was at least eight feet tall, and while none were quite as muscular as the men, something about their build suggested that the potential was there.

"Does anybody else suddenly feel really self-conscious?" Katt muttered. "Or worried about being stepped on?"

"I'm just hoping bar fights aren't common around here," Sten commented. "The word 'trampled' comes to mind."

"Be nice," Deis told them both, though she looked slightly amused herself. "The Builder Clan are even worse, so you might want to get used to it if we're going to end up going to Guntz-whoa!" She broke off, eyes widening, as the front door of the farmhouse ahead of them suddenly burst open, right when they were approaching it. A paladin in full plate mail, including his helmet, had come flying through it headfirst; the group scattered, and he landed in the dirt, skidding a respectable distance before colliding with the wall of the tavern.

"And stay out, you worthless rascal!" A woman's voice yelled from inside the house. "If I see you back here again, I'll tan your hide!"

"Miss Daisy, please calm down," the paladin called, banging his helmet a few times before standing back up. "We only wish to build a church in Carmen. It would be entirely the people's choice whether to attend it or to remain devoted to Namanda. Where is the harm in freedom of choice? And of course, we would pay you lavishly for the land-" Before he could finish the sentence, a chair came flying through the door, and bounced off of his head.

"Shut up!" A huge woman in her late middle age roared, stomping out of the door and charging him, a riding crop raised overhead. Unlike the other Farm Clanswomen, she was just as muscular as the men, and instead of a dress, she wore breeches and a sturdy purple blouse; her hair was red, and bound in a tight bun. "Our people have never needed any other religion but Namanda, and they never will! Why the hell would I sell you land to build a church we don't want? Even if it wasn't disrespectful, it's still be a waste of good land! Now get out of town, or I'll _really_ give you something to run from!"

"Wait, wait!" The paladin held out his hands, but Daisy's advance was implacable, and as she approached, he turned and ran, shouting over his shoulder. "All right, all right! I can see that now isn't a good time, so I'll come back and discuss this with you once more after you've calmed down! May St. Eva watch over you!"

"Do it, and I'll nail you to a post and use you for a scarecrow!" Daisy yelled after him. Harrumphing, she spun on her heel and turned around, finally noticing the group; she'd charged through them without even seeing them in pursuit of the paladin. "And who are you supposed to..." As she saw Rand, her voice trailed off, and when she spoke again, it was much quieter, almost normal. "Rand? Is that you?"

"Hi, mom," Rand said, just as quietly. "I'm back."

Ryu's jaw dropped.

"_Mom_?" Katt yelped.

"Rand..." Daisy said again, just as quiet, and then her eyes narrowed and she stomped towards him. Grabbing the front of his toga in one hand, she whirled, grunted, and actually threw him over her head, through the open door, to skid into the house face-first.

"Holy _shit_," Bow whispered.

"What do you _mean_, 'I'm back,' you idiot?" She roared, advancing on him as he tried to pick himself up. "You run out on me without so much as a 'goodbye,' go wandering around the world like a bum at your age, and then you drift back in here on the north wind like a tumbleweed and the first thing you say is, 'I'm back,' huh? Moron!" Raising her riding crop again, she lashed him across the head. "No excuses! Where were you, and what were you doing, all this time?"

"I, I..." Rand stammered, and received another hit for his efforts. "I went to the city to look for work, mom. You know, Coursair? Over in Tantar?"

"That's halfway across the world, you imbecile!" She nailed him again. "Work? _Work?_ If you wanted work, we had all the work you could ever ask for right here, out in the fields! And we still do, so don't think you're going to get a free lunch! I don't know why you're back, and I don't care! As long as you're staying here, you're going to pull your weight, just like everybody else!" Whirling around, she put her hands on her hips and glared at the rest of them, and they all cringed back. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Mom..." Rand shook his head and stood back up. "They're my friends."

"Did I ask you?" Turning back on him, she gave him another one with the crop before regarding the group once more. "So, you're my son's shiftless buddies, are you? Probably a bunch of no-good bums, just like him! Well, he might be a useless runaway, but he's still my son, so I'll give you food and board, but only if you're willing to get your hands dirty too! Around here, if you don't work, you don't eat! You'd better be ready to get down to it bright and early tomorrow morning! You hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ryu said, quietly but firmly; it seemed to be the best idea.

"Good!" She barked. "You've got more sense than my worthless son, at least! The rest of you should follow this kid's example more! Now, I'm going to go do some paperwork! Dinner's at six o' clock! If you're not there on the minute, you're not getting any, and anybody who bothers me before then is going to regret it! Rand, get off your lazy backside and show your transient friends around, already!" She stomped off into the house, and they all heard the sound of a door slamming, hard enough to rattle the windows.

"Wow," Sten said slowly. "Just... wow."

"Indeed," Jean agreed.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Katt asked Ryu. "To her, I mean."

"Why didn't _you_?" He replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I just..." She floundered. "Shut up."

"Are you all right?" Nina flew over to Rand, looking him over. "She wasn't exactly gentle."

"Actually, by her standards, that was practically a hug and a 'I missed you,'" Rand grunted, shaking his head slowly. "Don't worry, I'm used to it. Not exactly _thrilled_ about it happening again, but used to it. Besides, compared to..." He hesitated, conscious of other nearby townspeople, who were not-so-subtly listening and watching. "Compared to some of the hits I've taken over the years, this is nothing. Come on, I'll show you around like she said."

"So, are we actually going to do this?" Deis asked as they all went inside. "Clear that field, I mean?"

"That... seems to be the case," Spar murmured, looking confused. "I'm still not entirely sure what just happened here."

"I'll explain later," Sten told it. "Anyways, Rand said she's the most likely person to know what's going on in this country. If she's gonna make us work for that information, well, we've all done worse."

Despite its size, the house was mainly empty; it had dozens of rooms, but most of them looked as if they hadn't been used for decades. As Rand explained, Daisy paid some of the local girls to come in and keep it tidy once a week; she'd never had much interest in housework herself, preferring to supervise the men who worked out in her fields. The group met them all when they came in for dinner, which Daisy _did_ supervise; they were just as happy to see Rand back as everybody else in town was, and friendly enough to the group as well.

Dinner was nourishing, but hardly delicious, though nobody said a word about that; Daisy kept her ladle with her at all times, and nobody needed to ask what she would use it for if given the slightest provocation. Once they'd eaten, Daisy showed them to their rooms and strictly informed them that the men and the women would be sleeping in different hallways (Spar was with the women), and that she knew every floorboard in the house, which nobody doubted. After the door had been shut, Ryu went to sleep, idly realizing that they hadn't even told her about what they were doing here yet.

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

In the morning, a rooster's crow awakened them all, and they trudged downstairs for breakfast, some of them more groggy than others. Like dinner, the food was hearty if not exactly delicious, and there was plenty of it; the coffee was particularly noteworthy, as it looked to have the consistency of roofing tar but was liquid to the sip, if strong enough that it should have burned a hole through their mugs.

Once everybody had eaten, Daisy took them all out to the field she'd mentioned the day before, explaining that the previous owner had let it fall into neglect before her purchase. This became apparent when they arrived; the field was several square miles, and it was full of overgrown weeds, newly cut tree stumps and large rocks, all of which looked as if they'd be more than slightly problematic to remove.

"Old Man Rumpole let the place go to hell, but it's still good land," Daisy told them, looking it over critically. "Just needs some work, is all. We'll have it growing corn again, or maybe potatoes, by this time next year. So long as you get it cleared, that is." She looked them over steadily. "Nine of you should have it done by tonight if you don't slack off, so that's what I'll be expecting. Disappoint me, and you won't eat."

"We know, mom," Rand told her, glancing down at his feet. "We can handle it."

"Then why are you talking instead of working?" She hit him with the riding crop. "Get moving!" She turned to walk away, then paused. "One more thing! A couple of you have a sort of magical look about you. If that's the case, don't even think about it! Namanda doesn't approve of using celestial powers for worldly deeds, and that includes farming! You get it done by hard work, and nothing more! If the stumps and rocks are too much for you, pull weeds!"

"Um..." Spar raised a hand, looking apologetic. "Miss Daisy, I hate to say this, but I'd... rather avoid killing other plantlife myself."

"Why, you-" She started to raise the riding crop, then paused, taking in the Grass Man's frail build. After a moment, she lowered it. "Grass Man, huh? All right, I can understand that. Breath of Nature, right?"

"Indeed." Spar nodded. "I know they are not truly sentient, or even close to it, so it is not murder... but it sounds like it is. I will be able to bear it from others' hands, but my own..."

"I gotcha, kid." She nodded firmly. "All right, I've been meaning to inspect the fence around here soon anyways. See what parts are gonna need repairing. Think you can handle that while the rest of them clear the field?"

"Gladly." It nodded. "I will be most meticulous."

"Good." She glared at the rest of them. "Okay, eight instead of nine. Still oughta be more than enough to finish up here. So what are you waiting for, huh? Get to work!" Without waiting for a response, she stomped off.

"So we're farmers now?" Bow asked grumpily once she was out of earshot. "Is that it, then? Super."

"How do you think _I_ feel about it?" Rand growled at him. "I wasted twenty years of my life on this crap before getting fed up with it and heading off with nothing but the clothes on my back and the zenny in my pocket. Coming back to this was the _last_ thing I ever wanted to do." Turning towards a rock the size of his head, he angrily kicked it.

"She's got one point, though," Ryu said reluctantly. "The sooner we get to work, the sooner we get done. Spar, you're exempt, like she said. Nina, Deis, take care of the weeds. Sten, Bow, Jean, see what you can do about those rocks. Me, Katt and Rand will take the stumps." Muttering and grumbling, they all got down to work, pulling weeds, removing rocks and breaking up stumps. It was surprisingly difficult, considering how skilled they'd become at other, more violent physical activities; Ryu was somewhat startled by how long it took him to destroy a simple chunk of half-buried wood.

"Look, I'm sorry about this," Rand said after a while. "I know you guys shouldn't have to put up with this. She's... just always been like this, after my dad died. I barely even remember what she was like before that, but I know that when he did, she... changed. People kept pressuring her to sell all the farms, said it was a man's job, running them. I guess she decided she'd show them a thing or two. Don't know why she started being so rough with _me_, but..." He shrugged.

"It's fine," Sten told him, and the others all murmured in agreement. "We can deal with it."

"Thanks, guys." Rand replied gratefully. "I think she's just trying to see what kind of people you are. If we do what she says and make her happy, she'll help us out."

"Hey, Rand?" Katt asked after a moment, not looking away from the stump she was shattering with her fists and feet. "Why did you not want us to tell anybody around here what we did for a living? I didn't want to ask, but I've been trying to figure it out ever since you asked, and I'm coming up with nothing."

"It's..." Rand started to say, staring at his own stump, then continued to pound away at it. "It's kind of complicated. We're mercenaries, right? That means... a lot of the time, we kill people. For money. Yeah, maybe they've mostly been demons so far, but not always, and they're not always going to be. I just... don't want my mom to find out about that. That that's what I'm doing these days. Her, or any of the other guys here. I don't think they'd like it."

Nobody said anything for a while after that, continuing to work in silence as they all thought that over.

"I theorized that it would be something like that," Spar said eventually, continuing its inspection of the fence. "That is why I told your mother I would be uncomfortable with killing other plants, in order to allay any suspicions she might have had along those lines. In reality, my kind hold no moral or emotional stigma towards death; it is a part of life, one I have never held qualms about. However, I thought if I seemed reluctant..." It shrugged.

"That was actually pretty sophisticated for you," Sten told it after a moment. "Not bad at all." Hefting a rock up to his waist, he started towards the fence, staring off into the distance. "I wouldn't have thought of that myself. I was a soldier, you know? Killing... I got used to it early. Probably earlier than I should have. Never really occurred to me that not everybody on the team would be as desensitized to it as me." He glanced over at Rand. "You weren't too happy about killing that one guard in Sima, now that I think about it. Or the ones in Trout's manor."

"Yeah." Rand sighed. "Demons are one thing, but ordinary guys... don't get me wrong, I can deal with it. I knew it was gonna be in the cards when I signed on, and I figured I could handle it, and I can. I just don't like it, I guess."

"You don't like the thought of life being cheap," Deis said, meeting his eyes. "You respect it too much for that. Probably because of growing up here. That's where your natural talent for white magic comes from. At heart, you're a healer, not a killer. You prefer to help life flourish."

"Huh." Rand frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess so. Never really thought about it that way, but that does make sense. The white magic, I mean. Kinda wondered about that."

"Sounds about right to me," Ryu agreed. He glanced at Bow, who nodded, before continuing. "Me and Bow... we made our first kills at the same time. We were eight. Some shitheads who tried mugging us, over in Capitan. It was us or them, and we could tell they weren't going to stop; I think they were on drugs or something. I had a knife, and Bow had his first crossbow, and... well, we did what we had to. Then we puked our guts out."  
"Of course, _that_ was when a couple guardsmen found us," Bow added, grunting as he pulled up a rock. "You would not _believe_ how much shit it took to get us out of _that_ mess." Most of the others chuckled at that, though it sounded forced. "After that, though... after the first time, it got easier. By the time we made it to Coursair, we didn't even care any more. We knew we _should_ have, we still remembered back when we did, but... we just didn't. Not any more."

"Mine was a lot like that," Katt said, voice unusually calm. "Some total shit came after me behind a pub after I left. Don't even remember how old I was. Eight? Ten? Twelve? I don't know. Old enough for _him_, I guess, or maybe he just liked kids. Either way, as soon as I figured out what he was planning... I snapped. Just kept hitting him, and hitting him, until his skull was... gone. I remember thinking that I didn't need to, that he'd have stopped after the first couple hits, but... I kept going, all the same. I think I threw up afterward? Maybe. Not sure about that, either."

"Does it make me stupid if I didn't think you were, when we first met?" Rand asked her. "A killer, I mean."

"You're asking _me_ if something makes you stupid?" Katt smiled cheerfully at him, already looking brighter. "Nah, it's fine. I try not to let it show, you know? It's just who I am. I got used to it way back then, and it doesn't seem like such a big deal to me, these days. Was Augus the first time for you, then?"

"Nope." Rand shook his head slowly. "It was before I met you, but not long. I was in Capitan, looking for work down at the docks, and then one night I was in a a pub when a fight got out of hand. I just meant to put the guy down, but... I hit him too hard, I guess. Got out of town in a hurry, and decided to head over to Coursair instead. Felt like shit for the rest of the month." He sighed. "Maybe it's a good thing that Augus was the next time. I figured he didn't count, so... I guess it kind of helped me get used to the concept."

"My first was one of the Jokers," Nina told them next, eyes remaining on the clump of weeds she was pulling; her pale, delicate hands were covered in dirt, but she didn't seem to care. "Ryu and Katt were there. I'd always wondered if I'd be able to do it, when the time came, for a long time. When I did, though... I didn't even hesitate, and I didn't care, afterward. I knew that I should have, but... I didn't. I eventually decided that I was more emotionally detached than I had thought."

"Sounds about right." Deis shook her head. "You're the opposite of Rand. Whenever you stopped caring about that... and a lot of other things, too, I'm guessing... you probably developed a natural aptitude for black magic."

"I was fifteen, when I killed my first man," Jean said, sounding unusually somber. "An arrogant nobleman of my own age insulted my sister so despicably before the entire court that I had no choice but to challenge him to a duel. I won, and killed him honorably, but still I felt ill for quite some time." He sighed. "I must confess, I have not given this matter much thought. As of yet, those we have killed have been scoundrels and villains. Should that not be the case, one day... I do not know what I will do."

"It won't be," Ryu told him firmly. "Niro knows us all better than that. We might be freelance adventurers, but we're ones with standards. Maybe most of us are killers, but we're not going to just cut down anybody just because somebody pays us for it. If we're going to kill somebody for money, it's going to be the kind of person we'd be inclined to take care of anyways. Anything else, we'll turn down, no matter how much it pays. Maybe that's not much of a distinction, but it still matters to me, and I'm going to hold on to it."

"It's enough." Rand smiled slightly, pulling a taproot from the earth with a grunt. "I think we can all work with that." He glanced at Deis. "How about you? When was your first..."

"You really, _really _don't want to know." She paused in her work for a moment to look back at him, and everybody shivered; her eyes had changed in some strange, imperceptible way that made it suddenly apparent just how ancient she really was, despite her appearance. "Not unless you want to hear about the time before time, before recorded history. When gods walked the earth in the guises of men, and what you call lost technology flourished. Where it all began. _All _of it. Before it shattered like glass, and sentient life scraped itself back together out of the fragments that were left."

"Iiiiiiiiii think we can do without that, yeah," Ryu said after a long pause.

"Definitely," Bow agreed, bending over to tug at a strange, conical red rock. "Huh. This one's weird... and it ain't budging, either. Come on, you... _whoa!_" He fell back on his ass as the earth started to shake, and with a roar, the "rock" rose out of the ground; it was the point atop the head of a rough clay idol, rounded on the bottom with craggy features vaguely similar to a human face on its front. Wriggling free of the dirt, it raised itself upright and loomed over them.

"Oh, one of these things." Rand cracked his knuckles. "I _hate_ these things."

"A local pest?" Spar guessed, looking over.

"Yeah, they bury themselves in fields like this and ambush farmers," Rand explained, as they surrounded the idol and started to advance. "Pain in the ass."

"Well then, we should discourage that, shouldn't we?" Deis smirked, then dropped it, snapping her fingers. "Damn, I forgot. No magic."

"It's fine," Ryu told her, dusting his hands off. "We've got this."

"Damn straight." Katt grinned ferally. "I was just thinking, I could really use some stress relief right about now. Perfect timing."

The look on the idol's face turned slightly doubtful, as if it was thinking that something wasn't quite going according to plan.

Once they'd pulverized it, they went back to their work; no other distractions came up, violent or otherwise, and they simply resigned themselves to getting the job down. Around noon, Daisy came by to look over how they were doing, harrumphed and walked off. When she returned, she had a platter of sandwiches, a kettle full of soup and a pitcher of lemonade, all of which she deposited on the ground along with the dishes for eating before leaving without another word. Everybody ate eagerly; it was tiring work, but somehow not as odious as it had seemed early in the morning.

By the time sunset started to creep onwards, they were done; the field had been scoured of weeds, stumps and rocks alike, and was nothing more than freshly turned dirt. Spar had finished its inspection of the fence as well, and so they returned to the farmhouse, where Daisy stood on the back porch, awaiting them with arms crossed.

"Well?" She asked.

"We cleared the field," Rand told her. "Every inch of it."

"I'll see about that tomorrow." She glanced at Spar. "You look that fence over real good?"

"I did." Spar nodded gravely. "Starting from the southeast corner, there is a damaged spot two feet three inches to the south. The next one is eight feet five inches from there, and then another is six feet exactly from that. The next damaged spot is seventeen feet nine inches onwards, and the one after that seven feet one inch..." It continued on in this vein, listing the condition of the entire fence off by memory, for the next ten minutes. Despite this, Daisy simply took it all in, listening and nodding.

"Sounds like you did good," she admitted grudgingly once it was done. "If the rest of you have the same kind of work ethic as this kid, I'll probably like what I see out there tomorrow."

"We know what we're doing, mom," Rand protested, only to receive a hit from the riding crop.

"I'll be the judge of that, you dolt!" She yelled, good mood vanishing instantly. "Just in case, you'd better be ready to come out there with me, same time as today! Now come on, get in here and have some dinner!" Turning, she walked inside, and they all followed her, sighing and shrugging. Dinner was much the same as the previous day's had been, and once they were done Daisy escorted them all to their rooms once more. Ryu slept like a log, and rose in the morning to the rooster's crow once more, and after breakfast they all trudged out into the field behind Daisy again.

"Not bad," she conceded once they'd arrived, looking the field over. "Looks like you got it all. I guess maybe you're not such a bunch of hopeless transients after all. Maybe you could even hold down an honest day's work if you had to." Suddenly scowling, she advanced on somebody who was standing on the edge of the field, examining it. "Hey! Who are you supposed to be?"

"Oh, hello," the largest woman any of them had ever seen replied, turning around. Nearly seven feet tall, she was still dwarfed in that regard by Daisy, but made up for it by being even wider than she was tall. Unfortunately, aside from a great deal of jewelry, she was simply clad in a pleated grass skirt and a pair of coconut shells on a string. "Do you own this land? It's rich, and full of life. Namanda must smile upon it."

"We all hope so, but never assume," Daisy replied, her frown fading slightly. "So, you follow Namanda's path, do you?"

"I strive to do so, though I also follow the earth, and all that lives upon it," the strange woman said, before glancing at Ryu. "Oh, hello! You're the ones, aren't you? The ones my sisters have all been finding. I would have come to find you sooner, but I was up north, at Namanda."

"Wait, _you're_-" Ryu started to yell, then paused to get a hold of himself, as the others all drew back. "Okay. You know what? Your granny wants you to go see her, and stay with her for a while. Why don't you?"

"I can do that." She winked at Rand. "Especially if you stop in some time, huh, big guy?" Before anybody could respond, she shimmered and vanished.

"Well," Daisy said after a long, awkward moment. "What, exactly, was that all about?"

"You really, really, don't want to know, mom," Rand told her, putting a hand to his face. "Trust me on this one."

"You know what?" She raised an eyebrow. "For once, I think I'll actually believe that." She crossed her arms then, eyes keen. "Well then, now that that's out of the way, you might as well tell me just what it is that brought you out here, because I already know it wasn't my stupid son getting homesick. You, with the blue hair. You're in charge, right? Let's hear it."

"We're ex-Rangers, Mrs. Marks," Ryu said calmly. "The Guild recalled us for a special case, one that was beyond their normal ability to handle. I'm afraid the details are classified, but Elder Maureen down at the local office will back us up; she was there when we were asked to come back for one last job."

"That big shindig up north, at that Aurian nobleman's summer home, was it?" Daisy guessed. "And this case of yours is here in Carmen?"

"The trail we're following has led us here, yes." Ryu nodded. "We've been running all over the world after it. I guess you could say we're sort of in the business of taking care of tricky situations. I'm sure you've noticed that we're kind of a varied team."

"Understatement, kid," she grunted. "The Highlander's a military man, but not for a while. High-ranking officer, but got there by rising straight from the bottom. The Wing Clan girl and the Creeper boy... you're both old nobility. The Grass Man... is a Grass Man. Enough said there." She glanced at Deis. "And I can't get _any_ reading at all on _you_, and that's the first time that's happened in thirty years. I don't like it."

"I'm unique," Deis said impishly.

"I'll bet." She shook her head. "I don't know what this is my idiot son is mixed up in, either, and I probably don't want to, but if Maureen backs your story up, I'll buy it. I've known her for long enough to trust her word, and to know when I shouldn't, which doesn't happen often. Details, kid. What do you want from me?"

"Information," Ryu explained. "We know what we're looking for is south of the Sea of Trees, but that's all. If there's anything you know about something strange going on in Carmen... some source of activity that's suspicious, or a place where there's some unnatural occurrence, we'd appreciate knowing where."

"Anybody ever tell you you're about as clear as a ball of cotton, kid?" Daisy scowled, thinking. After a moment, she nodded firmly. "All right, here's what we're gonna do. It'll take me a few days to get all the local news. While I'm doing that, you lot can accompany my idiot son on his pilgrimage to Namanda, up north. He hasn't gone on one since before he ran off, so he's due. I know, on account of how I would have heard if he was there when I looked around for him." She glared at Rand, who lowered his head sheepishly. "Go on up there, and pray for a good harvest, you hear me?"

"Yes, mom." Rand nodded. "Come on, guys. Let's go get our stuff." Turning, he started back towards the house, and they followed him.

"_Monsieur _Rand?" Jean asked, hesitantly, as they headed back. "I must confess, I am slightly confused. Namanda... it is the name of your faith, yes? Your religion. But I have also heard it referred to as other things, including now, when your mother did so as if it were a destination of ours."

"It's all of the above." Rand smiled briefly. "It's kind of complicated. Namanda was the name of the founder of the faith, but he wasn't a god; he was simply an enlightened man. It's also the name of the holy place in the northern mountains where he resided in isolation after his enlightenment, and accepted pupils. Monks still go there to study the teachings, removed from the outside world. Most followers aren't exactly _required_ to make pilgrimages every so often, but it's approved of, and..." He left it hanging.

"And you'd feel better if you did, huh?" Ryu guessed. "All right, I think we can all accept that. Besides, it'll let your mom make her inquiries without anybody connecting that to the strangers who just came in with her son the other day."

"Is _that_ why she sent us off?" Bow raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering. I guess that makes enough sense. Anyways, sounds like fun to me, so I'm not complaining. Well, more fun than more farmwork, anyways."

"I agree completely, _monsieur _Bow," Jean said, beaming. "It will be an honor and a privilege to see such a place."

"Should be interesting." Deis nodded. "Wasn't around last time I was awake, so I have to admit, I'm curious."

"It's not _too_ far up in the mountains, is it?" Sten asked tentatively. "Not that I'm objecting, but I'm hoping we're not gonna spend all month getting there."

"We should be there and back within a week," Rand assured him. "Nah, the only thing we'll have to worry about is the monsters."

"This is starting to sound better and better," Katt said with a grin, prompting a sigh from Nina. "What?"

"Nothing."

As Rand had promised, the trip towards Namanda was a lot more like their usual journey; once they were off the roads, the wards preventing monsters from attacking were no longer present, and they saw enough action to keep Katt satisfied and the rest of them on their toes. Combined with the still-pleasant geography, it was a field trip that nobody minded, and they went to sleep around the campfire each evening in a general good mood, even managing to scour up some alcohol from the rural villages they passed through on the way.

On their second day out, they reached the mountains, but even the transition to rougher terrain refused to dampen their cheer; the high ground was just as lush and beautiful as the flatlands had been, and even those without much of an eye for beauty had to admit that it was a pleasant sight. Katt, in particular, began engaging in surprisingly complex discussions with Jean on color and angle in relation to the mountain waterfalls and vivid sunsets, much to his delight. After a couple more days following the mountain trail, the reached their destination, a cave set in the side of a mountain peak.

"Welcome to Namanda," one of the two burly monks standing at either side of the cave said, bowing. He was human, tanned and bald, clad in saffron-colored robes with a string of beads around one wrist. The other was a Farm Clansman, garbed similarly; they both would have looked like professional bruisers in a normal environment, save for the calm peacefulness apparent on their faces. "Have you come to seek enlightenment?"

"We come to offer prayers for next year's harvest," Rand replied formally.

"Enter, then, and be welcome." The other monk nodded, and Rand led them inside.

The cavern was a single, long tunnel, illuminated by bowls of flaming coals set atop waist-high pillars. Ornate stone arches were set every so often, apparently for ceremonial purposes; Rand led the group through them without a word. Rough mats were the only furnishings, and each had a simple wooden bowl atop it; Ryu judged that the mats were used for sleeping, and winced mentally. He was no stranger to roughing it, but even by his standards, the thought of sleeping atop one of those in a cold stone cavern during the winter chilled him.

As they continued towards the back, they began seeing more monks; most of them were either human or Farm Clansmen, but there was a scattering of other Clans as well; Ryu saw a few of both the Creeper and Highlander Clans, and even a few Ogres. Most surprising of all, though, were the Harpies; Ryu almost got the wrong idea when he saw a pair of human monks fighting them, bare-handed, until he realized that none of them were trying to kill, or even seriously wound, and noticed the altered saffron robes worn by the winged women.

"Huh." Rand blinked as they passed by. "_That's_ different. The harpies, I mean, not the sparring practice. If you think _I'm_ good with my fists, you should see these guys up here really going at it some day. Those ones are just warming up."

"If the teachings of Namanda have managed to find a way to convince the Harpy Clan to listen, that's quite impressive," Nina murmured. "As I understand it, the Church of St. Eva has been trying to convert some flocks for decades without success."

"You want impressive?" Rand smiled. "Wait until we get further in." It soon became apparent just what he meant; while the monks towards the front of the cave had been meditating or exercising, those towards the back were engaged in practices Ryu would have described as torture under other circumstances. Some were lying on beds of spikes, others on grills over blazing flames. A few were buried up to their necks in the earth, while more were standing under waterfalls clad only in loincloths; Ryu didn't need to touch the water to guess that it would be icy cold.

"I can't quite comprehend the significance of this," Spar noted. "Then again, many of the Church of St. Eva's practices are similarly alien to me, so perhaps I simply do not understand religion."

"It's physical training," Rand explained. "The purpose is teach endurance and tranquility under all circumstances." He grimaced. "Personally, you couldn't pay me enough to try that."

"Actually, the burying thing looks kind of fun," Jean said cheerfully.

"I'll help you try it sometime," Katt offered.

"Behave," Deis told them both.

"Thanks." Rand nodded to her as they approached the end of the tunnel, where a series of massive metal chimes hung side by side in the largest stone arch of all. Two more monks flanked it, as immobile as statues. Ignoring them, Rand stood before an open wooden box set before it all and closed his eyes, raising one hand before him while leaving the other at his side, and began to chant. "Namanda, Namanda... Namanda, Namanda..."

Nobody else spoke a word, or moved; this was important to Rand, and so they waited without complaint as he continued to chant. Ryu soon lost track of time; he didn't know if it was only a few minutes or almost an hour later when the big Farm Clansman finally opened his eyes again. Lowering his hand, he pulled out his wallet and tossed a handful of zenny into the box before him, then turned back to the group.

"Done?" Deis asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Thanks, guys. I appreciate this."

"Ah, young Marks." An elderly man's voice came from behind them, and they turned to see an ancient human, bald and wrinkled, standing there with a weathered cane in his hand. Despite his cheerful smile, his eyes were bright and penetrating. "It is good to see you again. I had heard that you had left this land."

"I did, Elder." Rand bowed his head. "But I have returned briefly, and thought it best to stop by while I was in the area."

"That was a good thought," the old man said, nodding. "I am glad that you had it. How is your mother?"

"Still as feisty as ever, elder," Rand told him, prompting a chuckle.

"She is a strong woman," the old man said cheerfully. "I am sure she is glad to see that you are doing well... though she may not show it openly." He glanced at the rest of the group. "And you have brought friends to us. Have they come to show their devotion to Namanda as well?"

"I'm afraid not, elder." Rand coughed. "They follow other faiths, although they still respect Namanda."

"A pity." The elder sighed. "There are some among you who it would have been an interesting experience to have among our number." He paused before continuing. "In honesty, I must confess this is particularly true of the women. I have been laboring to convince the brothers here to accept the distaff among our numbers for some time, but it is a slow process. As of yet, women may of course follow the faith, but they are not permitted to serve it permanently here at Namanda."

"I apologize, but I would not make a good believer," Nina told him honestly. "I have enough trouble placing faith in worldly things as it is, let alone spiritual matters."

"And I have been devoted to the worship of Ladon for more than a thousand years," Spar said, nodding slightly. "It would be difficult for me to change my ways at this time."

"Both understandable." The elder nodded back, then glanced at Katt. "And yourself, young lady?"

"Me?" Katt blinked, looking surprised. "I kind of... well, St. Eva's already got a claim on me, you know? Besides, I'm nobody special."

"On the contrary." The elder shook his head. "There has only been one of your Clan among our number in all my years, and it has been several of them since he departed from this place, along with the daughter of one of our monks."

"Wait, what?" Katt's eyes widened. "A Woren Clansman was here once?"

"Indeed he was." The elder nodded. "A reckless lad, but we wish him well regardless; I believe he is living somewhere in the south now." He glanced towards Deis, who'd stepped behind the others as soon as he'd walked up. "What of you, young lady? Come now, there's no reason to be shy. What faith is it that you follow?"

"That's a somewhat complicated question to answer, sir," she said, sighing and coming around before him; her voice was oddly solemn, and much more respectful than normal for her. "As I am sure one of your stature can tell."

"You-" The elder's eyes bulged, and when he spoke again, his voice had dropped to an awed whisper. "What _are_ you?"

"My name is Deis." She nodded politely. "Last of the Indigo Clan. I am honored to be allowed here."

"The honor is mine," the elder said, nodding back. "Young Rand... I do not know what direction your life has taken since you departed this land, but I think that you have found yourself a place in this world that few could ever dream of. One day, I think, I will ask you to tell me of this... but not today. Today, I believe that you have other matters to attend to, and little time for talking with an old man."

"I will do that, elder," Rand promised. "Thank you."

"Until that day, then." The elder turned and walked away, and once he was gone, the group started back towards the entrance as well.

The trip back down the mountains, and then across the flatlands to Farmtown, was just as pleasant as the journey up had been, and nothing was different; each night, they dined either on game caught by Bow and Katt, or fish that Ryu managed to pull from a stream. The weather remained clear, and the landscape beautiful, and everybody walked back into Farmtown a week from their departure in high spirits.

This lasted for approximately two minutes, at which point they realized that everybody in town was avoiding them, looking both scared and angry, and there wasn't a whisper of conversation to be heard. Despite the beautiful day, everybody was rushing around, as if trying to spend as little time outside as possible.

"_Okay_ then," Deis muttered. "What is wrong with this picture?"

"Something happened here while we were gone," Bow growled. "And if these folks are giving us all the fish eye, it's related to us."

"Mom." Rand tightened his knuckles and picked up his pace, and when another Farm Clansman crossed their path, he grabbed him by the shoulder before he could move away, despite the fact that the townsman had him by at least a head's height. "All right, Tom, what happened to my mother? I'm not blind. Tell me!"

"Rand..." Tom grimaced, looking away. "That paladin... he came back."

"So?" Rand demanded. "Mom could handle him any day!"

"That's what we all thought," the other man agreed. "But then he said she'd converted to the Church of St. Eva, and agreed to donate the new field of hers to the Church so they could build a chapel on it. The paperwork had her signature on it, and... and he said she'd gone to Evrai to study their faith further. Rand, she's... she's gone. We haven't been able to find her. We didn't know what to do."

"Son of a bitch!" Katt yelled, spinning on her heel towards Daisy's house. "When I get my hands on-"

"No," Rand said flatly, and his voice was so unlike him that she froze on the spot. It was cold and emotionless, but obviously, deliberately so; for the first time since Ryu had met him, he sounded as if he was having difficulty remaining calm and controlled. "Let me handle this, all of you." It wasn't a request. Before anybody could respond, he turned and charged down the street like a bull, heading towards his mother's house. They all followed in his wake, sharing surprised and angry glances, and the townspeople wisely chose to scatter out of the road as fast as possible.

When they reached the house, Rand didn't even go inside; he simply put a hand on the fence to the side and vaulted over it into one of the fields. Most of the others took it with varying degrees of less grace, and by the time they were all over he'd gained several more yards on them. Soon, they saw the paladin standing out in the field they'd cleared, surveying it; as they approached, he calmly turned to face them.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"Sure, buddy." Rand growled. "You can tell me just what the hell you're doing on Mrs. Marks' property."

"Daisy?" The paladin replied calmly. "Inspecting it, of course. She's donated this land to the Church of St. Eva, so that we may build a chapel on it. Such a generous act is a rare thing even among the faithful, of course, and so she was immediately invited to make a pilgrimage to Evrai, an honor reserved only for the most devout."

"Really," Rand grunted, deceptively calm. "Is that a fact." His hand shot out suddenly, slamming down on top of the paladin's helmet, and he lifted him into the air before him. "Wrong answer."

"I assure you, it is the truth," the paladin said, just as pleasantly as before. "Oh, hold on a moment. Are you her son? She left a message for you."

"A message?" Rand blinked, caught off guard momentarily. After thinking about that, he set the paladin back down. "All right, let's see it."

"It's right here." Dipping a gauntleted hand into a pack on his back, the paladin pulled out an envelope and handed it over. "I'm sure you'll find that it's all in order."

"We'll see about that." Opening it up, Rand pulled out the message inside and began reading it aloud. "'Dear Rand, I have wonderful news for you, my son! I have finally witnessed St. Eva's light, and heard his words! Brother Gabriel has taught me the truth, and convinced me to donate the field formerly belonging to Mr. Rumpole to the church so that they may build a chapel and spread the grace of St. Eva to our people. I have already signed the land deed over to Brother Gabriel, and they will begin construction within the month.'"

"'For my generosity, I have been invited to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Evrai immediately, and my newfound love of St. Eva's teachings that I decided to do so as soon as possible. Already I am embarking on the trip to Bando, in the south, from where I will depart to Evrai. When I return, I will lead the effort to preach St. Eva's word to our people. I know that you will accept the grace of St. Eva, just as I have, my beloved son. Help the men of the church in their construction, supervise the workers while I am gone, and prepare for my return. May St. Eva's light always shine down upon you. Love, Daisy.'" Finishing, Rand crumpled the paper in his hand, eyes glinting. "And you expect me to believe this garbage?"

"It is the truth," Gabriel said, still as calm as ever. "Your mother is now a true believer of St. Eva. That is unquestionably her handwriting, and so is the signature on the deed. Thus, we are building the church here."

"How would _you_ know what my mother's handwriting looks like?" Rand growled. "And you expect me to believe she'd write this crap? 'My beloved son'? My mom's never used the word 'beloved' in her life, and there's no way she'd lose faith in Namanda for a shitty religion like yours! What have you done with her?"

"Such a sad thing it is, for a son to doubt his mother's love for him," Gabriel murmured, his voice taking on a nasty undertone. "It seems she has gone to Evrai just in time. Please, stop accusing us of wrongdoings. After all, it's not like you have any proof, is it?"

"You lying scum!" Roaring, Rand smashed him with a right hook that dented his helmet.

"All right, that tears it!" Ryu growled as the paladin stumbled back and drew a claymore from his back. "Let's-"

"Easy." Bow put a hand on his shoulder. "He told us to let him handle this, right?"

"Yeah." Deis nodded somberly, as Rand hit him again. "This is personal. Family always is. Not our right to step in if he doesn't want us to."

"An admirable sentiment, but I must confess, I find the logistics of the matchup slightly worrying," Spar admitted. "Even considering Rand's greater size and ability."

"It's got a point." Sten nodded, eyes narrowed. "Bringing fists to a swordfight is a losing proposition, no matter how good you are."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Nina murmured as Rand landed another punch, denting the paladin's breastplate. "And yet, he seems to be winning." She glanced at Katt, who was watching the fight quietly, her normally bright green eyes curiously dull and her face blank. "I'm surprised you're not the first one to want to get in there."

"He doesn't need us." Katt shook her head. "Not for this. Not for just one guy. He can handle this, paladin or no paladin."

"Have you truly never noticed just how gentle a soul _monsieur_ Rand is, _mon amis_?" Jean asked, voice empty of its usual singsong cadence. "I have long suspected that his preference against weaponry is not due to any inability to learn. Rather, he simply dislikes violence, and prefers to keep his own potential to inflict it to a minimum. Now, however, his peaceful nature has been thrown aside. I do not envy this foolish man who has caused such a thing to happen."

Roaring like an enraged bull, Rand ignored the blows of the sword on his heavy stone armor, and smashed Gabriel with a left hook that sent him flying to the dirt. Stomping after him, he raised a massive cloven foot and stomped down, prompting a gasp of pain and a crack of bone. As he prepared to do so again, the paladin raised one gauntleted hand, and a blocky, hovering head formed of ice appeared in the air before Rand. Opening its mouth, it bathed him in frigid gas before dissipating, leaving Rand encrusted in ice, frozen to the spot.

"That does it!" Sten growled. "Let's get-" He broke off as Rand bellowed wordlessly again, shattering the ice with a flex of his muscles as the paladin struggled back to his feet. The big Farm Clansmen's hide was pale and he was shivering in obvious pain, but he didn't seem to care.

"So it's magic now, is it?" Rand snarled. "I'll give you magic!" He raised a hand to the heavens, and the earth beneath their feet started to shake, bucking and pitching like a storm-tossed sea, all flowing towards Gabriel. Flung into the air, the paladin was thrown around like a ragdoll, mail clattering noisily.

"Earth magic?" Ryu's eyes widened, as did most of the others. "When did he learn that?"

"I've been helping him with it," Deis explained, looking slightly startled herself. "He has a natural affinity for that element. He's never managed to actually cast a spell successfully before, though." Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Ryu. Check your Dragon's Tear. Now."

"What?" Ryu blinked, then swore as he realized her meaning. "Shit!" Pointing it at Gabriel, he nodded sharply. "It's black!"

"I didn't want to do this..." The paladin snarled, getting back to his feet as Rand charged him again. "But now you've-" Whatever it was he was going to say was cut off by a crack of thunder, as lightning suddenly slashed the ground between them, and they both stumbled back.

"Stop this madness at once!" A familiar voice rang through the air, and everybody whirled around to see Ray Braddoc standing to their left, looking confused and angry. "Explain this lunacy!"

"Ray?" Ryu blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"Ray!" Gabriel shouted, almost as quickly. "Thank St. Eva! These people have been attacking me! Help me!"

"Why, you little..." Rand growled, raising his fists again.

"I said _stop_, both of you!" Ray yelled, and they both froze. Taking a deep breath, the paladin turned to the rest of the group, and though his voice was calm, a restrained anger was still detectable beneath it. "Ryu. What is going on here? Why is one of my trusted friends attempting to kill my younger brother?"

"Shit," Deis muttered under her breath.

"How much do you know about this situation, Ray?" Ryu asked him bluntly, thinking quickly; no matter what he said, this wasn't looking good. If the other paladin was _related_ to Ray, attempting to claim that he'd likely been about to transform into a demon was out of the question. "The land we're standing on, I mean."

"I have been told that this land belonged to a Mrs. Daisy Marks, who recently converted to the Church of St. Eva, and donated it to be used for the construction of a chapel," Ray replied calmly. "Upon receiving word of this, I was told to come here and confirm this with Gabriel, who oversaw her conversion. Was I mistaken?"

"Mistaken!" Gabriel blurted, sounding nervous now. "That's a good word! No, you weren't mistaken, but this man is! He believes that her conversion was not genuine, that I compelled her somehow! He's mistaken!"

"Mistaken?" Rand snarled, eyes flashing. "You carry her off in the middle of the night, forge some bullshit message from her, steal her land, and you have the balls to say I'm _mistaken_? I oughta ram a spool of barbed wire up your-"

"Rand, that's enough!" Ray shouted again. "Calm down! Blind anger is _not_ helping this situation!"

"Hate to tell you this, Ray, but it's bullshit," Katt growled. "We met the lady a week ago, and this bozo didn't even bother writing a message that sounded like her. If she wrote it herself, I'm a freakin' Kimoto. Sorry to say that about your brother, but it's the truth."

"Not to mention, who converts to a different religion, signs over land to them and leaves on a pilgrimage in the middle of the night without telling anybody?" Bow added. "Just ask around. Nobody saw her leave. She just vanished. I'm a son of the Church, but I can tell that this stinks on ice, Ray. Anybody can."

"I see." Ray nodded slowly. "Your words have merit, and I trust your judgment. Unfortunately, I have a duty to protect my brothers in the clergy. If you insist on harming Gabriel, I will have no choice but to help him defend himself."

"Yes!" Gabriel exulted. "I knew you would-"

"At the same time, you are all my friends, and I owe my life to you many times over," Ray continued, cutting him off. "Should Gabriel continue to goad you, I will deal with that matter as well, by any means necessary."

"That..." Gabriel stammered. "That won't need to happen, Ray. I'll come with you quietly."

"Is that where you're coming down, then?" Ryu asked him quietly, as they all stared at him. "You sure about that, Ray?"

"I'm sorry." Ray closed his eyes. "But my first loyalty is, and always has been, to my faith. I have never pretended otherwise, and I never will. I hope you can understand, my friends."

"Feh." Rand spat on the ground, glaring at him. "I should have known. You're just another worthless fanatic, just like him, just like all of them." Ray's face paled, as if Rand had punched him, and the big Farmlander continued. "Fine, take him. Take your damned St. Eva, too, and get out of here, Braddoc. You're not wanted here, not in this entire country, and neither is St. Eva. Anybody who shows up here trying to build a chapel's gonna have one hell of a nasty welcoming committee waiting for them, and they're not gonna give a crap about what's on some land deed."

"I see." Ray's eyes hardened. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Marks. We won't take up any more of your time, then."

"Ray," Nina said quietly, and he glanced at her, the anger leaving his face as quickly as it had come. "Daisy is Rand's mother. Please, don't..." She left it hanging.

"This..." Ray shook his head slowly, looking troubled now. "This is a very complicated situation. I think it is best if we leave now, as I said. Perhaps, soon, I will be able to shed more light on this... and then we will all be able to come to an understanding."

"I've got all the understanding I need already," Rand growled. He looked like he was about to say more, but Katt had walked over to him, and was now putting a hand on his arm, just like he usually did when she was about to go berserk. Glancing down at her, he closed his eyes, and waved a hand in the air. "Go on. Go. And take your garbage with you."

"As you wish." Ray nodded briefly, then snapped his fingers. "Come, Gabriel. I think it's best if we seek advice from our superiors on what to do now. _Both_ of us."

"Yes, of course, Ray!" Gabriel agreed, running over to him. "Whatever you say!" The two paladins started to walk off, back towards Farmtown, but then Ray paused and turned back to look at them once more.

"I _will_ find the truth of this situation," he said quietly, violet eyes burning. "We will meet again, someday... and I will pray to St. Eva that this _is_ all a simple misunderstanding. Do not raise your hand against the Church again, my friends."

There were a dozen things that sprang to Ryu's tongue, but he knew none of them would help, and all of them would hurt. And so he kept his mouth shut, as did everybody else, as they watched the two paladins walk away into the distance until they were gone, leaving them alone in the field as the wind blew and the sun began to set.

Despite the summerlike weather, it was going to be a cold night.

_OUR LIVES ARE PARALLEL _


	29. Chapter 27: The Return To Windia

_**Chapter 27: The Return To Windia **_

_A band of mercenaries has recently relocated their headquarters to the Cotland canyon in the south, near the Scandean border. I don't know if your group has ever worked with them or not, but they're apparently reputable, and they've been up to a great deal of unusual activity all over the world recently with no explanation given. Yes, I know what your friends are, and what you're doing these days. It wasn't hard to tell. We'll talk about that next time I see you. Watch your ass out there, and don't screw up too badly. If I'm not here when you return, don't trust the Church of St. Eva. ~Daisy_

The note had been left in a hidden drawer in Daisy's desk, next to her flask; Rand had found it when they'd searched the house that night. The next day, they'd gone south to check out the canyon in question, but when they'd failed to find it after several days of searching, they'd given up and come back home. Now they sat around the table as Niro grimly set the note down, everybody's face as bleak as the old man's now was.

"This situation just got a _hell_ of a lot more complicated, fellas," he said bluntly. "An' it was plenty o' that already."

"No kidding." Bow shook his head. "You're sure he was about to transform, buddy?"

"Positive." Ryu nodded. "The Dragon's Tear went black and everything. Ray and Kay's adopted brother is one of the demons. Doubt he was a Demon Lord, but if there's one demon in the Church of St. Eva, there's probably more."

"Which means this fourth Demon Lord is probably the one running operations in there." Sten scowled. "One in Sima, one in Highland, one independent, and one in Evrai. Once we assume that nowhere is safe, that's the best plan of attack, all right." He grimaced. "And a perfect way to screw us over. Those were all one thing, but running an operation against the _Church of St. Eva_? That one's out of even _our_ league."

"Understatement." Ryu glanced around the table. "Which reminds me. As of right now, that particular fact doesn't leave this room. There's a lot of people in town who wouldn't be too happy about hearing that we're going up against the Church, no matter what our rationale was. Kay most of all, I think."

"Yeah." Bow made a face. "Hell, it's kind of getting to _me_. Don't get me wrong, it's what we gotta do, for Rand's mom, even if it wasn't demons. But, you know... being a son of the Church, and all..." He let it hang.

"Yeah," Katt admitted. "I've been thinking the same thing. How far is this gonna go? Are we gonna end up excom... ex... you know, kicked out, or what? I mean, if that's what it takes..." She shrugged. "But if it doesn't _have_ to go that way... you know?"

"Speaking as somebody who's neutral on the matter..." Spar said politely. "I would consider it to be in the spirit of the faith to remove demonic corruption from it, yes? There may be trouble until that point, but should that be the case, than the revelation of the demons' presence should be more than enough to exonerate you."

"Sounds logical to me," Ryu agreed, fighting a surge of guilt; not only had he not considered that possibility at all himself, he hadn't been able to bring himself to care much when Bow and Katt did, and that realization worried him. "Good thinking."

"The question is, just how highly placed is this fourth Demon Lord, yes?" Jean murmured; even the happy-go-lucky Prince was finding nothing to be cheerful about in this situation. "To be able to subvert even a paladin... this is not something that an ordinary priest could do, I think. And the higher his position, the more difficult removing him will be."

"We can figure that out once we get to Evrai." Ryu shook his head. "No, the real question is, _how_ are we going to get there? Our only plan for that contingency went out the window as soon as we pissed off Ray, and we can't just wait around for him to figure out we were right after all. Who knows how long that could take. Ray's a good guy, but he _is_ a paladin."

"He shouldn't have taken sides against us," Rand growled, arms crossed; the big man had been trying to act casual over the last few days, but nobody was fooled. They could all tell just how angry he still was about the situation. "That guy was dirtier than mud."

"I know, but it was his brother," Nina murmured. "I'm not condoning that decision, but I can't blame him, either."

"I can," Rand said, but didn't press it.

"There is no point in arguing about it," Spar murmured. "I do not know this Mr. Braddoc like the rest of you, but I can tell that Ryu is right. He will not be assisting us again soon. We will have to find another way to Evrai."

"Easier said than done," Katt said dismally. "Not even Grandpa's gonna be able to manage a mile-high cliff. We'd need to fly to get up there." She glanced at Nina, who'd gone white suddenly. "Hey, what's wrong? Did I say something?"

"No." She shook her head quickly. "Nothing's wrong."

"Bull," Deis said flatly. "You look like your ancestor just walked in here. Spill."

"It's just..." She started to hedge, then broke off as an explosion outside rattled the building.

"_Now_ what?" Ryu growled as they all jumped to their feet-or, in Deis' case, tail-and glared towards the soor.

"It never stops," Niro groaned, leading the charge outside. "If I knew running a town was gonna be like this, I'd have told those three idiots to keep it at one building. Or at least set some kind o' citizenship policy."

"Looks like it's coming from one of the newest houses," Sten pointed out, and they all rushed over to find Barose the magician and El the guard standing near a smoking crater on the house's lawn, arguing loudly.

"I already told you, they invited me to come here!" The old man was yelling. "Now get lost, before I _really_ lose my temper and actually _aim_ the next one!"

"Threaten me all you like, I don't care!" El responded just as loudly, though he was careful to stay away from the old man. "I've been assigned to guard this city, and that's what I'm going to do! Now come with me, and we'll see about that!"

"Hold it, hold it, hold it," Ryu called out as they ran up, and both men relaxed slightly, turning to him. "What exactly is going on here?"

"I caught this intruder trying to sneak into this house!" El explained. "And when I tried to apprehend him he-"

"Intruder nothing!" Barose interrupted. "This moron called me a criminal and tried to drag me off to-"

"You are a criminal!" El shouted. "That's what somebody who breaks and enters _is_!"

"I didn't break anything, you useless dunce!" Barose snarled. "How the hell did you get this job? Was there a lottery?"

"Why don't you let fellas let me handle this?" Niro suggested, stepping around the group.

"Sure," Ryu agreed quickly; he did _not_ need a headache from this on top of everything else that had gone wrong recently. "Thanks. Is something wrong?" This was addressed to Sten, who was now staring at El curiously.

"Hey, El," he said, stroking his chin. "You sure you've been on Tunlan all your life?"

"Positive, sir," El replied quickly without looking at him, his argument with Barose apparently forgotten immediately. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Sten shrugged. "Something about you seems familiar. Problem is, I'm not sure what, and that doesn't happen very often."

"It's probably just a coincidence, sir," El suggested, turning away from Barose as well. "If you're going to deal with this, Mr. Mani, I should return to my patrol." Without waiting for an acknowledgment, he quickly walked off.

"That was strange, yes?" Jean said, raising an eyebrow.

"A little." Ryu nodded, then frowned, noticing something else. "Hey, where's Nina?"

"Looks like she slipped off," Deis said, looking around. "Was there anything else?"

"Not for now, I guess." Ryu shrugged, still concerned. "All right, everybody, start thinking about possible ways to get to Evrai. Next meeting's postponed until somebody comes up with an idea that'll work."

"This might take a while," Spar murmured, glancing at Rand. "It seems like a good time for what I suggested earlier."

"Oh, yeah." Rand glanced at Barose. "Hey, old man. You know a lot about earth magic, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Barose snapped. "Why wouldn't I, you..." His insult died on his lips as he narrowed his eyes. "Wait a second here. Don't suppose you suddenly managed to use some out of nowhere on instinct recently?"

"How'd you guess?" Rand nodded. "I've tried to do it again a couple times, but it never worked. I'd kind of like to learn how."

"You'd better come in, then," Barose said, sounding reluctant about that. "This is gonna take more than a few minutes, even if you've got a natural talent."

"I would like to attend as well," Spar said politely. "I suspect that there may be much I can learn. I will remain quiet and watch."

"Guess I'll go see how the hunting is today," Bow decided.  
"Sound good to me." Katt nodded. "Let's go."

"Have fun." Ryu smiled as they wandered off, then glanced at the rest of the group. "How about you guys?"

"I will go see how my friend, Salvadore, is doing," Jean told him.

"Think I'll check in with Baretta and Lemington." Sten scratched his back, looking casual. "Kind of want to see how those requests we made a while back are coming along."

"I'm gonna see if I can find Nina," Deis said, frowning. "I don't like how she was looking towards the end of that conversation."

"Me either." Ryu shook his head. "Thanks." As the others drifted away, he waited until they were out of earshot before speaking again. "Hey, Deis?"

"Yeah?" She replied after a moment, standing still with her back to him.

"What do you think?" He asked. "About this... mess... with the Church of St. Eva."

"I don't really have an opinion," she told him, again waiting a moment first. "The Church of St. Eva wasn't around the last time I was awake, or any of the times before that. And I tried to just avoid the issue, back in Auria. The Magic School wasn't exactly the kind of place where religious opinions were a big thing."

"And that's it?" Ryu pressed, narrowing his eyes. "You don't know, and you don't care?"

"Pretty much." She shrugged, still looking away, the tip of her tail twitching idly. "Religion's complicated these days, Ryu, and I'm not used to that. Until I woke up this time, it was always just Ladon and Myria; either you worshiped him, or her, or you just didn't bother. That was that, and the fact of the matter is I actually _knew_ them both, so I didn't really look at either of them the same way normal people did, even though I knew firsthand just _how_ different from mortals they were. I'm about the worst person in the world you could ask about this."

"Some would say you have an unique perspective on the matter," Ryu suggested.

"Maybe," Deis admitted. "But if that's the case, it's not a good perspective. Is St. Eva a real name? Not a very masculine one. And Namanda isn't much better. Who are they? Where'd they come from, and what do they want? Are they actual beings, and if they are, where are they _now_? How long have they been around, and if it's not only recently, why'd they wait so long before showing up? I'm not the sort of person who accepts that the only true god would just pop out of the air one day."

"I see your point." Ryu chuckled, though there was no humor in it; her argument, rather than being relaxing, was causing an ugly suspicion to dawn in the back of his mind, one he was instantly desperate to dispel. "And you're almost convincing. But there's more to it, isn't there? You're edgy. What aren't you telling me?"

"One of those things you don't _want_ me to tell you," Deis replied after another significant pause. "Remember those? Those are still happening. And this is a big one."

"And it's related to Gods?" Ryu scowled. "And the Church of St. Eva?"

"I don't think this is the time or place for this discussion, is it?" Deis pointed out.

"You're hedging." Ryu glanced around involuntarily; there didn't _seem_ to be anybody else outside listening any more, but he couldn't be certain. "What if it was something that was dangerous? Something that could kill us if we didn't know about it? Hypothetically. Would you tell us then, even if you knew we wouldn't like it?"

"That's not hypothetical at all," Deis scoffed, staring up at the sky. "Nice try, though."

"You're not answering," Ryu said flatly.

"No, I'm not." She finally turned her head around to stare at him, face blank and eyes distant. "And I'm not going to. If you really want to know that badly, you might want to ask somebody with less of a personal connection to all of you. He might be less stubborn about it."

"And if he's not?" Ryu asked, though he knew she had a point.

"Then he's not." Turning away, she began slithering back towards the building. "I'm going to go see how Nina's doing now, like I said I would. Don't follow me."

Every one of Ryu's instincts urged him to yell something after her, but instead he simply turned and walked off, muttering under his breath. Leaving town, he went down to the seaside and spent the day fishing, hoping that the time spent on his favorite hobby would help him relax. Unfortunately, the fish refused to cooperate, and he returned home around nightfall still feeling grumpy with nothing to show for his time.

Neither Nina nor Deis were present at dinner, though Mrs. Rivab informed him that the latter had come by earlier to take enough food for two away. Ryu deliberately avoided talking about the conversation, or about his sudden fears, with any of the others; there was no sense in worrying them as long as there was any chance he was just being paranoid. After dinner, he walked over to sit down next to the statue of Ladon, and he filled the God in on what had happened since last they'd spoken.

"It sounds as if things have been very difficult for you recently," Ladon said once he was done. "You have my sympathies."

"Thanks." Ryu shrugged. "But what I'd appreciate more is information."

"That... is something of a change," Ladon told him after a moment. "In the past, you have always striven to know as little about my side of things as possible, so that it would not restrict your path in life. How did you always put it... ah, yes, 'destiny bullshit,' wasn't it?"

"That was then, and this is now." Ryu shook his head. "Rand's _mother_ was abducted by that walking, talking shitstain. Who knows if she's even still alive or not, but if she is, we have to do everything we can to get her back. _Everything_."

"An admirable sentiment," Ladon acknowledged. "However, it is one that may lead to hasty decisions. Ones that you will be unable to take back, should you eventually regret them. I am entirely certain that this would be one of them."

"So there _is_ something we don't know that you do." Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Something relevant to this current situation. Something about the Church of St. Eva."

"I know much about the Church of St. Eva that many do not," Ladon replied wearily. "I was here when it was founded, remember? I have watched this world for all of these years, unlike Deis. I saw its rise, many centuries ago, and I watched the founding of Namanda as well. I can tell you that neither was exactly like what their current followers believe."

"And?" Ryu pressed. "What more can you tell me?"

"That it was no coincidence that they did so then," Ladon explained. "The world was losing faith in me, Ryu, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Windia had broken away from me completely, and doing so set an example which other countries and Clans proceeded to follow, though none of them had the same, deeply personal reasons for doing so. It was more a general feeling of dislike and distrust for me, and when the Dragon Clan disappeared, well, that was the final straw. My fall from grace left a vacuum in the world, a void of faith that the people strove to fill."

"An opportunity," Ryu said flatly. "You're saying St. Eva saw his opportunity, and he took it. And his only competition was Namanda. A faith without a God."

"If that's how you want to put it," Ladon replied, voice evasive.

"That sounds like _rules_ to me," Ryu growled, staring straight ahead as he sat by the statue's side. "The kind of rules involved in _this_ mess."

"Not everything is about you and your friends," Ladon said, starting to sound irritated himself.

"Then why has everybody been stalking us since we were kids?" Ryu demanded.

"Because _almost_ everything is, but not quite," Ladon retorted.

"Is this one of those things or not?"

"You don't want to know."

"If I didn't want to know why would I be asking you?"

"Because you're feeling overly emotional, and you're making decisions you'll regret later."

"Why don't you let _me_ worry about if I'll regret them?"

"Because you'll still blame me if I do."

"_How the hell do you know I will?_"

"_Because I always get the blame, every time!_"

"_Hey!_" A third voice cut into their argument, and Ryu turned to see Katt standing behind him, arms crossed. Bending over, she dropped her voice to a low hiss. "Are you _trying_ to break the news to all the other guys in town that we talk to a statue, and it talks back to us? Because if you are, you're doing a pretty good job of it!"

"Shit." Ryu stared downstreet, but was unable to see anybody else outside at the moment. "Sorry about that. Thanks."

"Indeed," Ladon agreed, sounding embarrassed. "My apologies. That got out of hand."

"Sounded like it." Katt sat down next to Ryu. "We're all kind of on edge right now. Rand's trying to act casual, but nobody's fooled. Sten's fighting the urge to get all hardcore and practical again. Even Jean's not up to acting like his normal self. And then there's Nina." She sighed. "It really sucks being too dumb to put two and two together, you know?"

"Tell me about it." Ryu chuckled without a trace of humor. "Sometimes it feels like everybody else on this team except for the two of us is _some_ kind of genius. Military, art, logic, magic... _especially_ the magic. Even Niro's an architect, and probably a lot more on top of that, not that we'll ever hear about it." He shook his head. "And here's us, and we can't even figure out what's bothering Nina so much, even though I feel like I should already know."

"Same here," Katt agreed. "She's my best friend, you know? I should know her well enough to figure it out, even if I'm a meathead." She rested her head on his shoulder, and they both fell silent for a while, as the town remained dark and silent under the starry night. Eventually, though, she sighed before speaking again. "She'll still be awake. I know that much. She won't be leaving her room, though. But if you go and visit her, and ask what's wrong... I think she'll tell you."

"Katt..." Ryu turned his head to look into her eyes, glittering and green.

"It's okay," she told him. "You'll just be checking in on her, to see what's wrong, and if you can help, right? That's all. And if anybody else gets the wrong idea, I'll explain it to them. In detail." She raised her head from his shoulder and tilted it back, staring up at the sky the same way Deis had earlier in the day. "Because she's my best friend. And you're... you. And I trust you both not to... do anything, until we've got this mess straightened up between the three of us."

"Katt," Ryu repeated, but this time his tone was more firm. "Thanks. For understanding. I'm... sorry, I guess. For doing this to both of you."

"Hey, hey, don't get all dramatic on me now," she teased, grinning lightly. "Give me a break, Ryu. You didn't do shit to us. This mess happened because _we_ got ourselves into it, just as much as you did. And you know what? I don't regret it, and I don't think I ever will, even if... well." He grin flickered for a moment. "You know."

"Yeah." Ryu slowly nodded. "We _will_ work this out, once all this crap is over with. I promise."

"That, or we'll all die young before then, so it won't be an issue, right?" She shoved him lightly, and it still had enough strength to make him stumble. "Go on, Ryu. She needs you more than I do, right now."

"Katt-"

"_Go, damn you,_" she snarled then, turning away, and after a moment, Ryu did. The building seemed empty as he walked up the stairs to the fourth floor; whether it was, or if everybody was just staying in their rooms, he didn't check. Nina's was the first room up there; reaching it, Ryu only stared at it for a moment before knocking on it.

"Hey, Nina. It's me. Are you all right?"

"Ryu?" She asked after a moment, and then the door opened. She was standing there, and it didn't look like she'd been crying, or getting angry, or anything else he was used to that signified heavy emotions; she just looked exhausted. "I'm fine. I just haven't felt like myself today. Deis brought me some dinner."

"I heard." He nodded, took a deep breath, and kept going. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"What?" She blinked, and after a long moment, slowly nodded. "That would be nice." Turning, she walked over to the window, and Ryu followed her to it. Side by side, they looked out over the forest behind the town, and eventually she spoke again. "Ryu... I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"About Evrai," she explained. "About how we need to get there, no matter what. I think I know a way."

"What's the catch?" He asked immediately, and she giggled lightly.

"Are you _sure_ you're an optimist?"

"Practical optimism is still optimism," he pointed out. "Besides, that's got nothing to do with this. There's a catch, isn't there?"

"Yes, there is." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Considering the circumstances, the only way we'd be able to get onto Evrai would be by air. Flying. And the only thing I know of that can do that... is also somewhat traditional for... my namesakes, under these circumstances. For me, and them, to gain as we come of age."

"The Breath of Wind." Ryu slowly nodded, remembering the books he'd read about the Dragon Wars. "The Wing Clan princesses of both Dragon Wars awakened theirs during them." He frowned. "But didn't you tell me once that the Breath of Wind wasn't working right, any more? Because of interbreeding with the Dragon Clan."

"Yes." Nina slowly nodded. "Even in those few who manage to awaken it, it's too chaotic to be trustworthy now, and most of us don't even have the option, including me. But... I think there may be a way. You could say it's the royal family's greatest secret, for almost a thousand years now. Ever since the death of the Queen of the Sky, our ancestor and my namesake."

"I get it." Ryu's eyes widened. "If it's a secret of the royal family, then for you to use it..." He left it hanging.

"I would have to be openly acknowledged as one of them," Nina confirmed quietly. "As Princess Nina Windia, who supposedly died ten years ago, shortly before Nina Windfree was enrolled in a high-class magic school a quarter of a world away."

"And that... could get tricky." Ryu winced.

"That's a bit of an understatement." She nodded slowly. "And even if we managed it... there would be... difficulties in obtaining the secret."

"Difficulties?"

"An ordeal," she explained. "Something of a ceremony. Difficult, but not impossible."

"Ah." He fell silent then, as did she, and they both watched the night sky for a bit before he spoke again. "I'm not going to decide for you, Nina. I can't. But if you think you can do this... I'll do everything I can to back you up. Everything."

"I... think I can," she whispered, and all of a sudden, Ryu realized that she wasn't telling him everything either, any more than Deis and Ladon had. Unlike them, however, he instantly knew not to try and press her on it; Nina had always been the most fragile of them all, both physically and emotionally, and right now she was only holding herself together on sheer willpower. If he pushed her any further, she would break.

"All right." He took her hand in his, and smiled slightly. "We'll follow your lead on this one, then."

"Yes..." Her eyes sought his for a moment, and then she smiled as well, and though there was still more than a hint of resignation in it, there was resolve as well. "Yes, I can do this. Let's go back to Windia, Ryu. All of us. Sten and Rand both faced their pasts for us. I owe it to them... to you... to all of us to do the same now that it's my turn." As quickly as her sudden burst of resolve had come, it faded, taking her smile with it as she glanced back out the window. "I just hope that I can go through with it, once we're there."

"You can," Ryu assured her. "You will. I know you will. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Nina. And if you need backup... well, that's what we're for, isn't it?"

"Thank you, Ryu." Her hand tightened around his, and for a moment, they started to draw together, before she abruptly turned away. "I'm... I'm happy I met you. All of you, but... you most of all. You changed my world."

"Nina?" He asked quietly, confused and more than a little worried now. "Is something wrong?"

"No." She glanced back at him. "It's just that... I'm glad you came in here to talk to me, but we should probably leave it at this. If we take this too much further..." She blushed slightly, looking down. "It wouldn't be fair. To Katt. Or to us."

"I guess not," Ryu agreed, mentally kicking himself; for a moment, he'd completely forgotten about how complicated the situation was. "I'll let you get some sleep, then. When did you want to leave?"

"As soon as possible," she said firmly. "Time is of the essence. Besides..." She smiled again, and this time it looked more like her usual kind, sweet and sad. "Even if nobody else there takes this well, it'll be nice to see Mina again."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. "You know, it's only been a few months, but it already seems like an entire lifetime since she hired me and Bow to look for her pet. Before we ever met any of you."

"Back when Deis was always trying to get me to sneak out of the Magic School one night and come drinking with her and the two rowdy friends in the Ranger's Guild she was always telling me about." She giggled. "In retrospect, it might be for the best that I never did. That would have complicated the situation when we first met, just a little."

"Probably," Ryu said, smirking as well; they were both still aware of the lingering tension in the air, but pretending they weren't helped a bit. "She told you about us, huh? Good stories, at least? I hope?"

"For a certain definition of good," she conceded.

"Why am I not surprised by this." Rolling his eyes, he turned towards the door. "We should probably get some sleep. I'll go tell the rest of the guys, so we can leave in the morning. Pretty sure they'll all still be up."

"Until then," she said quietly as he closed the door behind him.

"All right," he growled once it was shut. "Whoever's waiting, get up here." After a moment, Rand and Sten both walked down the stairs, and he glared at them. "I'm not even going to ask what you were supposedly doing up there."

"Cool." Sten grinned. "Saves us the trouble of making something up." Noticing Rand's glare as well, he glanced up. "What?"

"You know how you told me to let you know when you said something Katt would kick you for, if she wasn't there?" The big man sighed. "That would have gotten two."

"Never mind that," Ryu said flatly. "We've got a plan now. Tomorrow morning, we're off to Windia. Spread the word, will you?"

"Windia?" Rand frowned for a moment before the light dawned. "I get it. The Breath of Wind! If we can ride one of the Great Birds, we _will_ be able to fly onto Evrai! Good thinking, boss!"

"Thank Nina." Ryu shrugged. "It was her idea."

"Isn't the Breath of Wind kind of... unreliable these days, though?" Sten asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She says the royal family knows a way," Ryu explained, watching their eyes widen. "That's between her and them. I kind of get the feeling Sana and Seso should stay home for this one, though."

"Guess so." Rand slowly nodded. "All right, we'll tell the others. By the way, catch!" Reaching behind him, he tossed a sword through the air, and Ryu snatched it by the hilt.

"What's this?" He tested its balance, and blinked. "Say, this is just as good as that sword I got off the uparupa."

"Baretta and Lemington came through," Sten explained, tossing a new, curved knife in the air and catching it again. "They got one for Jean, too, and a steel battlestaff for Katt. She looked like a kid on her birthday. I scored a couple new knives, myself, and Rand got some knuckle guards."

"Flame-enchanted." Rand bragged, raising his fists to display them; they glinted with a red sheen. "These oughta do some damage."

"Sounds like we'll be ready for whatever it takes, then." Ryu smiled as he walked past them, down the stairs. "I'll have to remember to stop by and pay those two soon. Thanks, guys. See you in the morning." All of a sudden, he felt completely exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally. Everything that had happened that day was wearing on him; all he wanted to do was sleep and try to forget, if only for a few hours, and so he did.

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

In the morning, they Warped back to Winlan, capital city of the northern country of Windia. Built near the top of a mountain, its buildings rested on a series of rising terraces on the south side. To the east was the Windian Chasm, spanning several miles, and to the north the ocean stretched off towards the pole. At the mountain's peak, the castle towered over the entire land, its dungeons burrowing deep into the mountain beneath the city. Surprisingly, despite the northern climate and the approach of winter, there was no snow in the streets just yet.

The higher the level, the more opulent the buildings were, as they grew closer to the palace; even the lower ones were well-built and decorated, tall and elegant. Decorative windmills on rooftops were common, and the colors were all bright, both on the houses and on the clothing of the citizens. Unlike most capitals, it was clearly exclusive to the upper classes, and drifters were discouraged. Ryu had never quite felt comfortable there, for that among other reasons, and the group drew more than a few curious glances as they walked towards the front door of the castle.

"I sent a message to Mina, late last night, using magic," Nina told them all quietly as they approached the stone bridge over the moat, most of them shivering in the cold air; they hadn't dressed for it. "She should be able to get us inside."

"Halt!" One of the guards at the great double doors to the castle called out. "No visitors are being allowed into the castle for now."

"We are expected," Nina said, politely but firmly; she was wearing a cloak across her wings, to hide the color of them. "Princess Mina is awaiting is."

"Her Highness has not told us of any such thing," the guard replied dubiously, narrowing his eyes. "Who, exactly, are you that she is expecting?"

"Okay," Ryu muttered. "Not what we were expecting, but we can-"

"It's all right, Ryu," Nina told him calmly, though her hands were shaking. Still, she looked the guard in the eye. "It's time for the truth to be known. Please inform her highness that Nina is here."

"Nina?" Another guard asked suspiciously, walking up, as the others began to mutter to each other. "That sounds familiar. Aren't you the one who was here back in midsummer? The one who brought her highness through the labyrinth?"

"What does it matter?" Nina asked, voice level, but Ryu could tell that she was starting to lose her nerve.

"It _matters_ because that girl had black wings," the first guard told her, scowling openly now. "And you seem to be going to a lot of effort to keep yours covered. Why is that?"

"There's something strange going on here," the second one agreed. "Even the royal family was acting weird about that girl. It _is_ you, isn't it? What exactly are you trying to-"

"And are our decisions to be questioned by our doormen now?" A cold voice interrupted as the doors opened, and all the guards froze before slowly turning towards the woman standing there. She was an attractive middle-aged lady, her hair dyed a bright pink to match her wings, and she wore a white gown of simple design but expensive appearance. A light golden crown rested atop her head, and her eyes were the same green as Nina's.

"Y... your highness!" One of the guards blurted out. "We didn't mean to-"

"To openly declare your mistrust of us before the entire city?" The Queen cut him off. "At a time like this?"

"No!" Another shouted, as they all went pale. "We didn't mean... we were just... it was an accident! Forgive us, please!"

"Perhaps," the Queen murmured, not sounding convinced. "For now, remain at your posts. I will inform you of your punishment at a later date." She started to turn around, then paused as they all relaxed. "However... should this incident ever repeat itself, you will all be executed immediately." She turned her gaze to Nina. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come with me at once! I am in no mood for further foolishness!"

"Yes, your Highness," Nina said, head bowed. The group followed her inside, and through the castle halls, without another word being exchanged. It seemed that word of the Queen's mood had spread; none of the guards throughout the rest of the ancient stone halls so much as glanced their way. Soon, they came to a private sitting room, and though more guards were posted outside, none followed them in. All the same, Ryu nodded to Sten and Bow, and the two of them both stood at the side of the door once the Queen had closed it.

"Thank you, young men," she said, glancing at them. "This conversation must not be overheard, under any circumstances."

"We understand, your highness," Ryu replied solemnly. "It won't happen."

"I will trust your ability, then." The Queen nodded, and then she turned to Nina, and the cold expression finally left her face. "Nina... it's been so long. Look at you... you've become such a beautiful young woman."

"Mother..." Nina whispered, and then they were embracing, both of them trying and failing to hold in the tears.

"When I received word from the Magic School that you had not returned to them, I feared the worst," the Queen murmured. "But here you are, safe and sound... and with friends."

"They took me in, mother," Nina explained quietly. "I have a place to belong, now. A home, a career... people who I can rely on."

"And yet you return here?" The Queen demanded, anxiety entering her voice now. "After everything you have done, everything we have risked... you come back? After what happened to you before we sent you away?"

"You found the message I sent to Mina, then?" Nina asked, as they both stepped back.

"Of course I did." The Queen shook her head. "The silly girl was never able to keep a secret. As soon as I noticed how excitable she was today... but I never expected this." She lowered her head. "Nina... _why_ have you returned?"

"Is there something I am missing here?" Spar asked politely.

"Later," Rand muttered. "Not the time, man."

"It is a valid question," the Queen disagreed, though she turned to look at a wall. "If you have risked yourselves by accompanying my daughter here, for whatever reason... no. If she has trusted you with her identity at all, then you deserve to know."

Ryu, Katt and Jean all exchanged a glance, but none of them said anything.

"In recent centuries, an unfortunate superstition has cropped up in our country's populace," the Queen explained. "In short, it is believed that the Wing Clan was cursed for amending the laws against inter-Clan reproduction, as was the Dragon Clan. The more superstitious among us believe that when a child with black wings is born, it will herald the doom of the Wing Clan, and that we will soon vanish as the Dragon Clan did centuries ago."

"Okay," Sten growled. "That is officially the stupidest thing I have ever heard, and I once got ordered to attack a fortified position single-handedly."

"To call it illogical would be an understatement so gross as to defy the definition of the word," Spar agreed.

"Unfortunately, such stupidity is no proof against the foolish," the Queen told them. "While black is the rarest color, once that superstition took hold... there have been no recorded incidents of a child sprouting wings of that color. We are not born with them, you see. The wings generally grow around age eight."

"That's _sick_," Rand snarled, eyes flashing.

"I see," Spar murmured. "So, when Nina reached that age... the Crown Princess..."

"At first, we thought that the authority of the royal family would be enough," the Queen said, voice soft. "We declared that anybody found openly declaring belief in the mark of the black wings would be killed. But then..."

"There was... an incident," Nina cut in, and Ryu suddenly remembered the memory they'd seen in Gandaroof's mind. "The woman who had been my nanny took me down into the dungeons... and cut off my wings, claiming it was the only way to save the country without killing me."

"_Shit_," Katt hissed.

"We found her in time to reattach her wings, but it was clear that even we would be unable to protect her," the Queen continued. "So we pretended that she had died, and sent her away. Even at that age, her magical talents were blossoming, and so we enrolled her at the Magic School in Auria under a false name, far enough away that she would be safe. We never had the heart to forbid Mina from seeing her, however, and allowed her to visit on occasion." She turned to face them again, and her face was troubled. "And now she refuses to tell us of what happens when she does, ever since the Joker Gang. Nina, what _has _happened to you? Who are your friends, and what are you doing?"

"Your highness..." Ryu started to say, fumbling for an excuse.

"It's all right, Ryu," Nina told him, straightening her back. "I'm not ashamed of my choices... or of my friends." She looked her mother in the eye. "We're a group of adventurers, mother. Freelance. I've hired on as one of their black mages."

"Freelance adventurers?" The Queen demanded sharply. "You've joined a group of _mercenaries_, Nina?" She glanced at them again, one by one, and this time she was clearly looking them over carefully. Her eyes widened as they fell upon Jean. "You... no, you can't be, and yet... Prince Ekaru?"

"It is indeed I, your Highness," Jean agreed, bowing politely. "Many years have passed since last we met, and yet you are still as beautiful as ever. I assure you, all of my comrades are the finest of men and women as well." He paused. "And Spar, of course."

"Was that truly necessary?" Spar murmured.

"A Grass Man?" The Queen stared. "And..." As her eyes fell upon Deis, her face paled. "_You_. But that means..." She turned back to Ryu, the light dawning in her eyes.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a member of the Windian royal family recognizes me," Deis commented wryly. "I'm afraid it's that time again, your Highness."

"Then... Nina..." She turned back to her daughter, trembling. "Is that why you're here? For the Mark of the Great Bird?"

"I'm afraid so, mother," Nina agreed, looking down. "It was foretold, and now it is necessary. We need the Breath of Wind."

"_Why_?" The Queen demanded. "What could possibly make you so desperate?"

"I'm afraid that's politically complicated, mother," Nina told her firmly, looking her in the eye again. "If we were to tell you, it could compromise your relationship with another world power, one which Windia is on rocky terms with already."

"Politically..." The Queen turned to look at them all again. "Mercenaries... are you the band known as the _Dragonkin_?"

"That's us." Ryu nodded. "I see word really _is_ getting around."

"I..." The Queen's eyes dimmed. "I must... consider this. In the meantime, Nina... your arrival is somewhat timely. We were about to send word, asking you to come here."

"What?" Nina blurted out. "Why would you..." She trailed off, face growing horrified. "It's father, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so." The Queen closed her eyes. "He's taken a turn for the worse, Nina. Our physicians are unable to identify the reason, and even white magic is having little effect. They say... that he'll be lucky to make it to next summer. He wants to see you, Nina."

"Can I?" Nina whispered.

"Immediately." She glanced at Ryu. "I think the rest of you should come, as well."

"As you wish, your Highness," Ryu said, slightly awkwardly, and they all followed the two women back out into the halls and up several flights of stairs. On what Ryu judged to be the top floor of the castle, towers aside, they entered a quiet, out-of-the-way room that turned out to be the royal apartment. Two men were hovering over the bed there, where an elderly man of the Wing Clan lay, dozing, with a crown resting on his head.

One of the men standing over the bed was a middle-aged Wing Clansman, thinning hair and beard the same shocking orange as his wings and eyes. Ryu's own eyes narrowed when he saw the other; he was a cadaverously thin priest of St. Eva, clad in humble brown robes with a circlet of cloth around his head. His hair was unusually shaggy, a dark black-blue color, and his features were almost skeletally gaunt, giving his appearance an unpleasant cast.

"Ah, your highness," he said, turning towards them as they entered. "It's good to see you again. Have you come to pray to St. Eva for his majesty's health?"

"Father Manson," the Queen replied politely. "I'm afraid not. Somebody has arrived who the king wishes to see. If you'll excuse us?"

"I am afraid that is out of the question, your highness." The priest shook his head regretfully. "His majesty and I were in the middle of discussing the possibility of his conversion when he dozed off, and I must be here to resume that conversation whenever he awakens. Unless, of course, you were to order me to leave?" Though he was not actually smiling, his face was so sunken that it looked as if he were grinning through his cheeks.

"Hey, you-" Katt started to growl.

"Listen-" Rand snarled at the same time, only for Sten to put a hand on both their arms.

"Very well, your grace." The Queen inclined her head coldly. "Remain if you wish." She turned to the Wing Clansman. "How is he, Doctor Heinlein?"

"It appears to have subsided for the moment, but the symptoms are not fading," Heinlein murmured, tugging on his short beard. "He sleeps most of the day. I doubt he is in immediate danger, but eventually..." Shrugging helplessly, he looked past her at the guests. "Who are... Princess Nina!" He jumped several feet into the air, eyes widening. "You... you're alive?"

Manson's sunken eyes were remarkably calm.

"It's a long story, Doctor," Nina murmured, smiling slightly. "It's good to see you again." Crossing to the bed, she touched the King's shoulder. "Father? I'm here."

"Nina...?" The King whispered, stirring. "That voice... is it really you?"

"Yes, father," she whispered. "It's me. I've come home."

"You..." The King's eyes opened, and he stared at her in wonder. "You still think of me as your father? Even after... all I've done?"

"Of course I do." She began crying silently again, though her smile remained. "I never blamed you for what happened, father. Never."

"I never forgave myself, Nina..." The King said quietly. "For being unable to protect you. I should have known what that woman would do to you... I should have kept you safe from all of those fools... and all I could do was exile you, from your family and your home. I always thought that you must have hated me."

"You kept me alive, father," Nina told him softly. "How could I possibly hate you for that? Saying goodbye to you and mother, and Mina..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "It was horrible. And my life after that... yes, it was empty and bleak. But I never blamed any of you. And..." She opened her eyes again. "I've found happiness now, father. I've made friends, ones who trust me with their lives, as I trust them with mine. I have a new home, and a life worth living. So please, don't worry about me any more."

"Oh, Nina..." The King whispered. "You've become such a strong young woman. I'm so happy that you..." He suddenly began coughing horribly, a hideous, wet tearing noise that shook the bed.

"Father!" Nina's eyes widened.

"Your Majesty!" Doctor Heinlein leaned forward. "I'll prepare more medicine-"

"Your medicine is worthless, old man," Father Manson interrupted. "You have failed, and admitted it yourself. Only prayer to St. Eva can save his Majesty now." Leaning over, he did his best to look compassionate. "Now is the time to accept the teachings of St. Eva into your heart. For yourself, and for Windia. If your country follows your example, and prays to St. Eva, then God will heal you."

Even as Katt and Rand both started to move forward again, Ryu glanced at them and shook his head, and they subsided, though their glares could have melted steel. Even theirs were nothing compared to Nina's, though; for a moment, he thought that she would incinerate the priest on the spot, before she turned back to her father as his coughing subsided.

"I have great respect for the Church of St. Eva," the King said quietly. "Much good has been done in this world because of your followers. However, I still cannot accept your teachings, or devote myself to your beliefs."

"But why?" Manson demanded harshly, feigned benevolence vanishing. "What possible reason could you have for refusing at this point? Is your hatred of God so great that you would deny his existence, even now?"

"Of course not." The King shook his head. "But if I were to publicly announce my conversion now, then as you have said, many of my Clansmen would follow my example... not because they truly believe, but because I am their King. What sort of leader would I be if I asked them to do such a thing for my sake, and go against what is in their hearts? Faith is a thing that must be decided for yourself, not for another... and certainly not for a dying old man none of them have ever even met, just because he is their King."

"But you will die!" Manson protested.

"That may be so," the King admitted. "But I would rather die as a good King, then live as a bad King. I thank you for your consideration, Father Manson, but I will not make the Church of St. Eva our national religion, and that is final."

"Very well." Manson's eyes almost seemed to draw into his head, as dark as empty sockets. "But you will regret making enemies of our Church, oh mighty King of Windia." He snarled his last words like an epithet as he turned away and stalked towards the door. "Necromanson, Necromanson, Necromanson!"

By the time the team had realized what he had said, and turned to stare, he was gone, but not before Ryu glanced at the Dragon's Tear and saw its oily black color.

"What a dreadful man," the King murmured once the door was slammed. "I need no prayers... my daughter's love is enough for me. Thank you, Nina..." His eyes drifted shut, and he began to doze once more.

"We should go," the Queen said quietly; she'd remained silent for the entire conversation. "We don't want to exhaust him."

"Yes," Nina agreed, though she still waited a few moments more before taking her hand from her father's shoulder. They all walked outside, and sat down in chairs out in the hall, everybody remaining silent until Nina spoke again. "Mother... please don't tell him what I intend to do."

"I won't," the Queen promised. "If he only has months to live, then... yes, it's best that he never knows."

"All right, that does it," Katt said firmly, meeting Nina's eyes. "I hate to jump in here, but I think we're all missing something, and the more I hear about it, the more I don't like it."

"Agreed." Ryu nodded. "Just what is this secret, Nina? What are you going to have to do, in order to awaken the Breath of Wind?"

"That is also something you have a right to know," Nina admitted quietly. "Ryu, you read an account of the Second Dragon War recently. Did they mention the fate of our ancestor, the Queen of the Sky?"

"No, it didn't," Ryu said, frowning. "It said that the Hero of the Dragons married her, and became Prince Regent when they ascended the throne, and it went into some detail about their children... but it never said what happened to either of them."

"There is a reason our Clan turned from the Dragon God," the Queen explained, closing her eyes. "When your ancestors married, and set a precedent for both their Clans, they defied Ladon's advice, and he warned them that one day, a price would have to be paid. In the Queen of the Sky's fortieth year, the Dragon God came to her, and told her that that account was due. She went with him, into the royal family's crypt, beneath the palace... and Ladon entombed her within a statue."

"_Alive?_" Bow yelped.

"Yeah." Deis scowled. "When I heard about that one... well, now you know why I'm not too happy with the old man these days."

"When her husband learned of this, it was already too late," the Queen continued. "It is said that his wrath shook the earth, and when he had exhausted his initial rage, he publicly denounced Ladon to the world before leaving Winlan, alone and on foot. None know where he went from there, and when the Crown Prince had ascended the throne, he turned from Ladon as well."

"Damn," Ryu whispered, staring at his hands as so much that had been unclear in the past suddenly made sense. "_Why?_"

"It was to preserve the Breath of Wind," Nina said, quiet but firm. "Ladon knew that one day I would need to awaken it, and that by their actions, our ancestors had ensured that I would not be able to do so on my own. The Queen of the Sky's soul still dwells within the statue, or so it is told, waiting for the one who will come to her one day and free her from her duty, by taking her Breath from her and adding it my own."

"And what exactly does that entail, _mademoiselle_ Nina?" Jean asked, unusually blunt.

"I will have to go into the royal family's crypt, and confront my ancestor," Nina told them. "To fight her, alone, to the death."

* * *

"Nina?" Mina's voice came from behind the door of the guest room, followed by a light knock. "Are you there?"

"Mina?" Nina glanced up from the note she was writing, and quickly slipped it into a book on the writing desk. Rising, she opened the door and was immediately hugged, which she returned, quietly noting that she no longer had to bend over or crouch down to do so. "You've grown taller."

"I know!" She smiled, briefly excited. "It's been happening a lot in the last few months! Maybe soon, I'll almost be as tall as you!"

"As Katt, maybe," Nina teased gently, releasing her and stepping back. "It's good to see you again. I was wondering when you were going to come find me."

It was nighttime now, many hours since she'd told her friends just what she would have to do in order to awaken the Breath of Wind. Most of them had had objections, of course, but before long Ryu had decided that they would talk about them in the morning, when they actually went down into the crypt; until then, he'd told them, there was going to be no more talk of "business" for the rest of the day. Nina had been grateful for that; the more the issue was discussed, the more likely it was that one of them would pick up on what she'd left out.

Instead, they'd accepted her mother's hospitality for the night. For obvious reasons, they couldn't exactly attend the formal dinner with her and Mina, but the Queen had had the same dishes served there brought to the guest rooms they'd been given, and everybody had enjoyed it, though none of them were in the mood to talk much. This far north, it was readily apparent that winter was nigh, and that the first snow was expected any day now; it was almost as if their mood was reflecting that cold gray wind and sky, due to everything that had happened, and was still happening.

"Mother wouldn't let me until most of the rest of the castle was asleep," Mina explained, pouting. "She even posted guards outside my rooms with instructions not to let me out! I'm sorry, I knew I should have hidden the note better, but I was just so happy when you said you would be coming back home, even if it's not to stay."

"I thought you'd be glad to hear that," Nina replied, smiling slightly for a moment. "Ryu and Bow and Deis and Jean were all wondering where you were. They've all been looking forward to seeing you again."

"Deis?" Mina blinked for a moment before smiling again. "She's joined your group too? That's great, Nina! Ever since Ryu said that you were looking for another black mage, I was always hoping she'd be it! Do you have a full team now, then?"

"At the moment, that seems to be the case," Nina replied evasively; fortunately, Mina didn't seem to pick up on that.

"I still can't believe Prince Jean joined you, too," she said, smile widening. "I'll bet that helps you when it comes to getting jobs."

"We try not to bring it up, actually." Nina smiled back again, happy for something else to talk about. "I'm surprised you even remember him. You were barely more than a baby when he used to visit us here. You are going to stop by and see the rest of them, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Mina nodded quickly. "You were first, that's all."

"Good." Nina dropped her smile then; there were other things to talk about, and they weren't pleasant ones. "You didn't tell me father was so ill."

"I was going to," Mina murmured, looking down at her feet. "But I just couldn't... it didn't seem right to write it in a letter, instead of telling you personally. I was just getting ready to make another visit to you, and tell you then, when your message came." She met Nina's eyes. "Nina... he can't die. He just can't."

"I hope he doesn't," Nina agreed noncommittally; she'd seen enough of the world, and of how it worked, that she had no illusions about her father's mortality, but she also knew that pointing this out to Mina would be the worst thing she could do. "I really do. But Mina... if he does, just if... you need to be there for mother. She'll be the Queen Regent until you come of age. She's going to need all of your help for that."

"What?" Mina frowned, eyes darting up. "But you said you were going to stop all the lies, Nina! That you were going to ask mother and father to acknowledge you again, and tell everybody you were their daughter!"

"I was, and I am," Nina said quietly, resigning herself to what couldn't be put off any longer; she'd been able to hide the true nature of her impending sacrifice from the others, but Mina, like her mother, would know already. "Tomorrow, mother will receive me in front of the court, and reveal the truth to them all... because it will be necessary, in order for me to go to the royal family's crypt. To undertake the ordeal awaiting me there."

"What?" Mina couldn't have looked more stunned if she'd tried. "Nina, you... what are you _saying_?"

"I'm saying that I'm _that_ Nina," she whispered, and for the first time she actually _believed_ that, understanding and accepting everything it implied without a trace of the skepticism she'd always directed towards what they'd called "destiny bullshit" in the past. "And Ryu is _that_ Ryu, and Deis is _that_ Deis, and she always was. You haven't seen her since she joined, have you? She's taken to her normal form now. I'm sorry, Mina, but it's true. It's been a thousand years, and it's _that_ time again... and our family has been preparing for it ever since the previous one."

"You're going down there?" Mina said, still frozen. "You're going to undertake the Ordeal of the Queen of the Sky? _Why?_ Why would you _do_ that, Nina?"

"Because." Nina took a deep breath before continuing. "Because my friends need the Breath of Wind. They need the sky. They need to fly. And I'm the only one who can give that to them. Mina, our enemies... I can't tell you who they are, but they've taken Rand's mother. There's no way we can get to them except by flight. It's the only way. And we _have_ to stop them, Mina. If we don't... then _they_ won't stop until the world is theirs to destroy." The urge to tell her, to warn her that the Church of St. Eva were the enemy rose suddenly, but she managed to hold it back, as she had with her mother.

"Isn't there any other way?" Mina murmured, pleading. "What about them, Nina? How do you think they'll feel once they realize what you've done?"

"They'll never forgive me," Nina admitted. "But it's the only way, Mina. It really is. Both because of my destiny, _and _because of what's happening, here and now, with us. They'll never forgive me, but they'll go on. Deis is a better black mage than I could ever be, so my absence from the group won't change that much. And..." She closed her eyes before continuing, her heart frozen and still. "With me out of the way, Katt and Ryu will... that won't be a problem any more, either. I'm sorry, Mina... but I have to."

"No!" Mina suddenly glared at her through her tears. "No, you don't have to! That's what everybody always says! Mother and father said they _had_ to send you away! You always told me you _had_ to pretend you weren't my sister any more! And now you're telling me you _have _to give up your life, and become a Great Bird, even if that means you'll never be able to turn back into _you_ ever again! You _don't_ have to, Nina! That's not the way it works!"

"It does," Nina whispered, tearing her eyes away; she couldn't bear to meet Mina's any more. "That _is_ the way the world works, Mina. It's hard and it's harsh and it's cruel and it doesn't make sense, and it's the way it works, and nobody can change that. Not any of us in this world, or any God or Goddess in it either. Sometimes there just aren't any happy endings, and even if there are, sometimes they're not as happy as they seem. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Mina just stared at her for a moment more, and then she turned and bolted from the room, tears streaming behind her as she ran, without another word.

"I'm sorry," Nina repeated quietly. "I'm so sorry." After another moment, she returned to her desk and pulled the note she'd been writing out again. It still wasn't finished, and she had many more to write, one to each of her closest friends in the world.

It was the only goodbye she would be able to give them.

_IN RESTLESS DREAMS I WALKED ALONE _


	30. Chapter 28: The Sacrifice

_**Chapter 28: The Sacrifice **_

"So, what are the rules on this thing, anyways?" Katt asked Nina as the group walked through the halls of the castle's bottom floor, towards the east side, with the Queen leading the way and a line of guards on either side. "Are we going to just have to wait out here for you, or what?"

After breakfast had been brought to them, the Queen had called the group to the throne room for the morning audience. Mina had not been present. There, before the entire court, the Queen had announced the truth of Nina's identity, and formally recognized her as the Crown Princess and heir apparent to the throne of Windia. The court had exploded, unsurprisingly, but as soon as the Queen announced that she would immediately be undertaking the Ordeal of the Sky, it had gone deathly quiet. Nina only hoped that none of her friends would realize why.

For their part, most of the rest of the team had remained at the very back and stayed silent the whole time; calling attention to themselves was the last thing they wanted, and most of them seemed to feel somewhat awkward about just being there. The only exceptions were Jean and Deis, who had come up in turn to corroborate the Queen's words; Jean about Nina's identity, and Deis about her decision to undertake the Ordeal. After that, Nina had declared her intent to do so immediately, and so they'd departed, and were now approaching the entrance to the royal family's crypt.

"No, I only have to enter the actual crypt alone," Nina explained. "It's all right if I'm accompanied through the catacombs leading up to it. Actually, I'll probably need your help there. The sentry gargoyles are rather unpleasant."

"Sentry gargoyles, huh?" Bow grunted, clearly unimpressed. "Figures." As always, he was keeping up a facade of detached amusement, but he couldn't quite manage to hide the worry in his eyes; he was concerned about something, but didn't seem suspicious.

"Yeah, saw that one coming." Sten shrugged. "There's always _something_. We'll handle it. You save your strength for when you have to go solo." Unlike Bow, his relaxed attitude was probably genuine. To the cynical Highlander, this would be just another unpleasant part of the job that couldn't be avoided, and nothing more.

"Thank you." Nina smiled, fighting a brief flash of shame over the fact that she was still deceiving them, still not telling them just what it was that her choice would result in. It was necessary, though, and so she hid her guilt and kept her composure. "That would be the preferable course of action. I would have asked, but I didn't want to seem lazy."

"Nonsense," Spar assured her. "It's simply the best strategy, is all." As emotionless as always, its thoughts were a mystery to Nina, but she didn't mind that; it was simply Spar's way, and she'd grown to accept that from the Grass Man.

"We are professionals, yes?" Jean nodded. "We understand these things." Jean, as always, was unchanged and unchangable; it was a rare occasion that his constant cheerfulness was ever replaced by any other emotion, and even then it rarely lasted long. He was just as serious as everybody else about the situation, of course; it was simply that he believed that at least one source of constant optimism was important for the group as a whole.

"I suppose so, yes." Nina nodded. "Thank you, all the same."

"You truly have changed," her mother said quietly as they approached the barricaded door to the catacombs; two guards were standing side by side in front of it, pikes held at their sides. "You've grown up so much, Nina."

"I had to, mother," Nina replied, refraining from elaborating more; the two of them were the only ones present who knew the truth, and she wasn't entirely sure her mother understood why she was keeping it from her friends.

"I know," the Queen agreed. "But still..." She trailed off, then sighed and stood before the guards. "Open the door. My elder daughter, the crown princess, Nina Windia, will now undertake the Ordeal of the Sky as was foretold a thousand years ago."

"Yes, your majesty," one of the guards said as the other began undoing the bolts and locks; by their lack of surprise, it was probably safe to assume that word of the announcement had spread to them both already.

"Good." She nodded. "Have you anything to report before she proceeds?"

"Only one thing," the other guard replied. "That man who you have authorized to visit the royal family's crypt any time he wishes did so last night. He has not yet come back out, and so he is probably still in there."

"What's that all about?" Katt asked, looking puzzled. Much like Jean, her upbeat personality remained unchanged by the somber tone in the air. It remained a mystery to Nina how she could be so cheerful about life in general, considering how dismal it had been from what she knew of her past, but as always she was was grateful for that quality of hers; it was one of the reasons Katt had become her best friend in the past few months. "Or is it some kind of state secret or something?"

"You could say that, but we've all met him before," Nina explained; there was no point in hiding it now. "The old hermit in that cavern in northern Sima. Martin. It took me a while to realize it, but I remember seeing him come here to go into the crypt when I was a child."

"Is that so?" Ryu said, eyes narrowing. "Well. Isn't _that_ interesting." He had been one of the most taciturn of them today, almost as much as Rand, and unlike the big man, that was unusual enough to be noticeable as a sign of his mood. Whether he suspected something, or simply didn't like what he knew of what she would have to do, was up in the air; the dichotomy between his and Nina's mind wasn't quite as large as that between hers and Katt's, but it was close, enough so that his thought processes were often a mystery to her. That, of course, was part of why she was so strongly attracted to him.

"I doubt it's going to be a problem," Nina told him, idly wondering why she was focusing so much on how her friends were acting today before it suddenly dawned on her; this would be the last day she would be among them as one of their own, and she wanted to remember them as they were because of that, so that she always would.

"And if it is, I'll deal with it," Deis added. The sorceress had been calmly observing her all morning, a question in her eyes, and with a flash of insight, Nina realized that _she_ would almost certainly know the truth as well. She hadn't told the others, though; if any of them knew, there was no way they wouldn't be calling her on it. Which meant that Deis probably intended to do so herself later, and probably in private.

"We gonna go down there, then?" Rand asked impatiently. Despite the gravity of the occasion, and his recognition of how much it had cost Nina to come back here, he was still maintaining his barely-concealed, continual anger over his mother's disappearance. Cynically, Nina couldn't stop herself from wondering if he would even complain, were he to know about her plan, before cutting herself off; Rand was a good man, even if they weren't as close as some of the others, and he deserved better than that.

"Might as well." Ryu nodded, leading the way in, and the others followed him, Nina hanging back even more than usual.

"I'll see you when you return," her mother said simply, and Nina inclined her head towards her before descending the stairs behind the door.

Situated on a mountaintop was it was, Windia Castle had a massive network of basement tunnels beneath the building. These were separated into two unconnected halves; the east side contained the famous labyrinth dungeons, whose cells held prisoners as well as access to the great bridge spanning the Windian Chasm on their eastern border. The west side was devoted to the equally labyrinthine catacombs leading to the massive crypt of the royal family, filled with the remains of millennia of Nina's ancestors.

"So, how long until we start running into these sentry gargoyles?" Katt asked, voice echoing around the dark and dusty tunnel; fortunately, it seemed somebody had lit the wall torches recently.

"We'll probably start seeing them on the second level down," Nina replied as they approached a staircase leading down. "Just ignore that one, it's a dead end. We want the second staircase. Anyways, they all have patrol routes, so hopefully we'll only run into a few of them."

"That doesn't make much sense," Sten commented, frowning. "If there's only one way down, why have them patrol passageways that are dead ends?"

"Because there _is_ more than one way," Nina explained. "We're taking the easiest one, is all."

"As long as you know the way, that's fine with me." Bow shrugged. "Although I would kind of like to know just which one of your ancestors thought all these mazes were a good idea. Nothing personal."

"I was never really a fan of them either," Nina agreed, following them down the next staircase. Now the tunnels began growing more complicated, turning and branching often. "All right, the trick here is to keep turning right."

"Sounds easy enough." Ryu nodded, then paused as a gargoyle stepped around the corner straight ahead of them. "Well. Except for that." It was almost as tall as Rand, though not nearly as bulky, its stone muscles more lean. Hands and feet were all clawed, like those of a bird, its wings were broad and batlike, and its face bore a hideous fanged beak. Seeing them, its green eyes glowed, and gray stone morphed into leathery red flesh. Beak gaping in a silent snarl, it lashed out with one clawed hand, pinning Ryu to the wall.

"Oh, no you don't, asshole," Katt growled, leaping into the air and dealing it a vicious crack upside the chin with her new battlestaff. Swaying on its feet, it dropped Ryu and turned on her, only for the swordsman to remove the offending limb with a swift slice. Reeling back, still silent, it was about to rush again before a crossbow bolt slammed into its right eye, and it collapsed. The red coloration faded, as the magic animating it departed with its life, and it crumbled into a pile of rubble.

"Nice shot," Ryu told Bow.

"Fairly routine." He shrugged. "Wasn't sure if it would work, since they're not technically alive, but it looks like it did."

"Interesting magic animating them, though," Deis commented as they proceeded. "Mind if I take the next one? I want to get a good look at it."

"I'll hold it down for you," Rand offered, and she gave him a look that Nina could tell wasn't entirely teasing; even in her true form, her face was the same, and Nina had known her long enough to know the difference between a smirk and an actual smile.

"Well, aren't you gentlemanly today? I appreciate it."

"No charge." He actually smiled back, even though it looked slightly strained due to his mood, and Nina mentally resolved to talk to Deis about that later tonight. As if on cue, at that moment another gargoyle stepped around the corner. "There we go. All right, come here, you." Stepping around the others, the big Farmlander ignored its claws raking at his chest; they failed to penetrate the strange stone armor he'd bought from Baretta and Lemington. Seizing its wrists in his own massive hands, he slammed it against a wall before delivering a headbutt, dazing it. "Go ahead and get a good look."

"All right," Deis said, stepping up and examining it.

"Uh..." Sten scratched his head. "Guys, not to be down on the higher arts or anything, but is this really the time for an extended analysis?"

"It's fine," Nina told him; it was nice, seeing just how far the group had come in such a short time. More than once, she'd seen Ryu smiling quietly and saying nothing as he'd watched them work, and she knew the reason for that; it was pride in the group he led, how well they'd learned to work together, and how formidable they were when they did. Thinking of it, she glanced at him now and saw him doing exactly that; catching her eye, he winked, and she smiled as well.

"I do not wish to intrude, but there is another one approaching," Jean pointed out, gesturing down the hall with the point of his rapier as a second gargoyle crept around the same corner as the one Rand was holding. "Shall we deal with it?"

"Nah, we've got this." Deis glanced up at Rand. "Thanks. Think you could throw it?"

"Sure," Rand grunted, hefting the struggling gargoyle up over his head before turning and heaving it into the second one. "Your turn."

"Oh, yeah." Grinning wickedly, she raised her cane, and a gray cone of wind descended upon the gargoyles. Unlike a natural tornado, it only turned its fury upon those it actually touched, and the group was completely unaffected, far enough away that they didn't even feel a breeze. The gargoyles were less lucky; gravel sprayed from within the spell wildly, and when the air magic faded no trace of either one remained. As always, Nina could sense that it was better than any tornado she could create; Deis had always outclassed her, even back in the Magic School.

"Nice work," Ryu told them both, and they nodded in unison. "All right, let's keep going."

"It should be just around the next turn," Nina told them, and indeed it was. Descending the stairs, they stepped into a wide room with five tunnels stretching off ahead of them, side by side. "On this floor, the trick is to always take the one in the center."

"If you say so." Katt grimaced. "I don't know how you keep all this straight. I might be able to remember _one_ floor, but more than that? Not a chance."

"I've had a lot of time to learn it," Nina told her, glancing at Deis. "Out of curiosity's sake, what was your opinion on these?"

"The technique's interesting, but these are a sloppy example of it." She snorted. "It's elementary stuff. A third-year student back in Auria could duplicate the technique. Stone to life, and nothing more. If somebody actually talented got a hold of this kind of magic..." She shuddered as they made a right turn.

"Bad?" Sten asked.

"Worse than bad," Nina said, shaking her head. "I came to the same conclusion a couple years back when I thought about what I remembered of these things. It had been a long time, but when I combined my memories of them with what I'd learned in the Magic School, it seemed to me that I could do a lot more with the animation magic. For a while, I wondered why the royal family kept it a secret, until I realized that if it got out..." She left it hanging, glancing at Deis.

"If either one of us, or either of you, tried doing it..." She inclined her head towards Bow and Rand. "Once we had the knack down, we'd probably be able to create gargoyles that could slay demons."

"Yeesh." Bow made a face. "Okay, no. Just no. If _that_ kind of thing got out, there's no telling where it would stop. We'd better keep quiet about this."

"I am not quite sure I see the problem, _mon ami_, but if it is that important, I will consent to this necessity, yes?" Jean nodded.

"Yeah, we know how to keep our mouths shut," Ryu agreed as they walked into another room with multiple tunnels and chose the middle one again, despite the gargoyle advancing down. "Here comes another one. Who wants it?"

"Our turn." Sten glanced at Jean, who nodded, and they advanced. "Spar, you in?"

"As we are the only three who have not yet, 'got one,' that does seem appropriate," the Grass Man said, nodding. As Sten blasted it in the face with an atmospheric detonation, Spar seemed to concentrate on a patch of mold growing on the wall near the floor. Rippling oddly, the mold suddenly grew further and spread underneath the gargoyle's feet, causing it to slip and fall on its rear. Before it could get back up, Jean was there, skewering it through the heart with one expert thrust. The gargoyle turned to stone, and he pulled his rapier free without any trouble.

"Does anybody else ever wonder if maybe we've gotten a little too cavalier about this kind of thing?" Bow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really." Sten shrugged as they kept going. "It's all part of the job, you know?"

"One nice thing about all of us having seen a lot worse, I guess." Ryu chuckled dryly. "None of this really gets to us any more." They made a left turn, and then emerged into another room of tunnels.

"Center again," Nina told them, and they proceeded, emerging from it into a larger cavern. Unlike the rest of the catacombs, it looked natural rather than manmade, a crude stone path leading across an underground lake with torches set into pillars on both sides. On the plus side, there were no gargoyles. "All right, this is the entrance to the crypt."

"So you have to go it alone from here?" Katt asked as they walked across. "What happens if anybody else comes in with you?"

"I'll fail the Ordeal," she explained. "The statues simply won't respond, and I won't be able to receive the Breath of Wind."

"Statues?" Ryu frowned, then blinked as they grew closer to the back of the cavern. "Oh." At the end of the path, standing next to an iron door, was a gigantic humanoid statue, shield in one hand and sword in the other, clad in plate mail with vast wings spreading from its back. "You're not going to have to fight those, are you?"

"Only the one inhabited by the Queen of the Sky," Nina told him. "And that one's scaled more realistically."

"One statue, huh?" Katt grunted. "All right, but just be careful. I know you're tough, but one-on-one isn't really your thing."

"I'm aware." She nodded. "I've been preparing, and I've watched how all of the rest of you fight physically. I think I'll be able to pull it off."

"She used the rapier, yes?" Jean inquired. "It is not as powerful a weapon as many others, but still deadly in skilled hands. Ah, if only I could undergo the Ordeal for you. To duel such a legend would be a thing I would remember all my life."

"I appreciate the thought, but this is my ancestor, and my choice." Nina took a deep breath as they approached, steeling herself for what was to come. It was the only way; she'd come to terms with that back in Hometown, before they'd even come. "And this is my Ordeal to face."

"Sounds like you've made up your mind, then." Deis gave her a direct look. "Just keep that in mind, and you'll be able to pull it off. If she gets you on the defensive, you'll get creamed, but it goes both ways; she's all offense. Keep casting on her, and she'll go down. And whatever you do, _don't_ let her get above you."

"I'll remember that." Nina nodded as they reached the statue. "Thank you." Staring up at it, she swallowed, then stepped forward, heart beating loud enough that she was almost surprised it wasn't echoing in the cavern. "My name is Nina Windia, crown princess of our land and our Clan. I have come to undertake the Ordeal of the Sky."

"Nina..." A deep, echoing voice came from the statue's face. "Yes... you are of the royal family. Has the time come, then?"

"It has," Nina said, trying to appear more determined than she actually felt. "I am the one for whom the Queen of the Sky has been waiting. I am ready to meet her, and to take up her burden."

"That remains to be seen," the statue told her, still unmoving. "Hear me, Princess. Only those of our family may enter the crypt of the royal family, and in these circumstances, only you may proceed to face the Ordeal. All others must remain here, even the Sorceress of Wisdon."

"I wondered about that," Deis muttered under her breath.

"About what?" Rand asked her, just as quietly.

"Never mind. It's not important."

"They know, and accept this," Nina replied, ignoring that despite her own curiosity as to why the statue was so specific, and why Deis had expected it. "I will enter alone, and face the Ordeal alone."

"Now, hold on here." Ryu raised his voice, and they all turned to stare at him as he glared up at the statue. "I'm descended from the Queen of the Sky too. Where's that leave me?"

"Normally, you would be allowed to enter," the statue replied after a moment. "However, the Ordeal must be faced alone."

"And after it's over?" Ryu pressed. "What about after she finishes? Can me and Deis come in and meet her in there, once the Ordeal's finished?"

"That is acceptable," the statue said after remaining silent for several moments. "I will inform you when the Ordeal has concluded, so that you may retrieve her... unless she fails, in which case there will be no need to take her body from its resting place with the rest of our family."

"That will not happen," Nina vowed, though her heart had faltered for a moment at its words. "I _will_ triumph."

"Then go, and prove your words," the statue boomed, and the door slowly slid open of its own volition.

"I'm off, then." She turned to face them, and everybody's face was solemn now, even Jean's. "I suppose I'll see you when I'm done."

"Win this," Ryu told her gravely, and she smiled quietly, resisting the urge to kiss him; it would just make it harder for him, and it wouldn't mean anything after tonight, not to mention how it would probably hurt Katt to see. Still, a selfish little part of her continued to think that if the Woren girl was going to get him in the end, one or two last kisses shouldn't be begrudged, and she had to fight to keep that impulse down.

"I will," she said instead, forcing a smile she didn't feel, and then she turned and flew through the door, into the crypt.

The land of Windia had existed beyond recorded history. More than three thousand years of kings and queens, princes and princesses were entombed within the crypt, new hallways added whenever more room was needed. Lining both sides, coffins topped by memorial statues cast in their features, they watched Nina walk past in silence, cold stone faces impassive.

"Nina..." A ghostly voice whispered in her ear, and she tensed up, almost dropping out of the air. "Nina, why are you here? What are you doing?"

"I am undergoing the Ordeal," Nina replied, not stopping, not even turning her head; she knew there would be nothing there. "It is my destiny, and my fate."

"You came for the Breath of Wind?" Another voice hissed harshly. "You, little girl? Don't be so cocky! You think you could defeat the greatest hero our Clan has ever known? You, a hired mage? A killer for money? You could never do it!"

"Shameful, that our line has fallen so low," yet another voice agreed. "A mercenary? The Crown Princess, the heir to the throne, living such a life? You dishonor us all with your very existence, and now you claim to be the destined one your ancestor has suffered so long for? Give it up, and go back to your petty little life with your fellow thugs! You're unworthy of being part of our family at all, let alone of the Breath of Wind!"

"You're wasting your breath, you know," Nina said calmly, despite her automatic instinct to shrink away, to turn around and go back. "I overcame all of those doubts long ago. My friends are good people, all of them, even those with sins in their pasts. If you're trying to get to me that way, you might as well just stay silent. It won't work, and neither will trying to make me doubt myself. I know how to keep going, no matter how much I do."

"Your will is strong," a voice said after a long silence; rather than anger, this one carried with it a tone of sympathy and sorrow. "But that can blind you as well as it helps you. Your will is the only thing carrying you forward at this point, is it not? You don't _want_ to do this, but you force yourself to continue anyways, because you think it's the right thing to do. But Nina, you know the price. If you use the Breath of Wind, you will lose yourself. Your sentient mind, and your memories of your life... they will be gone forever, and you will be nothing more than a bird!"

"I am aware," Nina said clinically, continuing onwards despite the way her heart faltered at the thought. "It is not a choice I enjoy making, but it is necessary, and it was fated. Ever since I learned of my destiny, I have prepared for the possibility of this coming to pass. Now the time is here, and the legend is true. This is the only way."

"Then you intend to throw away your life?" Another voice asked. "Everything that you have lived for? You will forget your family, your friends... even the man you love. You'll lose everything, Nina!"

"If you can never return to your normal form, your state of mind... isn't that just like dying?" Yet another voice asked sympathetically. "You're sacrificing your life, Nina."

"I am." Nina nodded, wings continuing to carry her forward towards the door at the back of the main hall. "For my friends... and for all the world, that will be lost to the demons if we do not succeed. So it was fated, and so it shall be done. I am ready."

"Ready to give up, and become nothing more than a mere bird?" One last voice asked softly as she entered the doorway, fading away behind her. "I see. Then goodbye, Nina Windia. Whether you succeed or fail... today is your final day."

The room at the end of the hall was small and simple; there was enough room to move around in, but little more. Its only feature was the statue at its center, one unlike the others; this statue was of a strange suit of plate mail, slim and thin, including a pair of steel wings. Its rapier was held before it in both hands, and its winged helmet looked upward towards the ceiling. As she floated towards it, the old man standing before it turned to meet her eyes.

"So, you've come," Martin said quietly. "I was afraid you would."

"Deis told you, didn't she?" Nina guessed, floating down to the floor next to him. "When we came back to Windia. She knew why."

"One of the things I filled her in on when she woke up," Martin conceded. "Look, Nina. I don't know _why_ you're here, why you're so desperate. I'm really, really hoping Ladon doesn't have _anything_ to do with this. But whatever it is, it's still your decision. You don't have to do this. You can turn back. It's up to you."

"They have Rand's mother," Nina told him quietly. "And I find my father's sudden illness to be highly suspicious. This isn't about fate, greatfather. If fate was all it was, I'd gladly turn my back and never return. I'm here because our enemies have done everything they can to ruin our lives, for as long as we _have _been alive in at least one case, and probably more. For what they did to Ryu, and to Rand, and to all of us... we _have_ to stop them."

"Then this isn't about saving the world," Martin said grimly. "It's personal. And it's about vengeance."

"Yes." Nina continued to meet his eyes, unflinching, as her sense of doubt finally, actually vanished. "I'm no hero, greatfather. None of us are. Ryu's been saying this the entire time, and he's right, about all of us. I'm not sacrificing myself for the world. I'm doing it for my friends. So they can escape this destiny bullshit, as we put it, and finally have a chance for a normal life again, like we thought we all did before Ladon started speaking to us. And yes, so that they can find the demons responsible for all of this, and deliver the appropriate amount of payback."

"Good," Martin grunted, and smiled bitterly when she blinked. "Did you think I wouldn't approve? Maybe we called ourselves heroes, but that was just for the public relations value. So we would inspire everybody else to follow our lead and stand up against the Dark Dragon Empire. When you get right down to it, I was in it for two reasons. To find out what happened to my sister, and to get payback on the Empire for everything they did to me. Personal reasons. If you were here just because destiny said so, you'd never be able to pull it off. But if this is heartfelt for you, if it's personal... you'll be able to back it up. I know you will."

"Thank you, greatfather." Nina nodded slowly. "Is that why you're here? To make sure I knew what I was doing?"

"Not really." Martin shook his head, looking up at the statue again. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see that. But the reason I'm here is to say goodbye. When Deis told me the day had come, I dropped everything and came here to see her, one last time, before it happened."

"She's conscious?" Nina's eyes widened. "Already? But that means..." She trailed off, horrified.

"That she always was?" Martin slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'm afraid so. She's been conscious for every single second of every single year since that bastard Ladon did this to her. That's why I always came here, every year. To see her. I'd have stayed all year long, but we couldn't take it. Either of us. We just couldn't." His hands began to shake.

"Indeed we could not," another, female voice agreed as the statue's head tilted downwards to look at her. "And so, for nearly a thousand years now, I have awaited your arrival, alone in the darkness. I have protected the Breath of Wind within me, within this statue, all for you. I am Nina Windia, Guardian of the Wind. And now you come to claim that Breath, and I will ask you again. Why are you here? Why have you come?"

"So that my friends and companions will be able to find the truth," Nina said calmly as Martin stepped back, out of the way. "So that they can put an end to this demonic conspiracy, and take back their lives. In order for that to happen, we must have the sky. I need the Breath of Wind."

"I see," the Guardian murmured, strangely metallic tone echoing through the room, as color began to infuse its metal surface, just like the gargoyles. Slowly, gray turned to pink and white and blue and gold, as it lowered its rapier slightly. "Then your goal is to save the world from these demons you speak of?"

"If that is what it takes." Nina nodded slowly. "Yes."

"If that's what it takes?" The Guardian said harshly. "Don't make me laugh. Do you intend to save the world, or not? Yes, or no? Do you think you can actually do it? Do you believe Ladon's words? In this 'destiny bullshit' you so despise? Do you _believe_, Princess Nina Windia?"

"I don't know," Nina answered honestly, looking downward. "I still have trouble believing that somebody like me could be the one the legend speaks of. I just don't know if I could ever actually live up to that." She raised her head again, and locked her eyes with the statue's visor. "But know this, greatmother. For the lives of those I love, I am willing to take the risk of being wrong. I'll do anything in order to free them from these chains of fate. Whether it's real or not, the demons will never leave us in peace unless we destroy this conspiracy of theirs. I will do whatever it takes to make that happen."

"Fine, then." The Guardian took one hand from its rapier, and raised the blade in a salute with the other. "Then come, and show me your resolve firsthand!" Without another word, its metal wings began to beat, and it rose into the air before lunging forward.

Nina was ready for the lunge, and for what would follow it; she'd seen enough of Jean's fighting style to be able to predict it. What she didn't expect was just how _fast_ it would be; even as she dove to the side, snarling the words of the spell she meant to counterattack and block with, she saw the lunge turning into a sideways swipe. For a moment, she almost thought she wouldn't be in time, that she would die within the first few seconds of the fight.

Thankfully, she was wrong. The spell formed, as frigid energy coalesced into a floating head formed of ice with identical faces on both sides. Appearing between them, it blocked the rapier before opening eyes and mouth on the side facing the Guardian and releasing arctic winds, cold enough that ice formed on the statue instantly, covering its surface and freezing its joints. It hesitated, and Nina seized that moment to try and put more distance between them.

"Running away already?" The Guardian asked derisively, spinning and planting an armored foot in her chest that slammed her back into a wall. "Your will is strong, but your heart is weak! You're lying to yourself, Nina Windia!" Flexing its limbs, it charged straight towards her, ignoring the ice.

Nina chose to respond with actions, rather than words. Standing her ground, she whispered the words of another spell, and summoned up a pyramid of flames straight in the Guardian's path. Four spheres of magic appeared and filled the space between them with roaring fire, but no statue emerged, and Nina's eyes shot skyward.

"Trying to crack me with temperature shock?" The Guardian said, hovering above her; it had blasted upwards, avoiding the spell entirely. "Did you think I've never seen that trick before? You're a fool twice over, then!" Gripping its sword in both hands, it descended like a thunderbolt.

_"Whatever you do, don't let her get above you." Deis warned her, in the tone of one who had seen what would happen to those unfortunate enough to do so many times over. _

"Oh, damn," Nina whispered, as death descended on wings of steel, melting ice dripping from it as the heat and light from the flame spell bathed it from behind. There was no time for casting any more spells, or for any attempts at dodging. All she could do was raise her focusing ring, the only thing she had even resembling a physical weapon. Instead of the carefully shaped, formed and controlled spells that were her preferred means of attack, all it could do was release small blasts of power, but it could do so on the spot, without any casting time. Now, it did so even as the blade fell, and though it could not halt it, its course was slightly altered.

Instead of plunging straight through her skull, it simply skewered her left arm, from the shoulder down.

Screaming wordlessly in agony, Nina jerked back, and the rapier slid back out with a hideous slithering noise. Landing on its feet, the Guardian stalked forward slowly, and Nina suddenly realized that it was no longer taking her seriously. It already believed the fight had been won, despite her escape from the killing blow, and intended to finish her off immediately. With that realization came a flash of shame and anger, and she choked off her shriek of pain, stumbling back up to her feet and then into the air.

As the Guardian's visor followed her, she unleashed spears of lightning; unlike the usual method, in which the bolts were kept vertical and scattered across a wide field, she turned them to the diagonal and plunged them all into the armored statue from multiple angles. This finally produced a noticeable effect; the statue writhed, though its steel shape refused to actually crack; the ice had all been melted, and its temperature apparently normalized. Still, it hesitated, and Nina flew backwards in the air further, putting more distance between it and her.

Seeing this, the Guardian spread its wings and launched itself straight at her, in a swooping maneuver that a normal Wing Clansman never would have been able to pull off. In response, Nina created another freezing head, only for the Guardian to swerve over it easily and dive upon Nina, rapier slashing down for the kill.

"Did you think I would fall for that again?" It demanded. "Thrice a fool!"

"Gotcha," Nina managed to grit out between clenched teeth, clutching her ruined arm, as the face on the back of the head opened its maw and froze the Guardian. Though it didn't stop, its movements were slowed enough for Nina to detonate the air directly below her own feet, blasting herself upwards and out of the way with much more speed than her wings could normally produce by themselves.

"Still running away!" The Guardian shouted, slashing upwards at her and clipping her legs. As she stumbled, its left hand thrust out, and burning pain shot through her stomach. Staring down, Nina saw its source; a slim hilt protruding from her belly, dripping blood. The Guardian had concealed a knife, and thrown it, and now it was blasting up towards her again. "Still a coward at heart! Stop lying to yourself, and admit your own weakness!"

"Never," Nina hissed back, pain giving way to the cold black rage of killing intent. The flaming pyramid spell would be dodged just as easily as before, and it was likely the lances of lightning would be avoided as well now that she had seen the spell. There was only one way to win at this point; a spell she had never been able to cast before, but that she had seen Deis do recently. At the time, it had driven home just how inferior she was to the Sorceress of Wisdon, but now... now, performing it was the only way not to lose everything. Everything she loved, and everything she lived for.

Another air detonation drove her back against the wall, out of the way of the Guardian's rising slash, and it halted above her before descending, rapier gripped in both hands once more. Nina watched it come, as she whispered the words of the spell, and summoned up one last burst of sheer willpower. Her mind and her words gave it shape and form and flame, as three volcanic hands rose from the floor, seized the Guardian, and carried her away to smash her back down to the stone.

"You..." the Guardian's voice whispered, as it struggled to rise again, then stopped. Piece by piece, section by section, the full-body plate mail shattered, revealing the woman underneath. She was of the same age as Nina's mother, and like her, appeared to be holding the worst effects of elderhood back, but only barely; still, her features remained slight and cute, almost pixielike despite the wrinkles and wear. Slim and short, she wore a blue leotard and headband; her hair was trim and cut in a strangely triangular style, gold and silver mixed, and her wings a pure, vibrant white.

Most noticeable of all, however, was the fact that she flickered oddly in the air, fully visible one moment and transparent the next.

"She did it," Martin said quietly, walking over to crouch next to Nina. "I told you she could."

"Indeed you did, and I agreed." The Guardian smiled, raising a hand, and a flood of healing magic poured out from it, completely soaking Nina's body. It was more than she'd ever seen Bow or Rand or even Ray produce at once, and a strange sensation in her guts caused her to look down and see the knife actually being forced out by the regeneration of her flesh. Within seconds, both it and her arm were fully recovered.

"Sorry about all that crap I was giving you," she continued as Nina looked back up and met her eyes, a bright sky blue. "I kind of had to play the bad guy, and I'm not really suited for that, so I went a little over the top. It wasn't any fun for me either." Now that she was out of the armor, everything about her had changed; voice, mannerisms, tone and attitude were those of a much younger girl, one who still saw wonder and beauty in everything she encountered in the world... or perhaps of a woman who'd somehow managed to never stop.

"So..." Nina murmured. "You really are... my greatmother."

"I am." The Guardian slowly nodded. "And you... you freed me from my imprisonment. Thank you, Nina. This is yours, by right and by reward." From the scraps of armor, a piece of paper flew out, blown as if by a breeze, and Nina caught it out of the air. On it was the emblem of the house of Windia, in black ink. "This is the Mark of the Great Bird, in which my Breath of Wind was sealed. Take it to the top of the ceremonial tower at the moment of dawn, face the open sky and touch it to your forehead, and it will become yours."

"Thank you." Nina slipped it into a pocket of her robes and stood again. "You know... I always wondered, but... we don't really look that much alike after all."

"Do you really think so?" The Guardian tilted her head to the side, still smiling cheerfully. "I think we do. Not in the eyes, I'll admit... but the rest of the face... I can see it. I wish I had time to meet your sister, too."

"It's time, then?" Martin asked quietly, walking towards her. "So soon?"

"It's been nearly a thousand years, my love," the Guardian replied, though she seemed unable to look at him now. "Since we fell in love, and weakened both the Breath of Fire and the Breath of Wind as a consequence of our actions. We were warned, and yet we would not change our minds... and we knew today would be the day." She glanced at Nina again, eyes sympathetic. "Our time is past, but these young ones... the path they will take is still in question. Are you really going to do it, Nina? Are you willing to permanently become a Great Bird, for the sake of your friends?"

"Yes." Nina met her eyes, and now all her hesitation and doubt was gone. "For the people I love... for the man I love, the friends who are like family to me now, and the family who I left behind years ago... yes. I will do what I must."

"Before I go, then," the Guardian said softly. "I have but one more question for you. Can you ever forgive me, for the choice I made that forced this fate upon you? For knowing that it was wrong, to love a man of the Dragon Clan, and doing so regardless? For dooming our Clan to the loss of the Breath of Wind, and you to that which awaits you tonight?"

"How could I not?" Nina smiled sadly. "I would be the world's greatest hypocrite if I did. After all... I love a man of the Light Dragons as well. When you get right down to it... I'm doing this for him. So he can have the life he's always dreamed of."

"It always seems to happen that way." Martin shook his head. "Between the man named Ryu, and the woman named Nina. Your friend, Katt... it complicates matters. But you, and him... and me, and her... and the crazy old tramp, and the girl he refuses to talk about... and maybe even further back than that."

"Crazy old tramp?" Nina repeated, raising an eyebrow; despite the gravity of the situation, she couldn't help but comment on that.

"Long story," the Guardian told her, shrugging. "But he has a point. Beyond that, even further back than them... back beyond recorded history... there's something there, that only Deis and Ladon know, that influences us all. And yet... I can't force myself to regret it. Any of it. Even after a thousand years. Thank you, greatdaughter... for understanding." Turning to Martin, she reached her hands out and embraced him, as he did to her. "It's time."

"All right," Martin whispered, before leaning forward and kissing her, as she did to him. Together, they stood their in the center of the room, locked in each others' arms, for a moment that seemed like an eternity. And then she began to glow, brighter than the sun, and still Martin stood there unflinching, though Nina was forced to shield her eyes. Soon, all too soon, the light faded... and then both Martin, and the Guardian, stared in disbelief as she remained in his arms, made flesh and blood once more.

"What..." She whispered, awestruck. "What?"

"What?" Martin said, just as stunned. "What..."

"In all things, I have always done what was necessary." A new voice suddenly filled the chamber, and all of their eyes looked upward towards the ceiling as a hole in it opened, bathing both Martin and the Guardian in sunlight. "Never have I liked doing so, but always I have, because somebody must, and always have I been despised for it. I have done what was necessary here... but never was it said that it was necessary for this to be the end. I do what I must... but the choice of _what _is necessary has never been mine."

"Ladon...?" Nina whispered, recognizing it.

"Always, there is a choice," Ladon continued, voice still disembodied. "And a choice made for love is the strongest of all. Such a choice as that is beyond even the laws of magic. For that choice... I will give much of what little power remains to me gladly, for never did I enjoy what I had to do. I know that it is not enough, not nearly, to gain me forgiveness. But I give it regardless, not for redemption... but because despite how bound by fate and destiny the nature of my very existence is... I, like you, am still a being with thoughts, and feelings, and emotions."

"It's not for the big picture, then?" Martin said quietly, voice burning with anger still, as he glared up at the ceiling. "Not even slightly?"

"No," Ladon told him firmly. "This is for you, and for you. Nothing more. You are neutral, and you will have no impact on what is happening in this world, here and now. Had you taken my side, or that of my enemies, I would not have been able to do this. But because you will refuse to take part in the unfolding of this story, until your dying breath... I can give you that which is meaningless to the world, but of immeasurable meaning to you. To one man, and one woman, and nothing more. And for what it is worth... I still remain truly regretful that this came to pass in the first place."

"Your regret means nothing to us," the Guardian told him, voice empty and bleak. "For what we have both endured, we will never accept your apologies, or your decisions. And yet..." She bowed her head, resting it upon Martin's shoulder, as did he upon hers. "This choice of yours, and this alone... we understand."

"Then that is enough," Ladon said, his voice fading away. "We are done, then, you and you and I. The slate may never be even, or clean, but let it begone. It is over, now at long last, and I wish you luck, though you will never wish me the same."

Without a word, Nina slipped away, leaving the two of them there alone in the room, locked in each others' embrace, heads upon each others' shoulders with their eyes closed, standing in the sunlight.

For some strange reason, she found herself crying, and she honestly had no idea whatsoever as to why.

* * *

The rooms they had been given in the palace were the most opulent Ryu had ever lived in, even outstripping those they'd received both in Simafort and Highfort. At the moment, though, he didn't really care, which would have been an alien concept to him less than a year ago. He'd changed a lot in the space of six months, he mused as he lay on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. They all had, Nina as much as any of the others.

When he and Deis had gone into the crypt, they'd found her floating back out to meet them, apparently unscathed. He'd had his doubts about that, but what had caught his attention were her eyes; there was something different about them now, a cold, hard resolve that hadn't been there before. As happy as he was to see that, having always worried about that aspect of her personality, it was more than a little disquieting as well. He knew there was something she wasn't telling him about her plan, something he was missing, but he couldn't place it.

Once they'd returned to the palace proper, Nina had informed them of the plan to awaken the Breath of Wind tomorrow at dawn. This caused a certain amount of grumbling from certain quarters, but nobody had actually complained, which meant Ryu hadn't had to put his foot down. Strangely enough, Deis hadn't been among them, which was more than a little suspicious; she was one of, if not _the _latest riser among the group.

Nina had asked to speak with her mother and father again, this time in private; Mina had apparently locked herself in her rooms and refused to come out, something else which Ryu found disquieting. The younger sister was a good friend of more than half the group, and at least an acquaintance of the rest; he'd expected her to come by and see them by now. If something had happened to her, he was sure somebody would have told them, so it was simply another mystery on top of many others that made the current situation suspicious.

The rest of the group had spread throughout the palace and the city then, once it was apparent that they had the rest of the day off. Ryu had mostly drifted around, though he made sure to keep an eye on everyone else. By doing so, he noticed that Nina was spending time with those among the group she was closest to; roof-hopping with Katt, painting with Jean, and sharing a bottle of wine with Deis. Each time, however, he only found out after the fact; by the time he found them, she was always gone, and all three seemed as troubled as he, though none could say why.

In the end, he didn't see Nina again until dinner, which they'd had in a private dining room again. The Princess seemed to be in unusually good spirits that night, yet another thing which he found unsettling, considering how somber she'd been for most of their return to Windia. He didn't call her on it, though; it was obvious that she wanted to enjoy the night, and he wasn't going to take that from her. Everybody else seemed to have the same thought in mind; even Rand was able to put his anger aside, and they'd all simply enjoyed each others' company in a way that was still surprising to Ryu after how long it had been just him and Bow.

A knocking on his door drew his attention away from his recollection of the day. Standing, he walked over and opened it, glad that he hadn't undressed just yet. Nina was standing there, in the blue dress she normally wore under her enchanted robes.

"Hello, Ryu." She smiled slightly, though her eyes remained distant. "Would you mind if we talked for a bit?"

"Not at all." He shook his head. "Where did you want to go?"

"Is the balcony down the hall all right?" She asked. "I know it's getting cold out, but I've always liked it."

"It's fine." Ryu nodded, reaching up behind the door and pulling down a jacket that had been left there by the staff. Pulling it on, he followed her out to the balcony. "To be honest, I'm surprised _you're_ not cold in that. Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I'll have you know that of the women in this group, I'm by far the most conservative dresser, with or without our armor," she replied calmly. "Besides, I grew up here, remember? I'm used to cold weather. My first summer in Auria, I thought I was going to burst into flame."

"That _would _be pretty bad, wouldn't it?" Ryu chuckled. "Hadn't thought of it that way. I'm lucky, I guess; Gate was kind of in between the two. When I came up north, yeah, it was pretty cold in winter, but not _too _much worse than I was used to. The same with Aurian summers. I think Bow had it worse than either of us for those."

"With his fur?" Nina winced. "Most likely." She fell silent then, staring up at the night sky, and Ryu remained quiet as well; he had the feeling she was trying to work herself up to something, and didn't want to push her. Eventually, she spoke again. "Do you ever wish things hadn't changed, from those days? That we had just gone on living our lives, the way we normally did back then, instead of getting mixed up in all of this?"

"Not really," Ryu replied honestly, shaking his head. "I'll admit that a lot of what's happened hasn't really been pleasant, and I'm looking forward to the day we can put all this destiny bullshit behind us. But the thing is... for all that that's sucked, it's brought us together, too. If none of this had happened, I never would have met you, or Katt, or any of the others. One of these days, we'll get through all of this, and when we do... we'll still have each other. We'll all finally have a place where we belong. That makes it worth it."

"I suppose it does," she agreed wistfully. "Rand and Jean are the only ones who really had that before joining up, aren't they? None of the rest of us did. And now we do." She glanced at him, green eyes still bearing that same strange resolve. "We've changed, haven't we? Only a few months ago, we were wondering whether we should even admit the destiny bullshit even existed or just ignore it. Now we're charging at it with everything we have, and we're not going to stop until it's all been played out."

"Maybe we're growing up a little." Ryu shrugged, then smirked. "Okay, no, I can't keep a straight face while saying that. Not if I'm talking about Bow and Katt and Jean." He dropped the smirk then. "Maybe that's just how bad it's gotten, then. We can't just pretend we don't know what's happening any more. Whether we like it or not, the destiny bullshit is going to keep on screwing up our lives, until we put a stop to it. If the only way to get out alive is to play along with the script until the final act's over, that's just what we'll have to do."

"My ancestor said something about that, too," Nina told him quietly. "She asked me if I had the guts to actually come out and openly claim intent to save the world. To call myself a hero."

"And what did you say?" Ryu asked, just as quietly, as they continued looking into each others' eyes.

"I told her that if that was what was necessary, then I would do it," Nina said, calm and cool. "I couldn't claim I would enjoy it, though. Or be proud of it. But if that was what I needed to do, then I could."

"That's what it really comes down to, isn't it?" Ryu slowly nodded. "If we go through with this, and word gets out, we'll probably get called heroes, too. And we won't actually deserve that. But if that's what we have to do, well... it won't be anything even close to the worst that's happened to us because of this destiny bullshit. We can live with it. And when we're done, we'll put it behind us, just like everything else."

"Do what we must today, so that we won't have to tomorrow." Nina smiled, slight and sad. "The story of this year, in a nutshell." She bit her lip. "Listen, Ryu..."

"Yeah?" He asked, gently, after she trailed off.

"It's nothing." She shook her head. "Forget it. Just... would you kiss me? Just one more time?"

Ryu didn't bother responding with words. He took her in his arms, and as she wrapped hers around him as well, they brought their lips together like they had once before. The taste of lavender was still there, but the feeling of delicate weakness had changed; her body was still as frail as ever, but something in her spirit had grown tougher, and it was reflected in the way she felt in his embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered after a moment that seemed like forever and was far too short at he same time. He released her, and she drew back, closing her eyes and looking away. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Nina..." Ryu raised a hand, but she was already gone, walking back inside to leave him alone on the balcony. Glancing up, Ryu realized that the first snow of winter had apparently started falling several minutes ago, without either of them noticing; the snowflakes were drifting gently downward over him and the balcony and the mountainside below. He stayed out there for some time more regardless before turning in, his thoughts troubled, resolving that the next morning he'd ask her to tell him whatever it was he was missing, no matter what it was.

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

When a familiar scream rang through the air several hours later, he jerked bolt upright; it was Nina's voice. Before he could run outside, however, something else caught his attention; an envelope with his name on it that had been slipped under his door. More importantly, it was Nina's handwriting on it.

"What's going on?" He muttered, scream and envelope both entirely incomprehensible to him in his groggy state. "Why would she leave..." The answer struck him like a thunderbolt; the only reason she would leave him something like this would be if she wouldn't be able to tell him it in person. The scream forgotten, he dived out of the bed and snatched the envelope up, almost ripping it in half in his haste to get the note inside out and over to the moonlight shining in the window.

_Ryu, _

_ By the time you read this, I'm afraid it will be too late. I will already have become the Great Bird, and because of the weakened state of the Breath of Wind, I will be unable to change back, ever again. Please don't hate me, even if you can't forgive me, for deceiving you like this. I had to. For you, and for our friends, and for my family, and for the world. Only a descendant of the Queen of the Sky can inherit her Breath. It's the only way. I enjoyed our time together in these past few months more than any time in my entire life. Even more than when I was a girl still living in Windia. _

_ I've written letters like this to all the others, so I won't need to ask you to tell them anything I'm not telling you. Though I will always love my father and mother and sister, I love all of you as family as well. You've become a second family to me, one I love as much as my first, and I will do whatever I must to free you from fate's control of our lives. More than any of them, though, I love you, Ryu. I wish I could have kissed you more often. I wish we could have done more than kiss. I wish I could have... no. Enough. _

_ The only good thing about this is that I'll be out of the way of you and Katt. I think that's what's been hardest on all three of us, with me and her being best friends, and you being... what you are to us, and us to you. I hope you'll always love me, even when I'm a bird, but I know you love her too, and... I hope you both have a long, happy life. I'm trusting you to do that, Ryu. You, and her, and the rest of you. Win this. Break free of the destiny bullshit, and live a life worth living. And if you can... always remember my name for me, even after I have forgotten it. _

_ Once more, I love you. Goodbye. _

_ Nina Windia _

"Shit!" Throwing his clothes on in record time, he burst out of the room at the same time as Katt, who was holding a similar piece of paper crumpled in her fist.

"What the _hell_ is this?" She snarled, whirling towards Nina's open door without even seeing him, as the others began piling out, some still groggy, others alert and angry. "What do you freaking _mean_, 'it looks like you win'? _Huh?_"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Deis yelled back, appearing in the doorway of Nina's room. "None of that matters now! It's gone! The Mark of the Great Bird is gone! Somebody took it!"

"What?" Ryu shouted. "Who would-"

_Only a descendant of the Queen of the Sky can inherit her Breath. _

"Oh, Ladon," he whispered, as the zenny dropped, and he realized why Nina was already gone. "_Mina._"

"We need to get up to that tower!" Deis whirled towards the end of the hallway. "Now!"

* * *

Despite her best efforts, Nina found herself unable to sleep more than a few hours that night, and even those were uneasy. The rest of the time she simply spent tossing and turning before eventually giving up and rising; she supposed it wouldn't make much difference in a few more hours anyways. She tried various things to distract herself; reading a book, sketching something, or just looking out the window and counting the stars. Every time, she always found herself going back to pacing restlessly around the room. Thus, when she heard a knock on her door, shortly before dawn, she answered it almost immediately, grateful for any sort of distraction.

"Hey, Nina," Deis said, looking outwardly calm, which was more of a giveaway than any outward display of emotion; Deis _never_ looked cold and quiet under normal circumstances, at least not without enough sarcasm to drown a whale. "Can't sleep, huh?"

"Nerves," Nina admitted. "It's more surprising that _you_ can't than me, really."

"Hilarious." Deis rolled her eyes. "For your information, I conked out early tonight to make sure I'd be up before anybody else. Mind if I come in?"

"Not at all." Nina stepped back, and the snake-woman slithered into her room. Not for the first time, Nina idly noted that she'd adjusted to her friend's nonhuman form with surprising readiness; it just seemed natural for her, and that helped smooth over the strangeness of seeing her without legs now. "What's going on?"

"I thought we should talk a little more, before you go through with this," Deis explained, closing the door behind her and sitting in a chair, most of her tail curling up below it. "Listen, Nina. Are you absolutely sure this is the right thing to do?"

"I am," Nina replied, sitting down next to her. "I wasn't until today, but when I faced my ancestor, I realized that I would have to be. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do it."

"That doesn't sound very good to me, Nina," Deis said, shaking her head. "Let me put it another way, then. Are you sure you _want_ to do this?"

"I-" Nina started to respond, then paused, before lowering her head. "No. No, I _don't_ want to do it, Deis. It's the last thing in the world I want to do. I don't _want_ to become a bird for the rest of my life, Deis. I really don't. It scares me to think about it, and... it hurts, too. I'll never be able to look at any of you the same ever again, or speak with you, or... or anything that I enjoy doing."

"Then why?" Deis asked gently, no judgment or accusation in her voice, just curiosity. "Why are you doing this, if you feel that strongly against it?"

"Because I have to," Nina explained. "Because it's the only way. There's no other way we'll ever be able to get onto Evrai, especially now that Ray's turned against us. And we have to do that. Both because of Rand's mother, and because that's where our enemies are." She raised her head again, and met Deis' eyes. "That's where they always were, weren't they? The Church of St. Eva has been the problem the entire time. You've always known, but you never told us, because you knew we wouldn't believe you until we saw their corruption with our own eyes. Especially Ryu, and Bow, and Katt."

"You've been putting a lot of things together today, haven't you?" Deis murmured, sounding impressed if not quite approving. "How did you figure _that_ one out?"

"Once you consider the possibility, everything makes sense," Nina said simply. "Those three were, up until recently, true believers, however inconsistent they were about actually attending services. And then there was our friendship with Ray. There was simply no way you _could_ tell us. But everything that's happened recently, that fourth Demon Lord who was here most of all... it's so _obvious_, in retrospect. And you know about things like this. It's part of being who you are, isn't it? Being the intermediary between us and Ladon."

"Now _that's_ impressive." Deis raised an eyebrow. "Not even anybody from your ancestor's team figured _that_ one out, let alone any of the ones before them. Yeah, that's pretty much what it comes down to, in the end. I don't know _everything_, of course; Ladon makes sure to leave out anything I'd consider over the line, so by the time it happens it's too late for me to stop it. That's why I'm worried about this. Because I don't know what's going to happen, and every time that happens, it's always something bad."

"Worse than me turning into a bird permanently?" Nina asked, smiling sarcastically; she knew this wasn't the time for black humor, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Point." Deis shook her head. "But I just can't shake the feeling that he's up to something. Listen, did anything happen down there? Anything I wouldn't expect?"

"Well." Nina hesitated before slowly nodding. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know if you did or not, but... my ancestor, the Queen of the Sky... the last Nina Windia... she's alive again, Deis. Ladon gave her her body back, once she'd passed the Breath of Wind on to me."

"Well," Deis echoed, after a long period of silence, staring straight ahead. "Interesting. I wish I _had_ known that that was going to happen. But that's not quite what I'm thinking of. Look... I know this is going to be kind of insensitive, but can I talk... you know... mechanics, here? About how it all works, even if it makes destiny bullshit seem _nice_ by comparison?"

"Deis." Nina gave her a direct look. "That's _why_ we're friends. Because neither of us gets emotional about things like that very often, if we have any choice in the matter. I'll grant you that Sten and Spar are better at it than either of us, but them aside, we're better at that than any of the others."

"Yeah, okay." Deis sighed. "It's just... this gives _me_ the creeps, you know? Talking about our _lives_ this way." She took a deep breath before continuing. "All right. There's something going on with numbers, all right? It's like this. There are nine of us, this time. Niro doesn't count, since he's not a fighter. Last time there were eight. The time before that, it was seven. And the thing is, Ladon might plan to screw us all over and claim it was the only way, but he _never_ plans to mess with that number. If _we_ screw up, and die in a fight, that's one thing, but something like this? Deliberate? No. It's not his style, and it's not his pattern."

"You mean, me leaving the team?" Nina frowned. "But then why would he set this up in the first place? This one can't be the demons. He put the Queen of the Sky in that statue deliberately in order to prepare for this day."

"I know." Deis scowled. "That's what's pissing me off. He's up to something, and I don't know what."

"I'm the only one who _can_, though," Nina told her. "Aren't I?"

"No..." Deis' eyes suddenly widened. "That's _it!_ Damn that old snake! Where's the Mark of the Great Bird? Where did you put it?"

"In my dresser," Nina said, confused. "Why does it..." In an instant, she realized the Sorceress' meaning, and her heart froze in horror for half a second before she bolted from her chair to check the top drawer of the dresser, where she'd put it.

The slip of paper with the Mark of the Great Bird on it was gone.

"_NO!_" Nina screamed, involuntarily, as she whirled around, her thoughts so disoriented that she tried to run and fly at the same time, and ended up flinging herself flat on her face. As she pulled herself back up, she saw Deis rising as well, and heard the others outside start to yell. Fortunately, she managed to beat the Sorceress to the door; otherwise, Nina probably would have simply crashed into her without even noticing.

As she rushed out of the hallway of their guest rooms, she heard the others piling out into it as well, and Deis shouting back at them, but Nina had no comprehension of just what it was that any of them were saying. Her mind was blank, and her senses numb; everything was focused on the single, overriding need to get to the ceremonial tower before it was too late, a thought that flared in her mind, burning away anything else that threatened to distract her even slightly.

Before dawn, the only other people in the halls were startled guards, until she finally reached the ceremonial tower after a few minutes that seemed like an eternity. There, something finally penetrated her mind; her father was there, sitting in a wheelchair, with her mother behind him. Despite his obviously poor health, his eyes held both a great sadness and a great resolve, as did her mother's, though in her case it was more of the former and less of the latter.

"Nina, wait," he said as she pulled at the door; it was locked, and neither of them would have found that odd, if they'd been waiting for her before opening it. "I know that you feel this is your duty, but-"

"There's no time!" Nina sobbed, panicked, as she flew back and raised one hand. "Get back!"

"Nina?" The queen gasped before throwing herself before her husband as Nina blew the door off its hinges with a fireball. "Nina, what on-"

"It's Mina!" Nina screamed as she continued onward, up the stairs. "She stole the Mark of the Great Bird! She's up there!" Without waiting for their response, she flew up the stairs, all four flights, and emerged atop the tower. There, a smaller room stood on the roof, four tall walls covered in windows, with only a single door. A double door of lost technology, of metal and electricity, that was now closed tightly. Nina threw herself at it, but it refused to budge. "Mina! I know you're in there! Open this door immediately!"

"Nina?" Her sister's voice came from the other side, soft and afraid. "You're here... thank you. I'm glad you came... so I could say goodbye to you."

"No!" Nina backed up, leveled her hands, and blasted the door with electricity, but the massive slabs of steel were only slightly scorched. "You're not doing this, Mina! I won't let you! Open this door!" She summoned frost, but the door repelled that as well; something in the technology kept it from icing over. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Nina, please," Mina kept saying, apparently ignoring the sounds of the magic. "Just listen to me, all right? I know, I don't have any right to ask anything of you, after the way I treated you, but please."

"Just open the door!" Nina focused her concentration, whispered the words, and summoned the massive hands of flame, but even they failed to do any more than blacken the surface of the towertop. "Why are you doing this, Mina? _Why_?"

"Because," Mina told her from behind the door, as Nina sagged back to the floor, defeated; none of her spells would be able to budge it. "Because I didn't know anything, for so long. I never understood anything. I didn't want to. I refused to understand, on purpose."

"Is she in there?" Katt demanded as she rushed out of the tower, effortlessly carrying the King's wheelchair in front of her. When Nina nodded, she set it down with a grunt before rushing the door. "Sorry about the roughness, your Majesty, but I gotta get this thing open!" Charging the door, she slammed into it with a spin kick, only to rebound, hissing in pain. "Shit! What's this thing _made_ out of, huh?"

"Katt?" Mina said, sounding startled. "You're there, too? Is everybody else?"

"We're all here, Mina," her father called, before breaking down in a coughing fit as the Queen and the rest of the group began pouring out onto the roof.

"Father..." Mina murmured. "Then mother is there, too. I'm sorry, to both of you, too. For all the horrible things I said to you, over the years, about what you both did to Nina... I never understood how much it had hurt you both, how much it cost you. How you did it to save her life, because it was the only way you could. I didn't understand anything."

"We never blamed you, Mina," the Queen replied with a desperate, deliberately enforced calm. "Please, come out here, and we can talk."

"I was so _stupid,_" Mina suddenly hissed, her voice breaking, tears audible even if they couldn't see her. "I was such a _child_. Why couldn't I understand? Why didn't I realize just how much your wings endangered you, Nina?"

"She's not opening it!" Ryu yelled. "She's made up her mind!"

"Then we'll have to open it for her!" Rand roared, charging like a bull with his head down. The huge Farm Clansman's massive body slammed into the door, shaking the entire tower, and then he fell back, dazed. "Ugh..."

"That thing's even thicker than the one we had back in Highfort," Sten growled, staring at the door. "No force field, but I don't think it _needs_ one."

"All I could think about was my own selfishness," Mina continued, still ignoring all the noise. "I just wanted my sister back, and when I couldn't have that, I refused to let myself understand why. But now I know better. I understand that, and so much more. I _know_ who you are, and how important what you're doing is."

"That doesn't matter!" Bow yelled. "Dammit, Mina, none of us want you to do this! Why do you think Nina didn't tell us it would be permanent? She knew we'd never agree to it!"

"I never should have told you, either!" Nina sobbed, rising and slamming herself at the door again; if Katt and Rand had both failed, she knew she didn't stand a chance of budging it, but logic didn't matter. "What are you saying, Mina?"

"No, you were right to tell me," Mina said slowly. "If you hadn't, and you'd turned into the Great Bird... I would have stayed like that, all my life. Stupid and selfish and childish. But when I calmed down, after last night... I started thinking, and I wanted to know _why_. So I found out, and I realized just how important all of this is. Why you were fighting against demons. That it wasn't for the money. That it was to save the world."

"It's not more important than you are, you silly girl!" Rand bellowed. "Stop it! We'll find another way!"

"There _is_ no other way," Mina said, an edge finally coming into her voice. "Ladon himself foretold that the descendant of the Queen of the Sky would become the Great Bird, and the heroes of destiny would fly on its wings."

"Its wings, daughter!" The King shouted. "Its, not _hers!_ Did you really think I would let either of you make this sacrifice? My own daughters? Never! My life is at an end in this body anyways! If anybody would..." He started coughing again.

"Of course!" Deis snapped her fingers. "_That's_ what the old snake planned! Listen to him, Mina! You're not the one, and neither is Nina! You never were!"

"Thank you, father," Mina whispered. "But you, and mother, and Nina have all suffered enough already. I was the only one too childish to realize that. I can't ask you to give your life up for me. That's why I made a deal with him. With Father Manson."

"_What?_" Half the people on the roof roared.

"He told me that if I took my sister's place, that St. Eva would heal my father, even if he refused to convert," Mina explained. "You'll get better, father. You'll live, and so will Nina. And now that she's been acknowledged, she'll be able to come back home. And she's _strong_, now. Strong enough that nobody will ever be able to hurt her because of the color of her wings, ever again. You'll be able to have your life together, as a family, again."

"Mina..." The queen whispered. "We... we can't..."

"We don't want that if you won't be with us!" Nina shrieked, stumbling back away from the door. "You're my sister too, Mina! We love you, too! If you don't want us to suffer any more, don't do this to us!"

"Out of the way!" Deis shouted, and Katt jumped forward to pull Nina away. The Sorceress raised her staff, eyes grim, and a blinding flash of light appeared before the door, too bright to look at. As they all jerked their eyes away, there was a detonation that rang their skulls, even from that far away, with its loudness. But when they looked back, though the top of the tower was cratered before the door, it itself was still standing, as were the walls around it. "Damn it all! Damn this technology, damn the past for creating it, and damn Myria for bringing it to this world in the first place!"

"I'm sorry," Mina said, once the noise had died down. "But I've made up my mind. I have to do my part to save the world as well. For my family, and my friends. For all of you. But I'm not strong, like you are, Nina. Like any of you. I can't destroy your enemies with magic like you or Deis. I can't keep you alive like Bow or Rand. I can't fight things like Ryu or Katt. I can't do any of those things, let alone all of them, like Sten and Jean and Spar. But all of you can do these things. You're strong, unbelievably so. You can save the world, for mother and father, and everybody else. That's why I want them to stay, to live in that world... and I want all of you to save it, together."

"_Enough!_" Ryu roared, and everybody moved further back as he transformed into a dragon of flames, and blasted the door with everything he had. But even that failed, and he soon turned back, collapsing to the floor, exhausted and defeated. "Damn it... Mina, please, don't do this!"

"Was that the Breath of Fire, Ryu?" Mina asked, sounding sad now. "I always wished I could see it, and now I never will. Please... if you can forgive me, even a little... when I become a bird, come fly with me some time, like our ancestors did. I can't love you like Nina does... but you're like a brother to me, now. If I could have a brother, who would come flying with me sometime... I think I'd like that, even if I was just a bird."

"Listen to us, please!" Jean begged. "_Mademoiselle _Mina, this is foolishness!"

"And Prince Jean..." Mina continued. "You're like a brother to me, too. Ever since you came to visit me and Nina, when we were children... when you'd talk Nina and Baretta into taking me along with you when you snuck out of the palace, to go on adventures... those are some of the happiest memories I have. Please remember them happily, too. And Deis... when I first came to visit Nina, in Auria, you treated me like I was your little sister, as much as Nina did. I was so happy when I heard you'd joined up. Stay with them, please. Don't ever leave them, like I am."

"Mina, don't..." Bow whispered, as Deis went pale.

"Don't do this..." Katt begged.

"Bow and Katt," Mina said, sounding slightly more cheerful now. "I was so happy, making friends with you. Bow, you were so funny... it was like you didn't even care that I was a Princess, you just wanted me to like you. How could I not? And Katt... you were my hero, you know? When you and Ryu and Nina saved me from the Jokers. I wanted so, so much to be like you... to be so happy and tough and cool. For a short time, I even dreamed about running away to join you all. To join your group. Isn't that silly?"

"It's not silly at all, Mina," her mother whispered. "Why... why didn't you tell us any of this? About all of these people... about how much they'd done for you?"

"Because _I _was silly," Mina told her. "You and father... and Nina... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just hope... that you can still love me, even as a bird. Even after everything I've done."

"How could we not?" Her father murmured, his voice broken. "How could I ever not love both of you?"

"Mina..." Nina whispered, trying one last time. "Please, don't..."

"I'm sorry, Nina," Mina replied, her voice resolute, as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon. "Thank you, you and mother and father... for being my family. And all of the rest of you, too... Ryu, and Jean, and Deis, and Bow, and Katt, and Rand, and Sten, and Spar. Tell Niro, too, when you see him... thank you, all of you, for being my friends."

"Don't!" Ryu lunged forward, hammering on the doors with his fists. "Don't throw your life away, Mina! You can join up! When you get old enough, you'll be just as strong as any of us! We'll make sure you are! Okay? You can! I promise!"

"I can't," Mina said, as the light increased, and her voice began to change, becoming higher, more musical. Five beams of light began to rise from inside the room, through the roof, followed by a sixth in the center. "The world is in peril, and father is dying, and Rand's mother is being held by them. You need the Breath of Wind now. I can't join you, Ryu. I'm not strong enough. The only way I can help you save the world now... is to be your wings!"

And the sun rose, and then it was too late.

* * *

Soon, the door opened, and they all walked inside, one by one. As they passed through, Deis murmured something about how it was probably on a time lock. Ryu didn't bother trying to understand that; his attention was focused on the great bird before them, almost the size of a house. She sat on a dais in the center of the room, surrounded by five short pillars, each topped by a crystal ball, in a star formation. The dais at the center held the crest of the royal family on it, and it still glowed faintly from the magic that had awakened the Breath of Wind.

The bird was beautiful; despite the basic shape of a predator, perhaps a hawk or falcon, her eyes were dark and soft, and her feathers vibrant. Most of them were a gentle pink, but those along the backs of her wings and tail were all the colors of the rainbow, from red to purple and back again, contrasting the black of her beak and feet. She didn't seem discomfited by being trapped in the room until they opened the door, nor by the people quietly approaching her; she simply chirped happily as Nina floated over and put a hand to the side of her neck.

"Oh, Mina..." the Princess whispered, prompting a quizzical trill and a tilt of the head.

"Your Majesties," Ryu said to the King and Queen, bowing down on one knee. "I... words cannot express... we..."

"Stand up, young man," the King said quietly. "This was through no fault of yours."

"But we..." Katt whispered, covering her eyes with one hand. "If we hadn't come here, and..."

"The only ones who hold any blame for this are your enemies," the Queen said sadly. "I assume that they include Father Manson, who I also do not doubt has already fled our country."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded slowly, as he felt a burning rage grow within him, stronger than it had ever been, even than when he'd faced Aruhameral. "They're our enemies. We'll find them. Manson, and Gabriel, and Barubary, and all the rest of them... and we'll _kill_ _those bastards._ Every. Last. One."

"No more bullshitting," Bow agreed. "Not any more. We can't do that now. Not after this. If we're supposed to be heroes, then fine. We'll be heroes. We can do that, if we have to. For her."

"For Mina," Nina said quietly, scratching the Great Bird's neck, which it seemed to enjoy, chirping happily. "Mother... father..."

"We know," the King told her. "We... you will come back, yes? Once you have... finished this?"

"I will," Nina promised. "I... don't know when. And when I do... I don't know what I'll be back for, aside from seeing you again. But... I will be back. One day."

"Then... we can talk of things then." The Queen smiled sadly. "We're sorry, but perhaps..."

"It would be best if we left." Nina nodded. "When the court hears of this, we shouldn't be here."

"Then... when you return," the King said, as Nina turned to Ryu again.

"Hey, Nina..." he started to say, then paused, as he saw her face. She was no longer crying; she hadn't since they'd opened the door.

"Please," Nina said, looking from one of them to another. Bow's face was resolute, and Katt's both sad and angry. Rand's features held disbelief, and Jean's sorrow. Sten and Spar both looked blank, and Deis distant. "Please, don't... say anything, just yet. Not about this. It's happened, and we can't change it now. I won't cry any more tears. Not just yet. Not until we save the world, for Mina's sake, like she asked us to..." Her voice turned hard and dark. "And we kill every single demon on the face of this earth, and beneath it as well, and their _damned_ devil God. Let's go, Ryu. Let's go, everybody."

"Yeah," Ryu said quietly. "Let's go. To Evrai. Let's save the world."

And the Great Bird sang its song of hope, unknowing and unable to know of despair ever again.

_'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE TONIGHT _

_**End Book 2: Mercenary **_


	31. Intermission: Drawing In The Stars

_**Intermission: Drawing In The Stars **_

The holy city of Evrai was a sparkling paradise, everything that it was claimed to be and more. Nestled in the lush green valley at the center of the island of the same name, where it always seemed to be Spring no matter the season, it stood as a shining testament to God's glory, and man's ability to recreate that glory in the world.

The streets were paved with gold, but none took notice; they had put aside material desires before they had come, from all parts of the world, to devote their lives to the worship of St. Eva. The buildings were just as beautiful, every one a manor of gleaming marble. Over them all, the gargantuan Grand Cathedral of St. Eva loomed watchfully, an eternal reminder of the purpose for which the inhabitants had come to the place.

Even such a city as this, however, had by necessity its back streets and gutters, its nooks and it alleys. And it was in one such shady alley, hidden from the eyes of men if not God, that paladin struck paladin, smashing him to the gleaming cobblestones.

"Get up," Ray Braddoc said softly, rubbing his mail-clad fist, as he stared down at his sworn brother, Gabriel Marquez. They had both been orphans, adopted together along with Kay Sindel, by the Grand Priest of St. Eva, the highest authority in all the church and the voice of God in the world of men. They had been raised together, entered the militant wing of the faith together, though Ray had never entrusted him with his greatest secret, that which was known only to himself and their father. They were brothers, in family as well as in faith.

And now Ray had brought him to this alley, for the purpose of coaxing the truth from him, by any means necessary.

"What are you doing, Ray?" Gabriel gasped, on hands and knees, his unhelmeted face openly hurt; they had both shed their helmets as soon as they had returned to the holy city, though they still wore the rest of their plate mail, his enameled a light tan. His hair was the same strawberry blonde as Ray's, though he wore his much shorter, and his bright blue eyes lent him an innocent, youthful appearance that he was taking full advantage of at the moment. "Have you gone insane?"

"I said to get up," Ray repeated, driving his foot into Gabriel's side and sending him skidding further into the alley. "You listen poorly. I suggest that you get rid of your sword, while you're at it. They'll only get in our way."

"Okay, okay, just take it easy, will you?" Gabriel pleaded, rising back to his feet. Unclasping his scabbard from his side, he dropped it and the sword within to the street. "I'm not going to fight you, Ray. What's this all about? Why are you doing this?"

"That's your decision," Ray said coolly, ignoring the questions for the moment, as he removed his own blade as well. "I suppose that will speed this up even more." Raising his fist again, he delivered a hook to Gabriel's ear that sent the younger paladin sprawling to the golden cobbles once more. Advancing, he stood over him, backlit by the rising sun. "As to why... because it has been a long time, and you might have forgotten."

"I have not," Gabriel gasped, as Ray kicked him again. Stumbling away, he sat up, back against a wall, and held up a hand in defensive protest. "I have not forgotten, Ray."

"I think you have," Ray said, contemptuously kicking the hand away. Had Gabriel seized his foot and pulled, Ray would have been at his mercy, but he knew he would not; he lacked the nerve, as he always had. "You have caused strife to arise between myself and some very close friends of mine, Gabriel. Friends who I have trusted my life to, and who have trusted theirs to me, on more than one occasion. I am mightily wroth with you, Gabriel, and now is the time to account for your actions."

"You mean the _Dragonkin_?" Gabriel asked, a look of concern coming over his features. "Ray, don't you know who they are? Haven't you heard about them? They're mercenaries! Hired swords, assassins! They'll kill anybody for enough zenny! They were going to kill _me_ back there, before you found us!"

"On the contrary." Ray crossed his arms. "I have found them to be highly principled men and women, as well as highly ethical. A different thing from morality, I am aware, but one no less worthy of recognition. To be perfectly honest, Gabriel, right now I trust them far more than I do you. Now tell me, and tell me honestly. Where is Mrs. Marks? What have you done with here?"

"She's in the Grand Cathedral, of course," Gabriel said, his face a picture of innocence once more. "Just like I told you, Ray."

"I warned you!" Ray growled, drawing his fist back to blacken an eye.

"Wait, wait!" Gabriel protested, and he paused. "All right, all right! Look, I _am _being honest, okay? She _is_ in the Grand Cathedral." He suddenly smiled, and it was an unpleasant thing to see. "But I never told you she came _willingly_, did I?"

"So you _did_ abduct her against her will," Ray said angrily, rage mixing with grief over what his brother had clearly become. "As well as forging her writing, both on the paperwork, and on the note for her son."

"I did," Gabriel admitted, still smiling. "On orders."

"Orders?" Ray slowly repeated, shaking his head. "What clergyman would ever even consider giving such a vile command?"

"Father Manson, of Bando," Gabriel replied smugly. "I sought his wisdom when the Farm Clan woman refused to cooperate, and then I carried out his wishes, to the letter. If you would dispute what I have done, then go to Bando yourself, and take it up with him."

"You lie," Ray said coldly, trying to hide how much the statement disturbed him. Father Manson of Bando was one of the most highly ranked and regarded priests in the Church of St. Eva. If _he _had authorized and condoned such a plan of action, than the issue at hand went far, far beyond a single corrupt paladin. "Father Manson would never do such a thing."

"Speak with him yourself, as I have said, then, if you are so sure," Gabriel told him again, eyes glittering now. "Tell me, Ray, have you ever seen the basements beneath Bando, and the things that the men of our faith do there?"

"What are you saying?" Ray demanded, voice weakening despite his best efforts as his thoughts raced.

"I'm saying, brother, that you are not the only man in the Church of St. Eva with secrets," Gabriel explained, standing back up. "You are a man of honor and faith and morality, brother, and that is all well and good. The ideal paladin, an example to us all. But sometimes, the Church of St. Eva requires servants of... another nature. Those who will do what is best for the Church, even if it is not quite congruent with doctrine. It is with them that I have flourished, brother mine, as have many in the Church of St. Eva, under Father Manson's tutelage."

"And just what do you know of my secrets?" Ray asked quietly, putting everything that had been said after that out of his mind for the moment. Another matter, one that caused him even more anxiety than their previous discussion, had abruptly arisen to demand his full attention, despite how troubling everything else that had been said was.

"Why, everything, brother Ray," Gabriel gloated, apparently unaware of just how much danger he was in. "Our holy father told me _everything _about you, once I had pleased him with my devotion to the Church. He said that brothers should not hold secrets from each other, and I agree. And now you know my secrets, as I know yours."

"If you ever tell a single soul of what you have learned..." Ray whispered ominously.

"And what if I do?" Gabriel sneered, the gleam in his eyes unnatural now. "You'll kill me? You? Ray Braddoc, all goodness and light and virtue, killing his own brother in cold blood? Don't make me laugh."

"I'll make you-" Ray started to snarl, only to be cut off by a living pole of lightning as wide as an oak tree that burst from the heavens to obliterate the street between them, forcing both of them to draw back.

"And St. Eva spoke, and he said, 'Let brother never turn against brother, for that lack of unity is a sin, and will lead one or both away from the worship of my glory!'" The old man standing in the mouth of the alley bellowed, staff raised in the air. Clad in rich robes of violet and green, he was short and squat, but his bald head was overly large and perfectly round, seeming almost to be half the size of the rest of his body. His nose was big and red, his beard was a dirty yellow, and his piercing black eyes a mystery to all men. "Enough of this, both of you!"

"Father!" Both paladins exclaimed in unison, for it was indeed the Archpriest of St. Eva, the voice of God in the world of men, who had interrupted them.

"Gabriel!" He thundered. "Return to the Grand Cathedral and seek instruction from Father Wheelo! Ray, walk with me, and let us talk of this!"

"Yes, father," Gabriel said solemnly, as did Ray in the same breath. The younger paladin quickly walked past their father, and continued out into the street. Only when he was gone did Ray approach the man he most respected in all the world.

"You told him, father?" He asked quietly. "You told him what I am? Did you tell Kay, as well?"

"Brothers should have no secrets from brothers, but sisters are a more complicated matter, are they not?" The Archpriest replied with a merry chuckle that didn't seem to fit his harsh features. "Rest easy, Ray. Gabriel will not betray your trust."

"But I trusted _you_, father," Ray whispered.

"Trust in St. Eva, my son," the Archpriest said with absolute faith, spreading his arms. "So long as St. Eva guides our path, all will happen according to his will. Now come with me, walk with me, talk with me, and we will speak of many things. Of Carmen, and of Bando. Of brother Gabriel, and of Father Manson, and of Farm Clan women. Come, let me calm your fears and quiet your emotions."

"Yes, father," Ray replied automatically, despite all of the worries and suspicions and dreads that had shaken everything that he had thought he knew. For that was the extent of his respect and his regard for his father, the father of all the Church of St. Eva.

"As you wish, Father Habaruku."

* * *

Beneath the surface of the world, but not far, the Demon Lord Barubary slept. And as he slept, though two of his great eyes were tightly closed and unseeing, his third eye was not. For the demon's third eye did not see the dark cave in which he had retreated to since the Day Of Opening years ago, but instead saw that which was seen through the eyes of the destined child. Though Barubary slept, still he watched Ryu Bateson of the _Dragonkin_, as God's time grew nearer and nearer.

**Barubary. **

In an instant, the third eye of the demon slammed shut, and his other two open, all at once. For no matter how deep the slumber, no matter how great the distraction, the greatest and eldest of all demons would always recognize _that_ voice, ever since first it had spoken to him nearly a century ago one day, as he held the speaker gently in his mighty claws. Stretching those same claws out before him, he laid them flat on the cavern floor before him, arching his twisted body forward in the closest approximation of genuflection it could manage.

"I hear and obey, o my God," he rumbled. "How may I be of service?"

**What is happening, Barubary?** **What has occurred in the world above? Tell me of these things. **

"My God?" Barubary asked, puzzled. "I had thought that Habaruku was keeping you informed of-" He cut off with a pained gasp as the sensation of his bones and carapace turning to the ice from the ancient age of frost, as much beyond freezing as lava was beyond burning, consumed his right arm. Until the coming of his God, he had almost forgotten just how cold that age had been, but now it returned to him again, turning the entire limb into a searing mass of agony.

**I did not ask you to tell me of Habaruku, Barubary. I asked you to tell me what **_**you **_**know of the world above, and of recent events there.**

"Yes, my God," Barubary groaned, unmoving. "I beg your forgiveness."

**Perhaps. I will allow you another attempt, at the least. I owe no mercy to any, but I do possess a certain fondness for you, Barubary. Though, of course, it does not change your ultimate fate. **

"I understand, my God." Barubary nodded his hideous head as the pain receded. "My thanks, and worship." He paused a moment for thought before continuing. "The destined child continues to grow in strength and in resolve, as do his companions. At first, they doubted their destiny, and strove to avoid and counteract it whenever possible, but as time has gone on they appear to be resigning themselves to it. No... it may be more appropriate to say that they are growing to _accept_ their destiny, moreso with every passing day."

**Then the destined child will fulfill his purpose?**

"Yes." Barubary smiled, slow and horrible. "With every step he takes, every day he lives... he grows closer. Yes, he will fulfill his destiny. He will open the gate for us."

**This pleases me, Barubary. You and all of my greatest servants have the gratitude of your God, even though you shall receive no mercy. Speak of them to me, now. How well have my servants been spreading word of my divinity?**

"Habaruku continues to make good use of his position, of course," Barubary explained slowly; this was a more touchy subject. "As always, his genius is unparalleled. I was unsure of the wisdom of taking up such a prominent position in the outside world, but he has proven my worries unfounded. Necromanson serves him faithfully in that regard as well, though..." He hesitated before continuing. "He has reported that his efforts in Windia have failed, much to his frustration... an echo in fate, perhaps, of his previous downfall in that same country a millennium ago, before he turned to your service."

This time, there was a long and meaningful silence before the voice came to Barubary again with a terrible, cold anger audible within it that was all the more frightening to him because of its restraint.

**Necromanson will be punished for his failure. What of the others? What of Kuwadora, and Shupukay, and Aruhameral?**

"My God..." Barubary hesitated, for he knew that his God already knew what he would say, but continued regardless, the lesson of a few minutes past still sharp in his mind. "Slain, my God. All slain. The destined child and his comrades sought them, one by one, and killed them in combat after exposing them. They are gone, and unable to serve you further."

**You are incorrect, Barubary. All those who worship me serve me eternally, even beyond their deaths, for the power of their lost souls is still mine, and will be for all eternity. But that is not what I ask of you. If they are slain, then what of the commands I gave to them? Do Sima and Highland worship me, and give to me their strength? **

"They do not," Barubary replied regretfully. "Kuwadora and Shupukay's plans were undone with their deaths. Sima is still uncaring of religious matters for the most part, while Highland continues to worship Ladon, all in secret."

There was a long silence again, and this time Barubary could almost _feel_ the rage contained within his God's mind before the voice came to him once more.

**It is of no matter. Their failures have simply delayed the inevitable. In time, all that lives and breathes upon this world will be mine, just as all that lives and breathes beneath it. What of Aruhameral, then? **

"That is a different story, my God." Barubary smiled again. "Though he was slain as well, before his downfall, he was able to accomplish his mission. The Wise Tree does still remember some things of inconvenience, but the most perilous of your secrets has been erased from his mind forever. Though Aruhameral may be gone now, still he has earned his stature as eldest and most terrible among Demons save for myself and Habaruku."

**I will remember him fondly, then. This pleases me, Barubary, even if Kuwadora and Shupukay do not. Know this now, Barubary, I was already aware of all that you have told me. As you said, Habaruku has told me everything that you have. But Habaruku is sly, and his words are deliberately phrased to attempt to please me. I wished to hear them from one who has no patience or interest in such flattery, and thus I asked you as well, for I know that subtlety is meaningless to you. It pleases me also that your words match Habaruku's. **

"I am glad of that as well, my God," Barubary agreed, hesitating for a moment before continuing, and his next words were spoken with utter contempt, both for the one he spoke of and for himself for speaking of him thus. "Habaruku is... a friend of mine, and I would not wish any more harm than your will deems necessary to come to him."

**I am fond of Habaruku as well, Barubary, just as I am fond of you. As I recall the care and devotion with which you raised me from my infancy, also I recall the utter hatred and malignancy with which Habaruku regarded me even as he worshiped me, as he regards all that lives save form himself. Even you, his closest friend. And what of you, Barubary? How have you occupied your moments since last we spoke, my greatest servant? **

"With the town of Gate, from where the destined child originally came." Barubary smiled once more. "I have taken life from the land, and all that dwell upon it, and dedicated it to you, my God. Not enough to kill, but to weaken, continuous and ongoing. For now, the destined child intentionally averts his eyes from it, unwilling as he is to return to his home after what occurred when last he was here. In time, though... in time, he will come to meet my challenge."

**This pleases me as well. Truly, Barubary, you **_**are**_** my greatest servant. As I have promised you many times before, the task of disposing of the destined child and his companions once they have accomplished their purpose will be entrusted to you. For your service and devotion, I promise you further, death shall only be yours once you and I have seen all other life upon this world extinguished. You will be the last to perish, just as you were the first to arise. **

"My thanks, my God," Barubary exulted, satisfaction and pride now seeping into his voice. "Long have I sought a death worthy of my nature, and none could be greater than that which you have promised. I shall await it, as I await the day of the destined child's arrival."

**I as well, my greatest of servants. Now go, and fulfill my will further. Observe the destined child, and await his coming, just as you have said. **

"I hear and obey, o my God," Barubary rumbled. His arm still throbbing, he settled back into his previous position of repose, and opened his third eye once more. The eye that always remained within the mind of the destined child, always watching, always waiting. The day when they would finally meet once more, face to face and eye to eye, was fast approaching. Barubary awaited it as he had awaited few things in his unmatched span of life, longer and greater than anything that had lived, or ever would.

Soon, all too soon, the day would come.

* * *

"All right, you mugs, don't start sitting on your asses just yet!" Tiga Lee, leader of the mercenary group known as the _Renegades_, yelled to his men as they walked into their new base of operations; somewhat predictably, they'd all started whooping and hollering about how much they were going to drink that night the instant they'd entered the canyon. "Fan out and search the area to make sure nobody stopped by while we were out, first!"

"What about the prisoner, chief?" Max, one of their two white mages, growled; despite his profession of choice, both he and the other were just as burly-looking as the rest of the group.

"Me and the client'll keep an eye on him," Tiga snapped. "Now get moving!" Grumbling and muttering without any real bite, the group began doing as he'd said; in truth, they'd all known it was coming, but like any bunch of professionals they'd developed their own little routines over time, even if Tiga wasn't usually the one being the hardass.

"We are, are we?" The only girl present, and the only one who hadn't followed his order, asked dryly. Patty Smith, the self-proclaimed "Phantom Thief," was putting on an air of exaggerated boredom at the moment, one Tiga was familiar with by now. "And if I intended on being the first one to open up the keg?"

"Nice try, babe, but I know you better than that." Tiga shot her a sly grin. She was cute enough, despite her adolescent age, but he wished there was a polite way to tell her there was in fact such a thing as too much makeup, and that red leather leotards and thigh-length boots made it worse. Her naturally blue ponytail and black, batlike wings hinted at an unusual Clan heritage, but none of the _Renegades_ had ever asked about that; it wasn't any of their business. "You weren't planning on letting this piece of shit out of your eyesight until we were done with him." He nudged their prize with one foot.

"Insolent fool!" The demon they'd brought back to Cotland roared, trying and failing to struggle free of the chains and nets and manacles covering every inch of his body. Bat-winged, with leathery robe and hood that actually bled and were attached to its inner body, the humanoid skeleton glared at Tiga. "Your soul will scream in the void beyond existence for all eternity!"

"Yeah, yeah, we all heard you the first hundred times." Tiga kicked him again. "This guy had better know something, babe. I know you paid us extra to haul him back alive, but I'm tempted to ask for another bonus just for putting up with his yapping."

"Hey, I had to listen to it too, remember?" Patty reminded him before dropping her sarcastic facade and looking down at the demon with a strange, curious emptiness that still gave Tiga the shivers every time he saw it. Most of the time, the teenaged thief was an amusingly arrogant brat, but whenever she saw a demon, all of that disappeared instantly in a way that shouldn't happen to kids her age, no matter how rough their life had been. "Besides, he knows something. He wouldn't be trying so hard to piss us off enough that we'd just kill him if he didn't."

"Got a point there." Tiga nodded. "Of course, if he's that eager to die instead of talking, getting it out of him's probably going to be a pain in the ass."

"The lost and forgotten spirits of all the extinct peoples of the world will feel pity for your endless agony!" The demon snarled, and was ignored by both of them.

"That's what I have you boys for, isn't it?" Patty asked archly. "And yes, I know that you charge extra for that sort of thing, and that you get a veto if you don't like it. You know I'm good for it, and after what we found this piece of shit doing, I really don't think you're gonna try to tell me he doesn't deserve it."

"Wouldn't dream of it, babe," Tiga agreed grimly. The _Renegades _were mercenaries, but they had standards, ones that came straight from the top, and he felt no sympathy for the wretched creature they'd found in the middle of the undersea city-state of Prima. Whether the demon was possessing, impersonating, or if he'd actually once been the wealthy merchant whose form he'd been wearing, Tiga didn't know, and didn't particularly care. "Don't worry your pretty head. We'll find out _everything_ this asshole knows."

"Your deaths will be only the beginning, and you will forever look back upon them and mourn the relief of expiration!"

"Shame Claris isn't here," Patty commented idly, glancing away from the demon and regaining some measure of her usual cocky attitude. "Not that I'm doubting the rest of you guys, but that kind of thing is just better suited to cold blood than hot, you know?"

"You'd be surprised." Tiga shrugged. "She can shoot a guy straight through the eye socket in the middle of a conversation with him without a flinch, but dragging things out kind of gets to her. Pete made a comment once about her being girly that way and she made him choose which hand he wanted broken."

"Good for her." Patty smirked for a moment, then let it drop. "Hope she's doing all right over there."

"Getting all sentimental?" Tiga chuckled, elbowing her in the ribs. "I thought this was strictly a business relationship."

"It is," Patty snapped, a little too quickly. "Don't get any ideas, Lee. It's just... not the same, without her around."

"How do you think I feel about it?" Tiga admitted. "But somebody needed to go undercover in Evrai, and she was the only one for the job. The rest of us are about as good subtlety as we are at _ballet._"

"I noticed," Patty replied dryly. "And _I _sure as hell wasn't going to do it. I'm not going _near _that place. That's what I'm paying _you_ for."

"Whatever you say." Tiga shrugged, deciding not to point out the fact that she was about as subtle as a brick herself; that wasn't really the sort of thing a professional said to his employer, no matter how much of a rapport they'd built up over the last few months. "I'm right there with you about not having her around, though. I'm used to leading by example, not laying down the law. That's what she was good at. The sooner she gets back here, the better."

"You've worked together for a long time, I'm guessing?" Patty asked, idly fingering the handle of the whip hanging curled from her hip. "You seem like you have."

"We were kids together," Tiga replied. "Just a couple of brats against the world, you know? Always wanted to start up our own gang, so one day, we did."

"That's nice," Patty said, and for once her voice was soft. "That you did that together, I mean. I always wished I had somebody like that. To watch my back, you know?"

"You turned out okay," Tiga told her awkwardly; this was the first time they'd talked about this sort of thing, and he wasn't sure he liked it. There was something about the girl's past that contained something even darker than that of most street children; at first he'd been curious, but the more he learned, the more he didn't want to. "Made you tough. Taught you how to survive. How the world works. All that stuff."

"Yeah." Patty slowly nodded. "I guess it did, at that." She glanced down at the demon again. "Hey, he's been pretty quiet all of a sudden, hasn't he? I didn't notice, at first. I wonder if we said something that upset him."

"Seems that way." Tiga grinned, picking up on the sudden subject change and going along with it. Crossing his arms, he turned towards the demon as well. "What's the matter, bonezo? I haven't even _touched_ your tongue. If you even have one."

"Let me see here," Patty said theatrically, glancing skyward and tapping one finger against the side of her head. "I wonder just what it could have been that upset him so much? Was it talking about Claris? No, wait, he never met her. Maybe it was how we were discussing our plans for him? That would upset _me_. Or perhaps it was talking about our childhoods? Thpppppt, yeah right. Oh, I know!" She suddenly smiled like a knife, green eyes cold and emotionless. "It was when we mentioned _Evrai_, wasn't it?"

"Oh, did we forget to mention?" Tiga raised an eyebrow with every inch of drama in his body. "We already know about _that_. I wasn't sure what to think about it myself when she told us, but she was the one paying the bills, and as it turned out she was right. Our whole operation here is all about taking the Church down, on account of you folks. Was that all supposed to be some big secret, or something? Our bad."

"Who _are_ you?" The demon whispered, staring straight at Patty.

"I'm what you'd call a wild card," Patty replied, still smiling without a trace of humor. "And I've bought myself the most loaded deck I could find to back me up, so to speak. I'd tell you to tell Father Habaruku about that, and that one of these days I'll be seeing him again, but I'm afraid that very shortly, you're not going to be in any position to tell him or any of your other friends much of anything ever again."

"The place is secure, chief!" Don, one of their black mages, reported as he walked up.

"Oh, good." Tiga cracked his knuckles. "Well then, why don't we take our new friend down to the _special_ cells? I think maybe it's time we all got to know each other better."

Every one of his men laughed, and none of their laughs were pleasant.

* * *

"You're living on _Pagoda?_" Nina asked as the island came into sight, their small boat bobbing on the waves of the northern ocean, beyond the coastline of any populated lands; drifting icebergs were a common sight, and had led to more than one close call on their way there. "_Why?_"

"Not Pagoda any more," Martin grunted as he rowed the oars; a normal man would never be able to keep them afloat in the stormy northern waters, but he wasn't exactly normal, and hadn't been for a very long time. "It's called the Isle of Giants now. Everybody's forgotten that this is where Pagoda was. And I never lived here. I used to live in a cave in northern Sima."

"Fine." Nina rolled her eyes. She looked to be in her fifties, which was still a far cry from her actual age, just like him. To his eyes, though, she was just as beautiful as she had been when they were both young, many centuries ago. Despite the chill northern winter, she wore only the sky-blue leotard she always had when on the road, its color matching her eyes, along with boots and gloves and a headband of the same shade. Her short hair was mixed gold and silver now, but her feathered wings were still the same snowy white as they always had been. "Why are _they_ living on Pagoda?"

"Because that's what keeps them alive," Martin explained. "Same residual effect from Myria being imprisoned there for a thousand years that got it called the Isle of Giants these days. Magical fallout, I think the term is. Look, don't ask me how it actually works, I was never any good at the intellectual side of things. I have a sword. I cut things with it. I can also turn into a giant lizard. None of which requires much brainpower. Point is, they haven't died of old age _because_ they live here, and that's what's important."

"You've grown a lot grumpier over the centuries," Nina said teasingly. "I hope you're the exception in that regard as well. I'm not sure if I could deal with a cranky Karn, let alone Gobi. I suppose I can see it with Bo."

"And _you're_ just as mischievous as ever." Martin chuckled, tying the boat to the small dock on the island's only beach, an isolated cove on the south side. "Gods, I've missed you."

"And I you." Nina took his hand, and they both smiled as they hopped onto the dock and began making their way inland. "It's a shame we won't be able to go flying together any more."

"Yeah." Martin sighed. "Think there's any chance at all that it'll actually all turn out okay for those kids with that?"

"I'd bet on it," Nina said, frowning. "The old snake's not done with them yet. There's going to be some sort of coincidence, and it'll all work out."

"I suppose I can't argue with _that_," Martin grunted, then scowled as a shadow fell over them. "Oops. Hold on."

"Well," Nina murmured, looking up into the eyes of the fifty-foot Gonghead monster looming over them, floating in the air. "I can see why this is called the Isle of Giants now."

"Yeah, it's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin," Martin said as they both drew their swords, his a claymore and hers an edged rapier. A single strike from each of them, and the gigantic monster expired, blood erupting from the pair of massive gashes that crossed each other. "You get used to it eventually."

"I imagine so, yes," Nina agreed as they sheathed their blades and continued walking. "Still, it must get unpleasant in the house."

"Bo has the place warded against monsters," Martin explained. "He spent a couple centuries actually studying magic."

"Bo?" Nina raised an eyebrow as they approached a small, but pleasant-looking, cabin nestled between several hills. "Studying? Things _have_ changed." She smirked suddenly, impishly. "You haven't told them, have you?"

"How would I?" Martin gave her a look, but he was smiling as well. "I haven't let you out of my sight since... that happened. You'd have noticed."

"I suppose I would have," she admitted. "So, shall we surprise them?"

"Let's." Martin nodded, opening the door. "Hey, guys."

"Boss?" Bo looked up from the knife he was sharpening, sitting at a table in the center of the room. An ancient man of the canine Forest Clan, the fur covering his entire body had long ago turned gray, but his lean musculature was still strong, and his blue eyes sharp. As usual, he was even less concerned about the cold than either of them, wearing only forest green leggings and boots. "Didn't expect you to come visit-" His voice died as he saw Nina, eyes bulging.

"What's the matter, Bo?" She asked, prompting a crash from the doorway behind Bo leading further into the house. "No 'welcome back'?"

"That _voice_," Karn said quietly, as his head popped around the side of the door, looking just as stunned as Bo. A moment later, Gobi followed suit on the opposite side.

"Nina?" The portly Maniro Clansman whispered, disbelieving.

"Hi." She waved. "Missed me?"

"But... how?" Bo stammered, and the other two nodded in agreement.

"Ask the old snake," Martin told them, but despite his cynical tone he was unable to keep a smile off his own face. "Seems the bastard had this planned the whole time. Said it was because we were neutral now, which means he planned _that_, too. Should have known we'd still be on that damned chessboard of his. Just this once, though, I won't complain."

"I think we can all agree on that," Karn said wryly as the three of them all walked forward to exchange a hug with her in turn. One of the last of the nearly-extinct Fusion Clan, he looked entirely human physically, albeit with skin much darker than was common in most of the world. His short, curly hair had been similar before age had turned it white, and he still usually wore the same banana-yellow vest, shorts and shoes as always. "It's good to see you again, Nina."

"More than good," Gobi agreed. The stout fishman's vibrant orange scales were touched with silver, as were the long white fins on the top and sides of his head, but his roguish grin was unchanged, as was the twinkle in his eyes. Despite centuries of isolation from them for the most part, he still wore the long white tunic and leather apron that were the customary garb of his clan, along with his sandals and ragged green neckerchief. Taking his turn to hug her, he stepped back, shaking his head in disbelief. "This isn't a trick, is it? You're really back?"

"I am." Nina nodded. "And I intend to stay that way." She smiled then, a bit sadly. "A shame Mogu and Ox couldn't be here."

"Can't really blame them for not wanting to outlive their families." Karn shrugged, his own eyes clouding over. "It was hard enough for me, and they were both the sentimental ones."

"Does Deis know?" Bo asked, sitting back down at the table.

"We didn't tell her, if that's what you mean," Martin said, shaking his head. "She said she wasn't going to associate with us independently of the rest of the team, so that's what we're going with."

"That's a bit harsh, Ryu," Nina said quietly, as Bo glanced downward. "It's more complicated than that, and you know it."

"I know." Martin closed his eyes. "Sorry. I just never know just how much she _does_ know, any more, and that makes me think of the old snake."

"Is our policy on that staying the same too, then?" Gobi asked. "On Ladon, I mean? Even if he did this for us?"

"It's not like it makes up for doing that to her in the first place," Martin growled, feeling the same white-hot rage that he had whenever the Dragon God had been mentioned for nearly a millennium now. "Or for everything else he did. Not even close." After waiting a moment, he sighed, and forced that anger under control. "But..." He broke off, unable to make himself actually say it, even now.

"He's not the same as Evans," Nina finished for him. "We might not like the way he runs things, but it's still better than Evans would."

"So we are going to help them, after all?" Bo smiled dangerously. "The kids, I mean?"

"Not openly." Martin shook his head. "We have to remain neutral. We were the ones who set it up this way, so we can't exactly change that now. But if they come find us, and maybe ask for advice... that much, I think we'd be able to get away with."

"We can work with that." Karn gave them a thumbs-up.

"Looks like I'd better get back out to sea," Gobi grunted, though he couldn't quite lose his grin. "See how they're doing. Haven't 'accidentally' ran into them since Deis joined, for obvious reasons. Time to change that."

"Don't worry about it." Ryu put an arm around Nina's shoulders, and her around his, as they both smiled as well once again. "After all, we're not going anywhere, this time. Either of us."

"Somehow, we managed to get a second chance," Nina agreed. "And we have all the time in the world to enjoy it."


	32. Chapter 29: The City Of God

_**Breath of Fire II: War Of The Demons **_

_**Book III: Hero **_

_**Chapter 29: The City Of God **_

The holy city of Evrai was the most impenetrable location known to man. It was not that the city itself was particularly fortified, for in truth, it needed no such fortifications. The walls around it were ceremonial, built for appearance alone, and the three massive gates at east, west and south were not even guarded. To the north, of course, was the massive Grand Cathedral of St. Eva, looming ominously over the rest of the glittering city of God.

What made Evrai so unassailable was the location it resided. Beyond the lush green hills surrounding the city, the island bearing the same name rose a mile above the ocean's surface, sheer cliffs on all sides with no way of gaining access. Only the Church of St. Eva knew a way onto the island, and they kept that to themselves; the only ones allowed access were the most loyal devotees of the faith. Never had anybody opposed to their activities ever dreamed of gaining access to the heart of the Church, until now.

Over the ocean waves, a gigantic bird raced, nearly the size of a house; her shape was that of a raptor, but her feathers a vibrant pink for the most part, with all the colors of the rainbow along her wings and tail. As her massive wings carried her towards Evrai, nine men and women rode on her back, some clinging tightly while others raised their heads in the wind without fear. They had flown all day and night from Windia, capital city of Winlan, in the northern part of the world, to reach Evrai in the south. Now, as a new dawn cast its light over the waves, their destination came within their sight.

The bird touched down upon Evrai's surface, well out of sight of the city itself, and rested her head wearily; aside from diving to snatch up an occasional large fish, she had done nothing but continue towards their destination ever since they had set out. One by one, its passengers slid off of her back and stood upon the hillside, stretching their legs.

"Fast travel, all things considered," Ryu Bateson, leader of the mercenary group _Dragonkin_ and last known descendant of the vanished Light Dragon Clan, said quietly as he looked over the island. Young, strong and human to the eye, clad for trouble in light plate mail over his white undershirt and red slacks, he bore a claymore on his back that he'd used many times on foes both mundane and demonic, as well as the occasional random monster. Most people assumed his blue ponytail to be dyed, having forgotten that such a hue had been a mark of his heritage in centuries long past.

"Yeah, even by whale riding, that would have taken a week," Bow Dogi, his second-in-command, grunted. Stout and cheerful-looking, Ryu's best friend and constant companion since their childhood had mixed heritage from the lupine Forest Clan and lapine Grassrunner Clan, giving him the features of a beagle and a coat of red-and-white fur. He was all business at the moment, though, his favorite green robe and white leggings covered in similar plate mail to Ryu's. He carried a double-shot crossbow with the eye to use it, though he specialized in healing magic.

"I'll go see if there's any wild animals around here," Katt Chaun, Ryu's most frequent partner on a close-range, purely physical basis, said as she did a complicated-looking series of stretching exercises, some of which even seemed to involve her lashing tail. "I need to work the kinks out anyways, and we could all use something better to eat than traveling rations."

A short, slim, acrobatic girl of the feline Woren Clan, Katt's cute appearance belied a ridiculous strength granted by her heritage. Thanks to the tawny, shaggy fur covering her body from the waist down, she normally only wore a purple top, but when out on a job she added an enchanted robe cut down to allow total freedom of movement, the magic providing protection without bulkiness. Pulling her steel battlestaff-a custom weapon with three inch-length blades at each end-from her back, she give Ryu a pointed grin, green eyes glittering beneath her short red hair, before heading off.

"Nothing ever slows her down for long, does it?" Sten Legacy, their knife man, commented wryly. A hunched, lanky, brown-furred simian of the Highlander Clan, he too wore plate mail over his blue vest and shorts. Though he appeared unarmed, there were almost certainly at least four different daggers of various styles and sizes concealed on his person.

"Not really," Rand Marks, the team's other healer, replied as he got off the bird last. Like all of the Farm Clan, he was a ten-foot mass of muscle in a leathery gray hide, with cloven feet, a round brown shell on his back, and a tiny, long-snouted head. Over his purple toga, he wore a massive suit of ridiculous-looking but functional _stone_ armor, the only full set they'd ever found that would fit his giant frame; his only weapons were the red-tinted steel knuckle guards he wore on his fists. Looking over his shoulder at another of the girls, he lowered his voice. "How is she?"

"Exhausted, but happy, as far as I can tell," Nina Windia, princess of the Wing Clan, said quietly, stroking the Great Bird's neck feathers. "I think she knows that she's brought us where we need to go, and she's proud of that." A delicate, pale blonde beauty in robes similar to Katt's covering her deep blue blouse and skirt, she hovered off the ground on black-feathered wings, green eyes sorrowful. She was just as skilled in the magical arts as Bow and Rand, but her talents were in destruction rather than creation.

At the moment, however, her thoughts were of mourning for her younger sister Mina, a pretty young girl who had been a close friend of the rest of the group as well. Against all of their attempts to stop her, she had surrendered her form and consciousness to be transformed permanently into the Great Bird, so that the group could gain flight and thus reach their destination. It had been that sacrifice that had triggered their long-fought decision to do whatever it took to see the job through to the end, even if it meant surrendering to destiny's strings intent on pulling them into glorification as heroes, a role most of them felt that they were ill-suited for.

"One can only hope, yes?" One of the only exceptions to that, Prince Ekaru Hoppe de pe Tapeta, who usually went by "Jean" for obvious reasons, said sadly. A rotund young man of the froglike Creeper Clan with dark green skin, he wore plate mail over his rich blue doublet, white hose and red scarf, all of which made him the most fashionable member of the troupe when they weren't wearing their "business clothes." Even when on the street, however, he still kept his rapier belted at his waist, a testament to the experience in combat belying his artistic temperament.

Jean had known both sisters since his own childhood and theirs, when he had often gone on diplomatic missions from Sima to Windia and vice versa, on top of being the most emotional member of the team. Despite his often silly personality and cheerful attitude, however, he was a thorough professional and a master fencer along with a basic knowledge of both black and white magic, though he specialized in neither.

"Judging from my experience with avian lifeforms, I believe that would be a correct assessment," their other jack-of-all-trades, and the only member of the group who was neither male nor female, said calmly. Spar was a Grass Man, a sentient humanoid that was actually a plant rather than an animal, and thus apparently lacking in gender. Frail and delicate aside from the thorned whip on its belt, it had never actually said if the leafy green covering over most of its body was actually clothing or part of its body; only its hands and head seemed made of petals instead, a vibrant pink fading to white.

"Do you think she's going to stick around here?" The group's last member asked curiously. "This has never happened before, so I don't know what her migratory habits will be like." Deis, immortal sorceress and last of the Indigo Clan, was an ageless beauty who rose from the sleep of millennia whenever her knowledge was needed. From the waist down, her body was that of a snake; above it, she typically wore low-cut purple blouses and matching kerchiefs atop her long blue hair. Her only weapon was a stout wooden cane, but her talent for offensive magic was unequaled even by Nina.

"I can't say for sure, but somehow, I get the feeling she'll stay around me, wherever I go," the Princess guessed, finally turning away from the bird that had been her sister. "She'll stay out of sight, but if I call for her, she'll come."

"We'll have to remember to cut down on the Warp spell, then, so she doesn't lose us," Ryu noted as they all watched the Great Bird take off into the sky once more. After a moment, he sighed and turned back towards Evrai. "All right, as soon as Katt gets back with breakfast, we're heading in. Remember, this is only reconnaissance right now. We'll walk around for a bit, take in the layout of the place, then head back home to plan how we're actually going to infiltrate the Grand Cathedral, and any other part of the city that's necessary."

It had been about six months since Ryu and Bow had started putting together their team. Prior to that, they'd both been Rangers for several years, but their long-term plan had always been to go independent once they were able to find others who they trusted to join up. Several adventures that had quickly grown entirely out of control had brought them into contact with the others, one at a time, and they'd soon set up business in the ruins of a city in southern Auria, the largest building of which was now their headquarters.

Unfortunately, it hadn't been that simple. Said incidents had also continually found them involved in various plots by actual, real-life demons, which most of them had previously believed to only exist in stories and religious dogma. Eventually, they'd ended up taking down the Demon Lords Kuwadora, Shupukay and Aruhameral, each a nightmare in their own right, in order to foil their attempts at subverting entire countries in the service of their mysterious God.

Katt had been a fighter in the Coliseum of Coursair until the demonic manager, Augus Conte, had decided she'd outlived her usefulness. Rand was a friend of hers working construction who'd readily helped her and Ryu deal with the problem, and came along for the ride after all was said and done. Nina was studying in the Aurian Magic School when the leader of the Joker Gang, another demon, had tried to blackmail her into his service; unbeknownst to any of them at the time, Deis had been her roommate for years, laying low until the time was right to reveal her identity to them.

Sten was nothing more than an itinerant street magician and con man when he'd joined up, but years ago he'd been a general in the armies of Highland, serving alongside Shupukay for years until the horrors of war had finally cracked him, leading him to fake his death and desert. Jean had been adventuring in the countryside of Sima until Kuwadora impersonated him and tried to wrest control of the throne from his family. Spar had been an unwilling exhibit in a traveling circus run by the demonic ringmaster, M.C. Tusk. Even Bow had been framed for theft by Count Trout, a local nobleman.

Except for Deis-whose involvement was still partially a mystery to them-and their clerk/agent, the septuagenarian transient Niro Mani, each and every one of them had found themselves targeted by agents of Infinity, Ryu most of all. They'd eventually discovered that the loss of his hometown, sister and father at an early age had been the work of Aruhameral and the gargantuan abomination known as Barubary, who made even the Demon Lords seem like simple monsters by comparison and whose voice had haunted Ryu's dreams ever since.

At the same time, abandoned statues of the Dragon God Ladon had began speaking cryptically to them, though only few Clans still worshiped he whose faith had once dominated the world in this day and age. The rest of the world, including Ryu, Bow and Katt, were devoted to the Church of St. Eva. Perhaps because of this, it had taken far too long for them to catch on to the fact that so many of the demons were connected to the Church; only when Rand's mother had been abducted and her land stolen by a corrupt paladin did they begin to suspect the worst.

As it turned out, Ryu and Nina were both distantly descended from several generations of heroes of the same names and Clans, who had led bands of companions to save the world from the forces of evil. The group had initially reacted to this with distaste, preferring simply to live their lives and earn a steady paycheck, but when it had become increasingly apparent just how much the forces of Infinity had screwed with all of their lives, they reluctantly concluded that the only way to do so would be to exterminate the demons, one and all.

"So, we just drift in there and act casual?" Sten asked once they had finished eating the wild boar Katt had brought back and carved up the leftovers for later.

"Seeing as how we don't have any idea how people normally come in, that's the best we can try for." Ryu shrugged. "One reason why we're just looking around for now. Probably not a good idea to stick around too long, in case anybody gets suspicious. Keep an eye out for any paladins, in particular. They're probably going to be the biggest thing to worry about on the street level."

"Let's hope we don't run into Ray," Katt muttered quietly, not meeting Rand's eyes. Ray Braddoc, one of the paladins of the Church, had been a friend and ally of theirs who'd worked with them to find and eradicate the demons, unaware of the corruption within his own faith. Despite their best efforts, he'd prevented them from taking vengeance on the fellow paladin who'd been responsible for the disappearance of Rand's mother, and they hadn't had contact with him since; to say that relations were strained would be putting it lightly.

"Or that asshole, Gabriel," Bow said, shaking his head. "Yet, anyways. Him, we'll want to run into somewhere nice and secluded, where we can take our time with him. If we encounter him on the streets, there's no way in hell he won't recognize us, after that beating Rand gave him."

"The foul villain may still live at the moment, but justice cannot be eluded for long, _mon amis_," Jean told them as they all stood up and started walking (or flying, or slithering) around the hill towards Evrai. "Soon enough, we will call him to account for them."

"Jean's right." Ryu nodded. "We'll get him sooner or later, and everybody else involved with him. Right now, though, we scout. Just keep a low profile, and try to fit in as well as we can."

"Easier said than done for some of us, chief," Deis pointed out. "Even if this place is nice and multicultural, which I'm not entirely sure is going to be the case, me and Spar are still going to stick out like a couple of _real_ sore thumbs."

"Can't you turn into a human?" Bow pointed out. "You spent _how_ many years in that form back in Auria?"

"One, that spell takes hours to set up, and it's a pain in the ass," she pointed out. "Two, it freaking _hurts_. Three, it'd be a waste of time and effort; a nice, simple visual illusion spell would work just as well."

Nobody said anything for a few moments.

"So, then," Spar said eventually. "Why don't you do that?"

"Maybe I _will_, smart guy," she replied irritably, raising her staff in the air.

"Hold on." Ryu raised his hand. "Could you do that for all of us? Make us all look like ordinary humans? Well, okay, _I _don't need it, but everybody else?"

"Not by myself, no." She shook her head. "One downside to illusion spells. They're continual, rather than initial. I'll have to maintain it the whole time. I could do maybe three of us, four at the most, but any more than that and it'd fall apart after only a few minutes."

"What if the rest of us helped you maintain it?" Nina asked. "You'd have to cast it by yourself, of course, since none of the rest of us know that spell, but as long as you linked us to it when you did so, we'd at least be able to help with the focusing and maintaining." She paused for a moment. "Well, those of us with strong magical talents, anyways. Nothing personal, Katt, but I don't think any of us would want to see what would happen if you tried that."

"Yeah, it'd probably go about as well as you in a boxing match," the other girl teased her right back. Despite their completely opposite personalities, the two of them had quickly become best friends during their time together.

"Should work," Deis agreed, ignoring that. "Okay, then. Nina, Bow, Rand, Spar, pay attention." Raising her staff in the air, she began muttering strange words that Ryu had no hope of understanding, let alone pronouncing. He'd always suspected that the chants used for magic were simply gibberish whose only meaning was as a focusing method, but that might simply have been because he was completely useless at magic aside from the Breath of Fire inherent to the Dragon Clan, which didn't really count.

"How strange." Jean raised a hand to his cheek as the spell took hold. "I don't feel a thing."

"Like I said, it's only a visual illusion," Deis explained, as she once more stood before them in the form of the teenaged girl that Ryu, Bow and Nina had all known for years before discovering the truth. Oddly enough, now that he'd seen her true form, Ryu couldn't see much of a difference aside from her legs; her features had always had something of an odd, timeless quality about them. "So don't go touching anything, let alone anybody. But it'll make us all look like ordinary humans."

"I guess that's what's important," Sten commented, scratching his chin; the Highlander had become a lean, lanky man with harsh features and a short beard. "Wish I had a mirror, though. I never really thought about what I'd look like if I was anything but a Highlander."

"You're telling me?" Rand folded his arms; he was perhaps the most visibly different, having lost a great deal of his height and bulk, even if he was still fairly burly. Bald and middle-aged, he looked like a professional bruiser, or perhaps a tavern bouncer, though not an unhandsome one. "I look ridiculous, don't I?"

"Actually, I'm suspecting some personal bias on the part of the primary spellcaster here," Bow commented, rubbing his face. Now a stout, cheerful-looking young man with short brown hair, he raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Ryu. "Pretty weird seeing you with normal hair, buddy."

"You changed me, too?" Ryu blinked.

"It's probably for the best," Nina told him, arms demurely folded behind her back; the loss of her wings was the only difference in her form, though walking instead of floating everywhere would probably be a little strange for her outdoors. "Dyed hair might be in style right now, but the idea is not to stand out."

"Huh?" Katt blinked; hers was one of the most dissonant appearances, as the changes made to her form and features were some of the most subtle. Her face was the same, but pointed ears and sharp teeth, cheek stripes and clawed fingers were all gone along with her fur, tail and the shape of her feet. "Ryu's hair isn't dyed. It's supposed to be blue."

"Yes, but we would hardly be informing potentially hostile pedestrians of that face, would we, _mademoiselle_ Katt?" Jean pointed out. Stout but handsome, with long blonde curls, he looked like a slightly overweight poet or artist, both of which he actually was.

"Ohhhhhhhh." She slowly nodded. "Okay, that makes sense."

"We gonna get going, then?" Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"One question, first," Spar said, sounding unamused. Even as a human, it looked like a strong breeze could blow it over, pale and stick-thin with androgynous features and long, auburn hair. "Since I am incapable of examining myself, in the interest of maintaining the masquerade, it would be best if I were to know whether I now appear to be male or female."

"I made it hard to tell on purpose," Deis explained. "It could go either way. I don't _think_ anybody's going to ask, but if they do, it's your choice."

"Ah." The disguised Grass Man considered this. "Thank you, Deis. That was very considerate of you. I think I will be female, then. It would probably be best if the balance between genders was as close to equal as possible."

"This is one of the weirdest conversations I have ever had." Bow shook his head. "Let's just go, already."

"Man, where have _you_ been?" Katt asked dryly as they continued around the hill and down the road towards the holy city. "This is _normal_ for us."

"Ugh."

Passing through the southern gate without any trouble, the group found themselves standing in a vision of grandeur that made even the richest parts of the rest of the world's capital cities pale in comparison. Every home was a manor of gleaming white marble, and every business a tower of the same. The streets were wide and appeared to actually be paved with gold, against every expectation and belief in the basic nature of man. Even the air was fresh and warm, with none of the pervasive smells of a normal city even a tenth of this size present.

"Wow," Katt whispered, eyes wide. "Just... wow."

"First one to try and pry up the street gets clocked," Deis said quietly. "Fair warning."

"Seconded," Ryu agreed. "No drawing attention to ourselves, no matter how tempting."

"Something is wrong here," Spar warned them as they passed by a small park, one of many by the looks of it; even the trees and grass were impossibly vibrant. "Very, very wrong. Tell me, do those plants look healthy to you?"

"Healthiest I've ever seen," Rand replied. "And I know plants."

"As do I." Spar shook its head. "And not only with my eyes. The Breath of Nature allows me to commune with them, and I assure you, we are not the only ones under a visual illusion. I can sense nothing coming from those trees, nor the grass. They are dead, or worse than dead."

"Well," Sten said after they all mulled that over for a moment. "There ain't no way to misconstrue _that_ as anything but creepy."

"Oh, hello!" A loud voice suddenly came from behind them. "Are you new to Evrai?" They turned around to see a cheerful-looking young man beaming at them, his face bright and guileless. "I haven't seen you before! When did you arrive?"

"Just this morning," Ryu lied quickly. "Brother Gabriel brought us here."

"I wondered where he'd been!" The man looked around as other smiling pedestrians began glancing their way. "Everybody, we have newcomers!" They all brightened up even further, and began to crowd around them, eager to shake hands and in some cases even give quick hugs.

"Welcome to Evrai!" A middle-aged woman said. "It's the happiest place in the world!"

"Isn't it great to be here, in the city of God himself?" A man who seemed to be her husband by the way he was holding her hand asked them. "Only the truly faithful are allowed here! You'll never have to set eyes on a heretic ever again!"

"Really, now?" Nina asked innocently; like most of her Clan, she was atheistic, despite having met the Dragon God in person. "Never? That's amazing!"

"You think that's amazing, wait until nightfall!" A young man winked at her. "You know why? Because it never happens! St. Eva's light always shines here, so it's always daytime, and it's always warm, even in the heart of winter!"

"You'll never get sick again in your life, either!" An old man informed them, grinning. "Nobody does in Evrai! I was dying of illness when Father Habaruku himself brought me here, and within a week, I was cured!"

"Oh, I always hated when that would happen," Spar replied, entirely seriously, prompting an elbow nudge from Deis.

"It's the perfect place to raise a family, too!" A young woman with a toddler in her arms told them. "My husband and I just had our first child, and we're raising him here, so that he'll never have to live outside of St. Eva's protection!"

"Yeah!" The child cheered. "Yeah! Praise St. Eva!"

"Now _that's_ what I want to hear." Katt grinned just as broadly as the people, though it looked a little strained. "I've been waiting all my life to come here, just for that."

"Are some of you betrothed already, then?" A young woman asked, giggling.

"Most of us, actually." Deis batted her eyes at Rand. "We've been waiting to get married until we could do so in the Grand Cathedral, though. Right, darling?"

"Uh, yeah." Rand slowly nodded, face wooden. His Clan followed the Namandian faith, and his feelings towards the Church were even more violent than the rest of the group's. "That's right. Hope we can do that soon. Dear."

"Well, anybody who isn't won't have any trouble finding somebody here!" Another young man said, arm linked with a girl; both of them looked like they'd just stepped out of a painting. "I was never lucky myself, but almost as soon as I moved here, me and Jane were betrothed! We're getting married next spring, and I've never been happier! Praise St. Eva!"

"What is it like in the outside world?" A middle-aged woman asked curiously. "You're the first newcomers we've seen in a long time, aside from Miss Parcia." She glanced around. "Claris? Is Claris around here? Oh, it doesn't look like it."

"The same as always." Sten shrugged. "Turmoil and strife. The rest of the world never changes in that regard, does it?"

"No, I suppose it doesn't." Another woman shook her head. "A pity. If only the whole world followed the teachings of St. Eva. Then there would be nothing but peace, for all eternity. Perhaps some day, that will come to pass."

"Of course, everybody here prays to St. Eva every day," an old woman boasted. "We wouldn't have been able to come here if we didn't!"

"Same here!" Ryu said casually. "As a matter of fact, we've been looking forward to seeing the Grand Cathedral! Can we visit it now?"

"What?" The man who'd first seen them asked, confused, as the rest of the crowd fell silent. "No, of course not. We only enter the Grand Cathedral when Father Habaruku calls a sermon. The only ones allowed inside the rest of the week are the priests and paladins." Their faces were blank for a moment, and then everybody suddenly reverted, continuing to cheer and welcome them. "Anyways, it's always wonderful, here in Evrai!"

"Where have you been given houses?" A woman asked. "Are they over in Brightways?"

"Yeah, that's where we were told to go." Bow jumped on that, eyes keen. "Brightways. We were just looking for it."

"It's over on the east side, near the gate," a young woman's voice called from the back of the crowd. "You should stop by and see Miss Parcia; she's just moved in herself. We'd show you the way, but we should probably all get back to our business. Diligence, and all." That seemed to set off an almost automatic reaction; the crowd broke up with a chorus of farewells, many of them even waving as Ryu and the others headed northeast.

"Okay," Katt whispered once they were a safe distance from everybody else. "That was a little weird."

"More than a little." Deis' face was bleak. "Ryu, you might want to check the Dragon's Tear right about now."

"Huh?" Ryu blinked, reaching for the string around his neck. "They were freaky, but I don't think they could _all_ be demons." The Dragon's Tear was the only thing his mother had left him; a teardrop-shaped jewel in a silver setting that he always wore. When directed towards another person, it exhibited a basic form of emotional telepathy, changing colors to reflect the person's feelings towards the bearer. Most notably, it went black when aimed at a demon. This time, however, when he tried using it on the townspeople, it did something it never had before.

It went absolutely transparent.

"Huh?" Ryu frowned at it, suddenly worried. "It's not broken, is it?" He pointed it at Bow, and relaxed as it went the same bright, light blue it had been for many years. "Okay, looks like it still works." He tried it on several of the others as well, and received familiar, positive readings from them too, though he carefully avoided both Katt and Nina. Trying it on the pedestrians again, however, continued to make it go blank. "What the _hell_. That's _never_ happened before."

"I don't like that one bit, man," Bow growled; he knew how the jewel worked almost as well as Ryu did, though he'd never actually tried it himself. "That was just _creepy_ back there, when you asked about the Grand Cathedral. What the hell even happened? I thought they were faking us out when they asked us where we were living-you know, the old 'drop a name that doesn't exist' test-because of that, but I wasn't sure, so I took it just to see how they'd react, and it _wasn't_ a trick. They weren't suspicious about us at all, even though we didn't know something we should have."

"I wondered why you did that," Sten commented. "He's got a point, boss. I hate to admit it, but they should have caught on back there."

"We'd better not stick around, then," Ryu decided. "Let's go take a look at the Grand Cathedral as close as we can get, and then get out of here. Spar, I take it you're memorizing the city's layout as we go?"

"As much of it as I can see, yes." Spar nodded.

"Good," he said as they rounded a corner. "Now, let's..." He trailed off, eyes widening, as everybody else stared as well. Before them, a massive staircase rose into the sky as if it had been carved out of a mountainside and moved here simply to lead to the gigantic cliff at the rear of the town. The stairs looked to be at least a mile wide, and several of them long and tall. At their peak, the Grand Cathedral loomed, fully larger than both the ancient castle of Windia and the more recently constructed Simafort. Only the towers of Highfort came to memory as bigger.

"I hate to state the obvious, here, boss, but I don't think we're gonna stand much chance of getting up there without being noticed," Sten drawled. "Ever."

"I noticed." Ryu glanced up the steps. Four men in full suits of plate mail, each enameled a different color, were standing guard around the massive double doors. "And I think even we might have trouble taking down four paladins at once, if we can assume they're all almost as good as Ray is. Let alone the possibility that they might be demons."

"It is Evrai," Jean said, shrugging. "Did we expect it would be easy?"

"Good point," Bow admitted. "Still, this is gonna be a tough nut to crack. We should get going. Maybe Niro'll have some ideas."

"As long as _somebody _does," Ryu muttered as they did an about-face and started walking back the way they came. Nobody spoke much as they headed out, and all of them looked troubled; Ryu figured that either they were already trying to come up with a plan, or Mina's sacrifice was still weighing on their minds. Or both, for a lot of them, including himself. They'd kept up their usual banter for most of the day partially as a coping mechanism; it was habit by now, considering everything they'd seen in their lives, even at this low point.

"All right, there's the south gate," he said quietly as it came within sight. "Just act casual." Nobody seemed to notice or care as they strolled through it, and he fought the temptation to release a sigh of relief.

And then the world _twisted_, and they were walking back _into_ the city without turning or stopping.

"Hey!" Katt yelped, as the others made similar noises of surprise and dismay. "What the hell just happened here?"

"Shhhhh!" Deis hushed her, eyes wided. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! All right, keep walking! Casual, casual!"

"I'm _really_ hoping you know what's going on here," Ryu said quietly as they strolled away down a random street, then froze as his eyes fell upon the same young man who'd first hailed them. He was a shambling wreck, emaciated to the point of starvation with his skin tinted an unhealthy gray. His eyes were the worst of it, though; sunken and blank, they contained no trace of intelligence or emotion, just a horrible emptiness.

"Welcome to Evrai," he was moaning mechanically, endlessly, without even looking at them. "Welcome to Evrai. Welcome to Evrai."

"_Ladon,_" Sten whispered. "What's going on here? Deis?"

"It's worse than I thought." Her eyes darted around the streets, and Ryu followed her gaze, only to see that _everybody_ was like that now. Men, women and even children, the young and the elderly, were all mindless horrors. "Crap. This entire city... the houses, the streets, the walls... it was all built in order to maintain a continual magic field throughout the entire area. They _made _this city this way on purpose. It was _constructed_ with these spells in mind. I didn't even notice them until we actually stepped into the barrier effect."

"Yeah, but what's that actually _mean_?" Katt demanded, looking sick.

"It means that this goes beyond mere corruption," Nina told her, voice cold and dark as she looked around the city. "Evrai is the birthplace of the Church of St. Eva. What Deis is saying is that the permanent magic field was incorporated into the plans when it was first built. If we could see it from above, I'm sure we'd be able to recognize the design. In other words, from the very beginning, hundreds of years ago, the Church of St. Eva was always a cover for the demons. They haven't infiltrated the Church. They _are_ the Church, and they always have been."

"No way!" Bow blurted. "I mean... yeah, some guys are obvious, but there's plenty of good people in there. The priest back in Hometown, Father Jerome. There's no way he's dirty. And Ray... yeah, we're on the outs with him right now, but he helped us _kill _demons. Hell, Ryu's _father_ was a priest of St. Eva."

"Dupes," Sten guessed, glaring around him. "Makes sense that they couldn't recruit _everybody_ who'd join up. Probably not even close. And they sure as hell can't just turn down folks who actually buy their bullshit and want to make the world a better place. People like that probably get sent out to unimportant positions in the rest of the world. The ones we'll be looking for will be at the top, for the most part. With just enough paladins to provide sufficient muscle."

"How horrible," Spar murmured, actually looking as visibly disturbed as the rest of them, as a small child ran past them, laughing staccato. "What can be done about this?"

"First things first," Ryu said, shutting the imaginative part of his mind down hard; he knew that if he were to dwell on the implications of the revelation for long, it would completely occupy his thoughts, and there was no time for that at the moment. "We need to get out of here. Whatever happened to these people obviously hasn't to us, but the longer we stay here, the more likely it is. Deis, is there any way out?"

"Not directly." Deis shook her head. "The magic field takes the shape of a dome, completely covering the entire city. Its primary function is the barrier we encountered; any attempts to walk through it would simply become reversed. Even Nina wouldn't be able to fly out of here; it covers the sky as well. The only direction we can go without running into it is down."

"Ah, of course!" Jean brightened up, although it was obviously a pretense; his eyes were still clearly sickened by the people around them. "We must dig a tunnel to safety, yes? I read of that in a book once!"

"Do you have any idea how long that would take?" Rand muttered. "Even if we could find a basement or something to start with?" He glanced at Deis and Nina. "Look, I don't know as much about magic as you two and Bow, but isn't there some way you could just bust a hole in it, or wreck this design that it's attached to, or something? You know, Overload it?"

"In theory." Nina shook her head. "But this is _strong_ magic, Rand. Strong and subtle. Like Deis said, none of us even realized it was there until we actually touched the barrier. The illusions were a _secondary _function, and look at how pervasive they were. All of our senses were completely fooled. I'm sure we would be able to damage it sufficiently to escape, given enough time, but there's no way we would be able to do so without attracting the attention of the paladins."

"Logically, there must be some way of passing through the barrier," Spar said clinically. "And it must be a way that does not require one to know of the barrier's existence. Otherwise, Mr. Braddoc and the others unaware of this vile secret would be unable to come and go as they please."

"So, we hide out until we find a paladin who we know is dirty, and force the secret out of him?" Ryu scowled. "I'm not sure I like that plan."

"Does anybody have a better one?" Sten pointed out.

"I might," Katt said, and everybody blinked before glancing at her; contributing to the strategic part of a conversation would be unusual enough for her even had she sounded like her usual self. Arms wrapped around herself, looking even more shaken than the rest of them, she continued. "That crowd back there. They said the newest girl in town was named Claris. Claris Parcia. That's not a common name."

"No, it's not." Ryu frowned; it was a familiar name, but not one that came to mind immediately. "I've heard it before, too. Where?"

"That other group of pros we keep running into." Bow snapped his fingers. "The _Renegades._ Remember, that one guy? Tiga Lee? Wasn't Claris the name of his number two?"

"That's right!" Nina's eyes widened. "And the last time we saw them, they were being bankrolled by Miss Smith!"

"I could have gone without being reminded of that, actually," Bow retorted, rolling his eyes, though the situation around them robbed it of any bite. Patty Smith, the self-proclaimed "Phantom Thief," was an overly dramatic, cocky adolescent with a tendency to get herself in trouble, which they'd been dragged into on numerous occasions. The only thing that seemed capable of sobering her was demonic activity; for some reason, she seemed to have a personal grudge against the agents of Infinity, as well as a great deal of knowledge on them she'd never explained.

"We never did find out just what she hired them for, but it was something big," Ryu thought out loud, eyes narrowed. "And probably still ongoing. Never figured out just how much she knew about the demons, either. Could be she's been ahead of us this whole time. If this new lady in town _is _the same Claris, then, Lee probably sent her in to infiltrate this place."

"That's what I figured." Katt nodded. "It's worth a shot, going to see, right? Worst case scenario, it'll be just another one of..." She shuddered. "_These_. And if she's not, maybe she'll know a way out of here."

"Let's check it out," Ryu decided. "Pretty good idea."

"Don't get used to it." She smiled weakly. "I'll leave the thinking to the rest of you nine times out of ten. That just stuck with me, is all. Maybe it's because I _really _want to get out of here."

"An illness..." One of the old men who'd been in the crowd stumbled by, face locked in a horrified grimace. "A terrible illness... it hurts... it hurts..."

"I think we all do." Bow backed away, trying to make it look casual. "Let's find this Brightways place, now."

"I saw a street sign with that on it on the way here," Spar told him, walking north, and the others followed it quickly. "It's not far."

"Good," Sten grunted.

"Cold..." A woman whispered, walking past them. "So cold... the touch of his hand... so cold, so very cold..."

Nobody said anything, but they all began to walk a little faster, and soon they were at the street in question.

"Ah, our destination," Jean murmured as they all started looking around, trying to figure out which houses were inhabited. "Now, we simply must locate-_oof!_" A thrown rock had hit him right between the eyes.

"Came from over there," Katt said sharply. "Third house down, on the right. Second story window."

"Have I ever mentioned you've got good eyes?" Sten told her as they all walked over. Before anybody else could, the Highlander reached out with one long arm and carefully pulled on the doorknob, swinging it open. "Unlocked. Either nobody worries about theft around here, or we're expected."

"Only one way to find out." Ryu shrugged. "We should probably drop the disguises, though, so she recognizes us."

"Good thought," Deis agreed, and with a flick of her wrist, the illusion disappeared as they all walked in. The inside of the house was as luxurious as the outside, all in wood with expensive-looking furniture. Paintings and tapestries covered every wall, the floor was carpeted, and several religiously themed statues were scattered in various places. Three different doors and a staircase all led further into the house.

"All right, now we just need to find the lady of the house," Ryu muttered, looking around.

"That'd probably be her aiming a crossbow at your head from those stairs, buddy," Bow said, very slowly. "Mine too, in fact."

"Very observant, Mister Dogi," Claris replied as they all looked up at her. "I apologize for the implied threat, but one can't be too careful. If you wouldn't mind locking the door behind you?" Slim and tan, with bright red hair and cold blue eyes, she wore the same blue dress that bared her arms and legs as she had the last time they'd met her. More importantly, she had a small but deadly-looking crossbow in each hand, one aimed at Ryu's head, the other at Bow's.

"Sure." Deis, the last one through the door, reached behind her and closed the several locks on it. "Are all of these standard, around here?"

"Hardly," Claris said coolly. "I installed them myself. Now then, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you what you're doing here in Evrai."

"I'm guessing it's more or less the same thing you are," Ryu told her calmly; it was far from the first time somebody had held his life in their trigger finger. "Reconnaissance, at the moment, in preparation for something more noisy sometime in the near future. Now then, let me ask you something, Miss Parcia. Do you believe in demons?"

"If you'd asked me that a year ago, I'd have told you that I wasn't much for jokes," Claris replied, sliding her crossbows onto a belt at her hip. "But it's been a very interesting year since then. Once again, my apologies, but I had to make sure you were alone. While your group does have an excellent reputation, I prefer not to take any risks."

"Understandable," Ryu said, shrugging; everybody else was silent now, though they were watching both him and her carefully. "We were the ones who came here to contact you in the first place, anyways, so we don't really have any room to complain about how you want to play it. Especially since we didn't even ask. Really, I'm just glad you seemed to know we were coming. I don't think surprising you would have been a good idea."

"I keep my eyes and ears open, especially in a place like this." Claris nodded, descending the stairs. "And I'm pleased to see that you're all professionals. Let's step into the dining room; I'm afraid I don't have anything cooked, but there's tea, at least."

"Tea actually sounds very good right now," Nina said, and they all relaxed slightly, following Claris into the room on the right. A steaming teakettle was sitting on a tray on the massive dining table, along with ten cups.

"I see you really did know we were coming," Sten noted as they sat down.

"As I said, I've heard much about you," Claris replied, pouring them cups and passing them around. "As well as having met several of your number before."

"Knew you'd remember us." Katt smiled. "Glad to see you again, Claris. You have no idea how good it is to see a friendly face here."

"Try living here for a couple weeks without it," Claris said after a moment, but despite the dryness of her voice, she actually smiled slightly for the first time Ryu had ever seen. Taking the last cup of tea for herself, she sat down at the head of the table. "I'd say it's nice to see you all again as well, but I must confess curiosity as to the circumstances." Her voice turned slightly cold. "As well as to the conspicuousness. It's not my business to criticize your way of doing things, but strolling in through the front gate is hardly subtle."

"We were not yet aware of just how deep the enemy's control went," Spar explained. "At the time, we believed the problem was mainly a case of corruption. Several high-ranking priests, perhaps a few paladins, and so on. Needless to say, we have since learned that the problem is much more severe than we thought."

"So, you didn't come here with the intent to oppose the Church itself," Claris mused. "Miss Smith did tell me you'd killed several demons, including some of their leaders. I take it, then, that your current employment is centered around that?"

"You could say that, yes." Ryu slowly nodded; with everything that had happened over the previous months, he'd almost forgotten that they were in fact being hired and paid for what they were doing, on top of their own, more personal reasons. "Specifically, our employers want us to take down their top leader. Actually pulling that off is easier said than done, however."

"I imagine so." Claris shook her head. "As for my group, I'm sure you've already guessed by now that Miss Smith was already aware of this city's secrets. We've been hired to destroy the Church of St. Eva, and everything connected to it. At first, I was curious as to what exactly her rationale was, but that became clear once _we _encountered our first demon. They're not exactly easy to mistake for anything else."

"Not hardly," Deis agreed. "And this is coming from _me_, so you _know _it's bad."

"Indeed." Claris raised an eyebrow, but refrained from asking about the Sorceress' unique appearance. "Well then. Since we have similar goals, it seems it would be appropriate to lend you a hand. Was there a particular reason you came to see me?"

"We were kind of hoping you knew a way out of here," Ryu admitted bluntly. "As Spar said, we didn't really expect things to be this bad here, and we definitely didn't see that magic barrier coming. And setting up shop here isn't really our style. The townspeople don't seem to notice, but I doubt we'd be able to fool a paladin." He grimaced. "In retrospect, we really should have done more research before heading in."

"It might have been advisable," Claris agreed. "Fortunately, we managed to find information on the permanent magical field before I came in." After a moment, she frowned. "Before I go on, perhaps we should come to an agreement on just how far this is going to go. If all you want is a way out, I'd be glad to let you use mine, provided you only do so to leave, and not to enter again."

"And if we were considering an actual alliance, seeing as how we seem to have the same goal in mine?" Bow asked keenly.

"Then perhaps a further exchange of knowledge might be in order," Claris said, meeting Ryu's eyes. "It's an interesting possibility."

"I kind of like the sound of it myself," Ryu agreed. He didn't really know Claris or her boss, Tiga, all that well just yet, but from what he'd seen of them, they seemed like the kind of people his group could get along with. Glancing around at the others, he received nods from most of them and shrugs from the rest, and made his decision. "The leader of the demons, at least in this world, is named Barubary. He was last seen near the town of Gate, on an isolated peninsula of the same name due south of the Winlan-Nanai border, stirring up some kind of plague."

"Gate?" Claris blinked. "How odd. Why would he be in Gate? There's absolutely nothing there, although that does explain the recent ecological damage. I wondered about that." She frowned. "We were going to investigate, just in case, but Miss Smith said not to bother. Rather insistently, now that I think about it."

"The more I find out about Miss Smith, the more I have to wonder just what her deal is," Katt commented lightly, exchanging a glance with Ryu; she, like the others, knew that Gate was his birthplace, before Aruhameral had come to erase everybody in town's memories of him, and cause the disappearance of his family.

"I wouldn't know the details, myself." Claris shrugged. "I'm afraid she hasn't chosen to share them with us, and it wouldn't be professional to press her on it. At any rate, do you have a physical description of this Barubary?"

"About forty feet tall," Ryu said flatly, and she raised an eyebrow. "Real thick gray carapace over most of his body. Six legs, set all around the bottom of his torso, kind of like a crab. Two huge arms, with hooked claws instead of fingers. Vestigial wings. Three eyes; the middle one seems capable of inducing mental contact."

"That's quite a description," Claris murmured. "I can see why he's their leader. How did you learn of him?"

"Through our employers," Ryu replied, semi-honestly; it was true, but that wasn't the first time he'd encountered the greatest of demons. It was highly unlikely his childhood would ever be relevant to the _Renegades_, though, so he felt no guilt about leaving that out. "The Ranger's Guild came to us to handle the matter after their best men ran into him. It didn't end well."

"I imagine not." Claris shook her head. "The Guild is good for handling everyday matters, but this is hardly everyday. What about when he takes a humanoid form?"

"A..." Ryu's eyes widened. Somehow, he'd never thought about that possibility, even though every other demon he'd seen had masqueraded as a humanoid before revealing their true nature. He'd always thought of Barubary as being on another level entirely, but now he saw the logic of her question, and wondered why he'd never done so by himself. "We don't have any information on that, if he's ever even taken one. The plague in Gate is the only activity of his we know about."

"A pity." She frowned. "I must confess, this is somewhat distressing. Until recently, we had concluded that the most likely candidate to be the leader of the demons was the Archpriest of St. Eva, Father Habaruku. If he's only a subordinate, we might have to revamp our entire plan of operations. Tiga won't like that."

"Not necessarily," Sten pointed out. "Like you said, you guys are being paid to demolish the Church of St. Eva, right? If Barubary's not involved with the Church, you guys don't have any reason to bother with him. Once the Church is down, you'll be able to collect your pay, and leave cleaning Barubary up to us."

"A valid point." Claris nodded. "I'm curious as to why you wouldn't try to press the terms of our prospective alliance to that point, though. Normally, I would expect you to want all the help you could get, for taking on something like that. Is there a personal stake involved here?"

"Those rangers the Guild sent after her were... are... our friends," Bow answered before Ryu could. "Me and Ryu used to be rangers ourselves before we went independent, you see. We'd kind of like to discuss that matter with Barubary. In detail." It wasn't entirely a lie; the two of them _had_ worked with the unfortunate rangers who'd encountered Barubary, even if that was far from the greatest reason they wanted to handle him personally.

"I'd heard that you were, but was unable to authenticate it," Claris replied. "I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense. Very well, then. You'll have to finalize this arrangement with Tiga himself, of course, but I'll make sure to include this in my next message to him, along with my approval of the alliance."

"You can get messages out of here?" Deis raised an eyebrow. "I'd be interested to hear how you manage that."

"People have used magic for long-distance communications for so long, most of them have forgotten about other ways," Claris explained. "I managed to sneak quite a few homing pigeons in here when I arrived."

"Very nice," Spar said approvingly. "You planned this out thoroughly."

"I've been preparing for this part of the operation for three months now, ever since Tiga, Miss Smith and I spent an evening working out our plan," she continued. "It's changed in a few ways since then-none of us really believed in demons until we saw one for ourselves-but the basics of the plan remain the same. I'll stay here collecting intelligence for another month or so, and then when the team moves in for the final operation, I'll get them into the Grand Cathedral. Tiga will fill you in on the rest of it once you meet him."

"So, if you didn't believe in demons right away, does that mean at first you just thought you were taking down the Church of St. Eva because Miss Smith was paying you for it?" Rand asked slowly.

"That's correct," Claris said. "We're professionals, Mister Marks. We try not to do undue harm to our fellow man, but for the most part, morality is a secondary priority compared to profit. Is that going to be a problem?"

"Not at all." Ryu shook his head while glancing at Rand, who shrugged. "Not our business how you run your ship. We're not trying to take over. Way I see it, we work together, there'll be less risk involved, and we'll both stand a better chance of collecting our paychecks a lot sooner. Once that's taken care of, we all head out for drinks and then go our separate ways."

"That will work out just fine, then." Claris suddenly smiled again, making her look strangely younger and gentler than her usual cold persona. "I think you'll get along well with Tiga, Mr. Bateson. You seem to be a lot like him."

"He seems like a good guy." Ryu smiled as well. "Let's hope so."

"Well then, I'll show you the way out." Finishing her tea, Claris stood and walked towards the back of the manor, and they all followed her towards a staircase leading down into a basement. "There's a fairly large network of caverns beneath Evrai. That's how I got in here in the first place; we were able to break through the wall of this house's basement." She stared at the wall for a moment, eyes growing dull. "Of course, I didn't expect anything like this."

"I don't think anybody could," Nina told her. "Do you know what it is? What's wrong with them?"

"Their souls," Claris said quietly. "I wasn't really sure I believed in such things either, but... it's the only thing that makes sense, for what we've seen these demons doing. They're taking people's souls, and giving them to their God, and those... things... out there are what's left. Everybody in this city who isn't an actual member of the faith. That's what really convinced us to see this job out. Even by our standards, this is an abomination."

Before she could say anything more, everybody froze as they heard a loud knocking on the front door of the manor.

"Miss Parcia?" A male voice called out. "Are you there? We've heard there were some suspicious strangers in this part of the city."

"Damn!" Claris recovered quickly, all business once more. "It's the paladins! One of them has a crush on me, so I'll be fine, but you need to get out of here, now. Get down there, and close the secret passage behind you; it's behind the bookshelf. You'll have to move it yourself, but somehow, I think you'll be able to manage that."

"Oh, yeah." Katt grinned. "No problem. All right, we'll get out of your hair. Good seeing you again, Claris. We'll have to go get some beer together once this is all over."

"I'll hold you to that, Katt." Claris smiled again, and they rapped knuckles together as the others headed through the door. Another banging on the door caused her smile to disappear, though. "Quickly, now! Go!" Without waiting for a response, she began walking quickly towards the front of the house, calling out. "I'm sorry, I was in the bathroom! I'm coming!"

"You seem to have made fast friends with her," Deis told Katt as the two of them followed Ryu down into the basement, closing the door behind them.

"We talked for a little back in Sky Tower." Katt shrugged. "She helped me explain a few things to that idiot Spoo, and we got to chatting. I don't know, for some reason, I just get the feeling she's a lot more like me than she acts. And it's not just because of the hair."

"Tiga said the rest of his crew are a bunch of goons," Rand said as they entered the basement; the big man was already standing next to a massive, glass-fronted bookcase. The rest of the room was filled with boxes and old furniture. "Maybe Claris only acts so serious because she figures _somebody_ has to be. You want to give me a hand with this so I don't make any noise?"

"Yeah, sure." Katt walked over, and they took up positions on either side of the bookcase. Despite her slim build, the Woren girl's heritage granted her the Breath of Spirit, which gave her ridiculous strength, speed and agility, though not durability; it had taken her most of a decade to learn how to use her abilities to the fullest without breaking her own bones. Together, the two of them managed to lift the bookcase off the ground and carry it forward, exposing a tunnel into a natural cavern. "I must be the only one here who hasn't met this Tiga guy so far. What's he like, anyways?"

"Kind of like Ryu, but more rowdy." Sten shrugged. "Real playboy, though. Probably goes through a dozen girlfriends a year."

"At least," Nina added dryly, creating a sphere of magical light that hovered above her hand, illuminating the cavern ahead of them. "He seems good-natured enough, I suppose."

"Wouldn't want to go up against him, though," Bow said as they moved into the secret passage. "Looked like the kind of guy who could probably take on a whole mob all by himself."

"Okay, now I'm curious." Katt grinned as she and Rand moved behind the bookcase, side by side. Picking it up again from behind, they carried it with them as they walked backwards into the tunnel, and then lowered it to the floor. "I've got to meet this guy. Do you know where these _Renegades_ run out of, usually?"

"Last I heard, the Isle of Guntz," Ryu said. "Looks like we'll be making a trip there after all. We should probably stop back home first and see if anything's come up, though. Niro can usually handle it, but knowing our luck, the first time we assume that'll always be the case..."

"We'll come back to find a smoking crater where it used to be?" Deis guessed brightly.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Rand rolled his eyes. "Don't answer that. Let's just get out of here before something worse happens. Which way do we go, anyways?"

Everybody looked over the network of caverns before them, several different passages leading off in various directions. None looked promising.

"Perhaps we should have asked that when we had the chance," Jean pointed out.

"Gee, you think?" Bow rolled his eyes. "Let's hope we get out of here before nightfall. Think there's monsters in here?"

On cue, an abomination of evolution walked out of one tunnel and turned all of its heads to stare at them. From the body of a lion, a second head sprouted alongside the first, this one that of a goat. Its tail was a snake, ending in a third head, and from its back, massive black bat wings spread.

"Didn't we talk about saying things like that?" Ryu gave Bow a sour look, drawing his sword. "On multiple occasions?"

"Yeah, yeah." Bow sighed, aiming and firing his crossbow as the beast leaped forward. "My bad." Both bolts slammed into its flank, and it stumbled, falling back to the ground as Katt ran straight towards it.

"Hey, _I _ain't complaining!" She said cheerfully, flipping sideways over its attempt to eviscerate her with one claw and slamming her battlestaff into the side of one head, causing it to collide with the other. "Could use a little adrenaline after what happened back there, huh? Whoa!" She dodged back, away from the lion head's fangs, and swung the other end of her staff up into its jaw, only for it to claw at her again.

"You're _always_ in the mood for that," Ryu pointed out, reaching her side and slashing at the forepaw. Roaring, the beast charged them both, snapping at each of them with its twin heads as the snake hissed in anger, unable to reach them. Katt jumped back, but Ryu was less agile; fortunately, the goat's teeth were unable to penetrate his armor, and he took the opportunity to remove the offending skull with another swing of his sword.

"Good work, but it doesn't look like that'll stop it," Deis told them as he stepped back as well, raising her wooden cane in the air as Nina did the same with the focusing ring on her hand. A miniature tornado suddenly appeared inside the cavern, bearing down on the beast and picking it up, slamming it viciously into various surfaces before dissipating as soon as it had come. "What is that thing, anyways?"

"A chimera," Nina told her as it staggered back to its feet, only for her to create a block of ice in the shape of a double-faced head before it. Opening the eyes and mouth facing the beast, it breathed freezing mist straight into it, covering the lion's head in ice. "We studied them at the Magic School as an example of biomancy gone horribly wrong. A shame they breed. I always wondered where they were actually found."

"Well, now we know." Katt grinned, leaning on her staff. "That was fun-_whoa!_" Her eyes widened as it lunged for her and Ryu again, only for a pair of massive hands to close on their backs and yank them back out of harm's way as one of Sten's knives flew through the air, burying itself in the beast's chest and causing it to stumble again.

"Watch out," Rand told them unnecessarily, holding them in the air, as Spar's thorned whip wrapped around it, holding it down. "It's still got one functioning brain. Somebody want to do something about that?"

"It is already done," Jean told him, casually stepping behind the chimera and skewering the tail snake. As it died, the entire beast finally did so as well. "A good thing that we encountered the beast in such an enclosed area, yes? I would not relish having to engage such a thing with full flight under an open sky."

"It never ceases to amaze me, you know?" Sten commented, retrieving his knife. "Your ability to not only find an upside to this kind of situation, but that it actually makes sense. That's a pretty rare talent."

"Thank you, _mon ami_." Jean nodded politely. "I think."

"Let's go," Ryu grunted. "And hope we can find the closest way out with running into any more of those."

"That way." Spar pointed towards the tunnel the chimera had climbed out of. "I can sense the grass outside the caverns most clearly in that direction."

"Have I ever mentioned how glad I am you're on the team?" Deis told it as they walked down the tunnel without question; they all trusted the Grass Man's odd ability to navigate by the Breath of Nature by now, having seen it in action on multiple occasions. It wasn't long before they saw the light of the setting sun up ahead, and soon climbed out of a cavern set into the side of a grassy hill, about a mile away from Evrai.

"We done here, then?" Bow asked.

"For now." Ryu glanced upwards, as the Great Bird flew overhead. "But we'll be back. And next time, we play for keeps."

They made their camp there, that night, deciding to wait until the next day before leaving. Around a small, enclosed campfire, they dined on travel rations over jokes and stories, as casual as if it were just another day. None of them believed it, but they'd all had a lot of practice at pretending otherwise. Soon enough, they turned in, Ryu among them; Spar and Jean had the first watch that night, and so he got his sleep while he could.

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

With a gasp, he jerked upright, the voice of Barubary still haunting his mind, as it had in his dreams every night of his life for the past ten years. After a quick look around to confirm that he hadn't woken anybody else, he lay back down and tried to sleep again, though it was far from forthcoming.

Winter was coming, and it was starting to grow cold.

_DO YOU STILL WAIT FOR YOUR GOD _


	33. Chapter 30: The City Of Steel

_**Chapter 30: The City Of Steel **_

Auria was an eastern kingdom, along the equator, and thus fairly warm even during the onset of winter; the only part of the land touched by snow was the mountaintops in the far south, and even that only lightly. Most of the nation was pleasant fields and forests, bordered by the sea to both east and west, the latter with the Bay of Gold that separated north and south on that side. The unfortunately-named capital city of Hometown was located on the north, near the coast, while the south had been uninhabited for centuries, due to the presence of Mt. Fubi between it and the rest of the country.

Now a small but growing town, perhaps even a city, was expanding day by day and house by house, as the old ruins that had once sat there were refurbished and rebuilt by three builders from Capitan in the north. Funded by the profits of the city's "founders" and the benevolence of an Aurian Duke who they'd done several jobs for, it boasted a good twenty houses, most of which were occupied by old friends, acquaintances with connections, or simply people with useful talents who'd been looking to relocate.

Even to the stranger's eye, it would be obvious which building the people in charge lived in. Most of them were common, if comfortable-looking, houses, but the first one to be built was a clear exception. A four-story stone tower, it loomed over the rest of the town from the northeast on a rise of land with a refurbished and polished statue of Ladon, the Dragon God, off to the left. It was the home and headquarters of the city's founders, the band of mercenaries known as the _Dragonkin_, and it was where they returned to when a job was done and it was time to prepare for the next one.

At the moment they had retired to the meeting room in the center of the building on the first floor, behind the lobby, to explain the events of recent days to Niro Mani, their tenth member. A bald, stooped man of extremely advanced years with poor hygiene and a beard that nearly stretched to his feet, his mind was nevertheless still sharp, and his ability to defend himself with sword or cane competent. Cheerful and eccentric, he served as the team's agent and clerk, as well as keeping order in the city, which was a constant effort on most days.

"Ladon filled me in on what happened in Windia," Niro said quietly once they were done recapping, unusually somber. He referred to the spirit of the Dragon God, who spoke to the group through the statues of him that still dotted the world, despite his lack of worship in the modern age. "Didn't say anything about Evrai, though." He glanced towards Nina, started to say something, then paused as he saw the cold, quiet look on her face before shaking his head and turning back to Ryu. "Not quite what we hoped for, but at least you got out of there."

"That's what's important, when you get right down to it." Ryu slowly nodded. "Survival. Now that we're out, though, time to plan our next move."

"We're heading to the Isle of Guntz, right?" Bow said, raising an eyebrow. "To see if we can find Claris' group and join forces with them. And Patty, I guess." He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe we're actually _planning _on finding _her _for another team-up. A long-term one this time. That alone is evidence of how serious this is."

"She's not so bad," Rand grunted. "I mean, yeah, she gives me as much of a headache as the rest of you, but she's got it where it counts."

"I guess, yeah." Katt sighed. "She's a good kid. She's just such a pain in the ass, you know? And this is coming from _me._"

"We can deal." Sten shrugged. "We've all done worse. With luck, Tiga and his boys will be able to keep her under control. I know if _I'd_ had to deal with her for as long as it sounds like they have, _I'd_ have figured something out."

"Maybe since she's the one paying the bills, she won't be coming along on most of the jobs," Ryu guessed. "Those ones we've seen her meeting Tiga on could be flukes."

"Yeah, and maybe it's gonna rain zenny tomorrow, too," Deis said dryly. "You know our luck better than that."

"A guy can hope, right?" He shot back. "Optimism is key. Anyways, we'll head over there first thing tomorrow morning and start asking around. No real point in forming a plan beyond that just yet until we meet up with them and see what they're up to."

"That it for tonight, then?" Sten asked, reaching behind him and stretching. "I'd kind of like to go next door and see what Sana's up to."

"And I, with _mademoiselle_ Seso," Jean agreed.

"If you do, please try to avoid Spoo," Nina asked, blushing slightly. "She might ask about me."

"Same here, with Solo." Rand nodded.

Sana, Seso, Spoo and Solo were all sisters, the last descendants of the near-extinct Fusion Clan, along with their grandmother and two cousins who hadn't been located yet. Entirely human in appearance, though with a wide variety of skin tones and normally implausible hair colors, they held the ability to 'fuse' with other people, becoming a sort of mental passenger in exchange for enhancing their partner's natural abilities. According to them, Sana augmented physical strength and Seso magical talent; neither of the other two had been around long enough for anybody to ask.

Ryu's Clan was one of the few incapable of doing so, fortunately; the entire thing kind of creeped him out. Most of the others had gotten used to it over time, even though Sten and Jean were the only ones who'd actually done it on a regular basis; Spar had tried once with Sana, but it hadn't gone well. The same girl had tried it with Ryu anyways when they'd first met, and the explosive reaction had destroyed her and her grandmother's house, as well as awakening the Breath of Fire within him. Each had some sort of elemental affinity to fire, water, air or earth as well, though this seemed to have no relevance Ryu knew of aside from their preference in partners.

Three were beautiful, flirtatious girls who'd zeroed in on one or two of them as their tastes had inclined, their attitudes towards it indicating that they found the process a little _too_ enjoyable; it was a stroke of luck that the first two to move in had been attracted to the team's biggest womanizers. Solo was just as attracted to Rand, but looked to be over five hundred pounds, which was why the big Farmlander wished to avoid a reunion. Nina's dislike for Seso, on the other hand, came from her obvious gender preferences and aggressive tendencies, which she did not return.

"Now hold on there," Niro said, standing up with the help of his cane. "Before we break this up, there _is_ one more thing that we all need to talk about. Somethin's come up, while you were all gone, and I don't just mean the usual clown acts half the people in this damn town get up to. You remember how the boys were going to try and get that old well workin' again? The one over next to where Gigli and her girls live?"

"Yeah, they were saying something about that a while back," Ryu recalled, frowning; 'the boys' were the three carpenters who'd been the first citizens of the town aside from them, along with their families. Rivab, Haseco and Eizen had come to finish up the job on their headquarters and the Fusion Clan family's, and through a series of shenanigans that had never adequately been explained to him, had ended up rebuilding more than a dozen more as well, three of which they'd moved into. "That was all the way back before we even went to Tunlan, though."

"It took 'em a while to get the damn thing unclogged, and when they did..." Niro shook his head, starting for the door. "Well, you'd better see for yourself."

"This should be interesting," Spar murmured tonelessly as they exchanged glances and shrugs before following the old man back out. Descending the front steps and passing by the girls' house next door, they continued to what had been a massive heap of underbrush most times Ryu had looked at it. Now it was cleared, and a round stone well stood exposed; from the looks of it, it could have been put in just last week, aside from the fact that it was dry, dark and empty.

"Looks like they got it cleared out," Bow said, looking down into it. "So is it just dried up?"

"I _wish_ that was all to it," Niro growled, looking irritated now that they were actually there. "Like I said, come on and see for yourselves." Swinging himself over the side, he began climbing down the steel rungs set into the well.

"Does anybody else have a bad feeling about this?" Sten commented as Ryu and the others followed him down.

"That would be an understatement," Nina agreed.

"I'll be okay as long as nothing tries to kill us," Ryu called back up as he reached the bottom of the well, where Niro had already lit a torch. Turning around and stepping out of the way, he glanced forward and froze, drawing in a deep breath. "Then again, maybe not."

He'd expected a large, hollowed-out area, but he hadn't thought that it would be tiled in black, or that the walls and ceiling would all be as well. Had he noticed that as soon as he'd landed, it might have prepared him for what he now saw in the back of the room. A massive metal device, large and round, open at the front with a chair to sit in, and a surface that could close to ensure that whoever did so stayed there. Metal pipes ran into a maddening mess behind it, thousands of them, the only other part of note a glowing panel with controls set into it.

It was lost technology, from thousands of years ago, that mankind had forgotten how to create, let alone use. A kind that they had seen before.

"Holy _shit_," Bow whispered, staring in awe. "It's one of those things from Highfort. The kind Shupukay was using on the princess."

"What the hell is one of _those_ doing under _our_ town?" Katt demanded angrily, but it wasn't as loud as she would normally be.

"You see the problem," Niro grunted. "When the boys found this thing down here, they came an' told me, right away. Knew it was more our business than theirs. I took one look at it an' figured it was probably the same thing you told me about from that nasty bit o' business."

"You thought right." Sten scratched his chin, scowling, all traces of mirth gone in an instant. "These things are bad business. As far as we know, nobody else had any of them but Highland, and even we couldn't work them until Shupukay wormed her way in. How the hell did one of these get into a dump like this?"

"The same way the ones in Highfort did," Deis said flatly, staring at the device with undisguised loathing. "When the Goddess Myria was finally killed a thousand years ago, her flying fortress, Obelisk, detonated in lower planetary orbit with enough force to send chunks of it flying all across the globe. Most of them didn't survive the landing, but two of the largest pieces were used as the foundations for Simafort and Highfort. Looks like a third one plowed itself into the ground here."

"Clearly, exactly what our day needed," Nina murmured. "At least the demons don't seem to know about this one." She paused, a horrified look coming over her face. "Unless..."

"No, we're good," Ryu told her. "I like these guys, but I'm not stupid. Tested 'em all with the Dragon's Tear. No demons here."

"Excellent." Spar nodded slightly. "So then, the question remains. What course of action should we take, in regards to this?"

"Don't suppose there's any chance we can just board the well up and forget about it?" Bow suggested, but Ryu could tell he was joking.

"Not happening." He shook his head. "This sucks, but now that we know about it, we can't just pretend we don't. We need to do something about this." He thought for a moment. "First thing is figuring out just how far this goes. Is it just here, under this well, or does this extend all the way under the entire damn town?"

"_Mon dieu_," Jean murmured, eyes wide. "I had not considered that, but... in Sima, though only one room contained access, it could control the entire fortress. Though this seems to be only a slight amount, who can know how much is truly there, and how far it is spread?"

"Exactly," Nina agreed. "It might not be important, but then again, it might. We need to know."

"Problem is, that's easier said than done, fellas," Niro pointed out. "Don't think anybody's gonna be too happy if we start digging up the streets, and burrowing out from here under those houses is about as bad an idea as it gets."

"Which leads me to my second point." Ryu scowled at the control panel. "I'm sick of running into these things and not being able to do anything more than break them. We need to figure out how they work, and lucky us, we've got an example right here just for our benefit." He glanced at Deis. "I don't suppose you-"

"Nope," she cut him off. "Sorry, I always preferred magic. My-" She paused for a moment before continuing. "Myria was a technology junkie, but not me, even back in those days. And before you ask, Ladon's even worse than me, so don't get any ideas about hauling that statue down here to take a look."

"Speaking as the guy most likely to have been handed that particular job if it had happened, thanks," Rand muttered.

"I wasn't going to suggest _that_," Ryu protested, then paused. "Well, probably. _Anyways_, if we don't have anybody who knows their way around this stuff, then we'll just have to find somebody who does, or can at least learn."

"Bringing in an expert?" Sten guessed. "From Guntz, I take it?"

"Bingo." Ryu nodded. "We're going there anyways, so we might as well try and find somebody with an interest in lost technology while we're there. Guntz is the most advanced nation in the world, so they're our best bet."

"A specialist like that won't be cheap, though," Deis pointed out. "Especially if we want them to come all the way out here. Well, unless we can find a real fanatic; I've known some techies who'd agree to do the job just for the chance to poke around with this stuff. But what are the odds of us getting _that_ lucky?"

"Whenever you intentionally attempt to invoke fate like that, my petals itch," Spar told her solemnly. "Please don't."

"We done here?" Katt asked after a long moment.

"Yeah, for now," Ryu said, and they all began climbing back up. "Something else to take care of tomorrow. Like we needed any more headaches."

"You and Deis are really on a roll tonight, aren't you?" She asked him dryly. "All right, folks, you heard him. Now taking bets on what _else_ is going to happen tonight."

"Do you mind?" Ryu asked her, prompting a smirk.

"Please. If I _didn't_ give you grief, you'd think something was wrong with me. Besides, it's true."

"Aren't you supposed to be one of the biggest optimists we have?" Rand pointed out.

"Sure I am." Katt shrugged. "I'm also one of the dumbest. Doesn't mean I'm gonna miss _that_." A thought seemed to strike her then, and she turned to look at Jean, frowning as if worried.

"Is something wrong, _madmoiselle_ Katt?" He asked, blinking, as Nina brought up the rear out of the well.

"For now, let's just keep this thing closed up," Ryu said loudly, cutting that off. "Shame to waste those guys' hard work, but this thing clearly isn't going to be working any time soon, so let's see about somebody making a lid for it with a lock on it, or something. It's not like we can't trust any of them, but that thing is _dangerous_, and we don't want them screwing with it and hurting themselves."

"They'll understand," Niro assured him. "Like I said, son, they know our business is different from theirs."

"Good." Ryu looked around to make sure nobody else was out in the street at the time to hear them, and lowered his voice. "On that note... let's keep what we know about the Church of St. Eva under wraps for a while now. Eventually, we're going to have to own up and tell everybody in town we're taking action against them, and let them decide for themselves how they're going to react, but that's not now."

"We'll probably lose Kay, at least," Bow said, frowning. "She's the most devout believer in St. Eva. Shame." Kay was the team's doctor, who they all saw regularly; white magic healed injuries, but there was only so much it could do for long-term, residual damage.

"Let's hope not," Ryu replied, but he couldn't quite keep the doubt out of his own voice. "All right, then-"

"Hey, you're back!" The door of the building next to theirs slammed open, and three scantily-clad young women all stuck their heads out in a vertical row; one was tan, with bright red hair, and the other two pale, with blue and green, respectively. It was Sana, the first, who'd seen them, and was now smirking slyly. "About time. We've been going crazy, sitting around here and waiting for you to get back. Especially Spoo and Solo."

"Are you all right?" Seso, the blue-haired one with the most gentle features, asked them, eyes on Jean. She was the most naïve and innocent of the family, or at least acted that way; Ryu had his suspicions, considering how they'd found her in the tower of the nymphomaniac witch Nimufu, but her relationship with Jean seemed to work. "When you told us all to remain behind when you went to Windia, I thought..."

"Fortunately, the night is ours, _mademoiselle_," Jean told her, smiling. "I will explain our recent circumstances to you over wine, dinner and song, yes? As I am sure _monsieur_ Sten will to _mademoiselle_ Sana."

"Ooooh, how romantic," Spoo said, her voice as dull and vague as her eyes. "Is anybody going to tell me and Solo?"

"I'm afraid I'm busy tonight," Nina murmured dryly.

"Same here," Rand said quickly, and most of the others muttered similar excuses.

"What about you, sweetie?" Spoo asked Spar, slipping out from between her sisters and walking over. "You want to spend some time with me?"

"My schedule remains open," Spar replied calmly before anybody could warn it. "I see no reason not to engage in amicable conversation."

"Uh." Spoo's eyes crossed. "What?"

"Pssst, sis!" Sana hissed. "He said 'yes.'"

"Well, now..." Spoo started to purr, then paused. "Wait. You're a he? How disappointing."

"Actually, Miss Sana is incorrect," Spar explained. "As a Grass Man, I am neither male nor female."

"Oh," Spoo said after a moment, in which everybody present could practically _see _her brain slowly working, while Sana put her hand to her face. "Really?"

"Yes," Spar replied patiently. "Really."

"I guess that works." She smiled. "That's actually interesting. Men aren't my thing, but somebody who's neither... are you as much of a prude about fusing as your friend is?"

"If it wasn't for your _interest_, I might actually consider it," Nina told her sharply.

"Oh." Spoo paused again. "Really?"

"I have no reason not to," Spar told her quickly, cutting that off. "Miss Sana tried it once with me, but the union was unsuccessful."

"Don't remind me," Sana muttered. "Shame. You smell pretty good."

"She does, doesn't she?" Spoo agreed, green eyes fixed on Spar again. "Now I'm curious. Why don't we try that, then?"

"As you wish." Spar nodded politely, and the two of them started walking towards the sisters' house. "However, I would prefer you refer to me as 'it,' rather than 'she,' as I am not female."

"You want us to call you an it?" Seso asked, frowning. "Isn't that kind of mean?"

"It's accurate, is what it is," Sten pointed out. "What'd be worse for you? Being called 'it' or being called 'he'?"

"Man's got a point," Sana agreed as they stepped out of the way, allowing Spar and Spoo to walk in. "Anybody started calling me a guy, I'd break his face for him, free of charge. You guys coming to watch?"

The group exchanged a long look.

"We probably should," Bow said reluctantly, and they all began following the girls inside. The first room inside the sisters' house had been specially built in order to conduct the fusion rituals; the floor held three magical-looking circular designs in wrought metal set in the floor, the central one larger than the other two. A mezzanine loomed above them, with twin staircases on either side, and massive torches flanking them. An old, bent woman with hawkish features wrapped in a brown robe was up there at the moment, looking over a book on a stand and muttering.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked, looking up. "You aren't _all_ gonna get fused tonight, are you?"

"Probably just the usuals, but Spar and Spoo wanna try it first, Gigli," Niro hollered back, as several of the group flinched at her terminology. "Rest of us are just here in case somethin' goes horribly wrong."

"Oh." She calmed down slightly; for some reason, Niro was the only one who could control the old lady, a mystery from their youth that Ryu had no intention of ever learning the explanation behind. "Well, I guess I can't argue _that_ one, considering these idiots."

"Love you too, granny," Sana snarked back.

"Poor Spar has no idea what it's getting into," Deis muttered under her breath as it and Spoo walked forward, Spar taking the center circle and Spoo the one to the left. "This family has _issues_, and that's coming from _me_."

"I know," Nina murmured, looking worried. "I might end up having to fuse with her after all, just to keep her off of it."

"You realize that might be what her plan was all along, right?" Katt said quietly.

Everybody thought about that for a moment, considering Spoo's mental abilities.

"Doubtful." Jean shook his head.

"Looks like it's starting," Bow said, and they all turned to look as Granny began chanting some gibberish, hands raised in the air. The room seemed to grow darker, and Spoo's entire body began to glow, before she transformed into a glittering sparkle of green light that circled the room before plunging into Spar's chest. As soon as she did, Spar began to glow as well, brighter and brighter, until it was nothing but a humanoid shape formed of blinding green light.

"What the hell?" Sten blurted out. "_That's_ never happened before!"

"Complete transformation?" Seso whispered, awestruck. "Nobody's managed that since the days of Greatfather Karn!"

"Of _who_?" Ryu demanded, before turning his eyes back to the blur that Spar had become as its shape began to change. Slowly, the room returned to normal, and the light covering it faded, to reveal its new shape. The question of Spar's gender was now even more confused, as it was clearly female, a shapely, pale young girl in a purple and green dress of petals and leaves with a short skirt and no sleeves. Aside from that and her bizarre shoes, pink in front with purple, yellow-spotted bulges over the heels, her only clothing was a similarly-colored mushroom hat atop her long, vibrant pink hair.

"Well," Deis said after a long, silent moment. "_That's_ different."

"Really?" Nina said quietly.

"Oh." Spar held out her hands before her, staring at them for a moment, before her eyes wandered further downward. "Oh, my. Oh, dear. This is..." She trailed off, vocabulary apparently exhausted. "Well. It's _interesting,_ but I'd rather not... that is to say..."

"Yeah, okay," Granny agreed, producing a crystal ball and raising it above her head. "Don't think _anybody_ needs this." She began chanting again, and the room grew dark once more, as Spar began glowing again and the streak of light that was Spoo emerged from it. When the room returned to normal, both of them had as well, standing where they had been before.

"Aww, I kind of liked it," Spoo said, frowning.

"Thank Ladon," Ryu growled, ignoring that. "All right, now that _that's_ over with, what did you mean about-"

"Hey, what's going on out here?" A deep female voice yelled, cutting him off, as the door further into the house opened and the largest woman Ryu had ever seen emerged, straining to fit through. At least seven feet both tall and wide, Solo was as tan as Sana with short, straight black hair, and dark eyes; the vacant look in them resembled Spoo's, the only thing she had in common with her sisters. She was as scantily clad as her sisters, wearing only a pleated grass skirt and a pair of coconut shells on a string in addition to a great deal of jewelry, which they also all shared.

"Napping again, sis?" Sana asked her. "Figures. Spoo was trying a fusion with Spar here, but... well, it turned Spar into a girl. Don't think anybody _except_ Spoo was too keen on that."

"Complete transformation?" Solo blinked. "Seriously? Nobody's done that since Greatfather Karn's time! Has anybody else tried?"

"Is anybody ever going to explain that to me?" Ryu rolled his eyes.

"I tried it once, but the fusion failed," Sana told her, ignoring him.

"And I'm staying with Jean," Seso said, blushing slightly as she put her arm around his waist, and he around hers.

"Well then, guess it's up to me." Solo walked forward, clapping a hand on Spar's shoulder as she passed by. "You're all right with that, aren't you, little guy?"

"Further experimentation would be satisfactory," Spar agreed, stumbling slightly.

"That's the spirit." Her broad lips twitched upward. "You're not really my type like the big guy over there, but something about you has me interested. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

"Just don't get any ideas, sis," Spoo commented as she walked out of the circle. "Spar's already agreed to spend tonight with me."

"Damnation." Nina sighed. "It seems I _am_ going to have to take one for the team."

"Oh, really?" Solo raised an eyebrow, apparently not hearing her. "My night's open too. Maybe we can share the little guy, huh?"

"Looks like we're _both_ going to have to." Rand grimaced.

"I'll have a little talk with her after we're done here," Deis offered, eyes narrowed. "Like the one Katt had with Spoo. Make sure she understands fusion is _all_ you're going to agree to."

"Thanks," Rand said, looking away from her; their mutual attraction was obvious to everybody in the town by now, but Deis flirted with _anything_ male, and Rand was somewhat standoffish towards romance, which made the situation more than slightly awkward.

"All right, let's get started," Gigli said, and she began chanting again. The fusion worked, just like it had before, and like before, Spar began to transform after the golden light that Solo transformed into merged with it. This time, however, when it was over, the Grass Man had become a huge pink vegetable bulb, around the same size an adult human, on a pair of feet covered in shoelike red growths of root.

"Uh," Bow grunted after another long moment, as it stood there in silence. "Isn't that what Grass Men look like as kids?"

"It's their juvenile form, yes," Deis said, nodding. "Okay, _that's_ not going to work either."

"Nope," Granny agreed, raising the crystal ball again. "That's a new one on _me_, too. All right, out." Again the fusion was inverted, and after a moment, Solo was back in her circle. "Anyways, were you saying something, kid?"

"You know what?" Ryu shook his head. "I don't even care any more. I'm going to go have some dinner." He turned around and walked out the door without waiting to see if anybody would say anything more, and after a moment, most of the others followed him.

Whenever they were in town, the group usually had dinner at the Rivab house, where Mrs. Rivab had added a restaurant onto their home; her cooking was well worthy of it. Mrs. Haseco had similarly had her husband build a pub into theirs, which most of them tended to adjourn to afterwards for a few drinks before turning in. Tonight, Ryu did both before going up onto the roof of his own building; it was his favorite place for looking at the night sky while thinking over recent events.

"Hey, Ryu?" A familiar voice came from the stairwell after he'd been up there for a while, and he turned to see Sana walking up, somewhat hesitantly. "Sorry to bother you, but Sten said you'd be up here."

"Haven't fused with him again yet?" Ryu asked. "I thought you would first thing."

"We're waiting until tomorrow morning." She smiled, eyes glinting. "I'm going to go see him afterward, but I thought I should come talk to you first. And before you ask, no, he's not going to get the wrong idea about you and me being alone up here."

"I wasn't going to." Ryu rolled his eyes. "Mostly because I think I've got more to worry about on that score than you."

"Nah, Katt and Nina both know that it's not gonna happen between us by now." Sana tilted her hand back and forth, smirk still present. "A shame, but I'll deal. Now, if it was either of _them_ up here alone with you, _then_ the other one might start wondering."

"No offense, but you're the _last_ person I want to discuss that with right now," Ryu said bluntly. "Does _everybody_ in this town know about that?"

"Pretty much." She shrugged. "But that's not what I came up here to talk with you about, anyways, so that's fine." Her smile faded, and she walked over to sit on the edge of the roof next to him. "You were asking about Greatfather Karn earlier, right?"

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "He's your ancestor, right? From the Second Dragon War. One of _my_ ancestors' companions."

Every thousand years, the world had been threatened by malevolent forces bent on its destruction; specifically, the evil Goddess Myria, who had started both the First and Second Dragon Wars, plunging the world into chaos for her own twisted amusement. And each time, heroes chosen by Ladon had risen to thwart her plans, led by a Light Dragon named Ryu, and a Wing Clan Princess named Nina. The first victory against Myria had resulted in her imprisonment, and when that had failed a millennium later, the second had ended in her death.

"One of the ones who slayed the Goddess of Lies," Sana agreed. "Once the Second Dragon War was ended, he devoted himself to trying to preserve the Fusion Clan; after the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit committed genocide against them, there were less than half a dozen left, and even if they all married humans, that's not enough to sustain a steady population. I guess Karn knew that; eventually, the Clansmen were all consolidated into one family line. The one that eventually resulted in me and my sisters and cousins. Wonder where the two of them are."

"How long, exactly, did Karn live?" Ryu asked slowly, deliberately avoiding thinking about two _more_ of them moving in next door.

"That's kind of the thing." Sana stared out over the town below. "I asked Granny, and she said it was all right, so... the thing is, I don't know how or why, but... Greatfather Karn _didn't_ die. Ever. Everybody else in the family's always known him. When I was a kid, he'd drop by every few years to see us. I never really suspected anything until I grew up, and Granny told me he'd done the same thing for _her_, and for my father, and for _her_ grandmother, all the way back. He doesn't stop by much, now that we're adults, but every now and then..."

"He was there, when you first tried fusing with me, wasn't he?" Ryu asked. "I remember somebody charging in."

"He knew who you were." Sana nodded, chuckling weakly. "Boy, did _we_ ever get chewed out that night. You believe me, then?"

"Be pretty hypocritical of me not to, considering that from what Nina told me, _my_ ancestors from the Second Dragon War are still around, too," Ryu said after a moment's thought. "Both of them. And probably at least some of the others; pretty sure we've met Gobi. I don't know how it works any more than you do, but there we go."

"Ox and Mogu both died, I know that much." Sana shrugged. "No idea about Bo, though. And then there's Deis."

"Deis is something of an exception to pretty much everything under the sun," Ryu pointed out, and they both laughed.

"Can't argue with _that_ one," Sana agreed, before sobering again. "You sure you want to be telling me about this? Not that we're untrustworthy or anything, but it sounds like that's the sort of thing you'd want to keep in-group."

"We are," Ryu conceded. "But when you guys are fused to my guys, you're there for everything that goes on as much as we are. You already know about Ladon, the Demon Lords, the conspiracy, and all the destiny bullshit. Might as well keep you up to date with everything else."

"I guess that makes sense." Sana glanced at him. "Even if the practicality's a bit cold. Don't you ever just go with your emotions?"

"When I can afford to," Ryu said, smiling slightly. "Honestly, I prefer it that way, too. Problem is, doing that in the field is one thing, but when it comes to decisions of policy, well... everybody on the team seems to have decided that I'm the leader. I'm not sure why, but if they want me to be, that means I _have_ to be practical when it comes to anything that could affect them. Responsibility, and all that."

"You have to look out for them." Sana nodded slowly. "Yeah, all right, I get that. I kind of feel that way about my family, too. Don't ever tell them this, but I'm kind of glad Granny decided to call us all back together recently, instead of just letting us scatter wherever we wanted. The rest always end up getting into trouble."

"Solo wasn't in any trouble when we found her," Ryu pointed out.

"Luck, probably." She shrugged. "I guess what I'm saying is I understand what you're talking about. And I'm still glad you're trusting us with this. Even if it's practical." She shook her head, looking slightly confused. "This is so weird. I've never really felt this way about a guy before, but... do you think maybe we could be friends? Even if we're never gonna get together?"

"I'd say it's worth a shot," Ryu said, smiling again. "You're kind of in charge of your group, I'm in charge of mine, we live next door... seems logical to me. Besides, you're okay, Sana."

"Gee, thanks," she replied dryly. "You too, I guess." They shared another laugh, before she abruptly grew serious again. "What's it like? Knowing that Ladon's pushing you and your team to save the world? Being heroes?"

"Honestly?" Ryu scowled. "It pisses me off. I think it does that to most of us. I hate the entire concept of anything like that controlling our lives in the first place, and then when you add the fact that historically, our predecessors all tended to end up getting fairly screwed over even when they won... yeah. No. For a while, we were trying as hard as we could to just ignore it, until we figured out that wasn't going to work. These days, really, we just want to get it over with, get out, and get on with our lives." He stared up at the moon, as a surge of white-hot wrath stirred within him. "That... and payback against those bastards from Infinity."

"Something happened, didn't it?" Sana asked quietly. "In Windia. Something bad."

"Yeah," Ryu admitted. "Something did. Sorry, but... could you ask Sten about it? I'd really rather not talk about it."

"All right," Sana agreed, standing back up. "I should go see him before it gets any later, anyways."

"You two really get along well, don't you?" Ryu asked, raising an eyebrow; they'd been the first to successfully fuse, among other things.

"We understand each other." She shrugged, smirking again. "Don't get the wrong idea; it's not going to be permanent. I don't do that, and he's still got that hangup with that Princess from his homeland. But even after it's over with, we'll probably still be friends. You're actually the first guy friend I've had who wasn't one of my exes."

"Why am I not surprised by this." Ryu rolled his eyes, but he was smiling again as well. "I just hope Spoo and Solo aren't keeping their hopes up for something like that themselves. Nina's not interested, and Rand's sort of got complications from another quarter."

"No comment." Sana rolled her own eyes right back. "Figures Seso's the one who gets the _most_ stable relationship. Wonder if our ancestors ever had-" She cut off suddenly, face slowly taking on a contorted expression. "Oh. Oh _Ladon._"

"What?" Ryu blinked.

"I just realized," she said, sounding horrified. "Deis was around for both Dragon Wars. What if she and my Greatfather... you know..."

"I deliberately avoid asking Deis anything even vaguely related to that sort of thing," Ryu told her, wincing sympathetically. "Or thinking about it at all, really. Kind of like with your Granny and Niro. You might want to do the same."

"Duly noted." She shuddered. "All right, I'm going to see Sten."

"You're still in the mood?" He teased her. "After _that_? Impressive."

"You're lucky we're friends now, or I'd say something _really_ bitchy back to you for that one," she retorted. "See you tomorrow, even if you won't be seeing me."

"Yeah, yeah." He turned back to the stars as she left, and before long, went downstairs to his room on the second floor to get some sleep.

_ Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power..._

The next morning, as they'd agreed, the group set off on the Great Bird's back once more, towards the west again. Sten and Jean had both fused with their respective girlfriends, resulting in a change in their natural coloration; Sten's fur was now a fiery red, and Jean's skin a light teal. Nobody commented on the fact that Rand's skin now had a slightly golden tint, and his shell a medium red, or that Nina's wings were a bright, vibrant pink.

The Isle of Guntz was, like Evrai, an island nation located in the south ocean. Unlike Evrai, it was much closer to sea level, with many beaches and docks for its extensive trade with other nations. Also unlike Evrai, the island was far from a natural paradise; barren and rocky for the most part, its few areas of healthy land barely produced enough food to keep the island's meager population alive even in the warm season. Fortunately, Guntz could more than afford to import more; in point of fact, they were one of the most wealthy nations in the world.

This was due to the bovine Builder Clan and their natural talent for metalworking and technology, the Breath of Metal, which made even the untalented among their numbers a match for any professional of another Clan; their artisans commonly turned out work of breathtaking skill, on a level of functionality that could be fairly described as a century ahead of the rest of the world. Most of the greatest inventors of the past millennium had been Builder Clansmen, and any lost technology publicly discovered was brought to Guntz for analysis.

"Didn't this place use to be a coastal nation?" Rand asked curiously as they landed near the capital city of Gant. "West of Highland? I'm pretty sure I heard about that once."

"Yes, many centuries ago," Nina said as they all climbed off and the bird took off again. "Unfortunately, about half a millennium back, one of those earthquakes that keep altering the world's geography hit them, in a bad way. It was the greatest disaster of the modern age. All of Guntz except for the northernmost peninsula sank into the sea, leaving that as an island. Ninety percent of the Builder Clan were killed. Even now, their population still hasn't fully recovered; there are far less of them than most other Clans."

"Most," Katt repeated, scowling. "I don't see anything they have to complain about." For various reasons, the nomadic Woren Clan barely numbered in the triple digits as far as anybody could tell.

"Let's try not to talk about it while we're there, huh?" Ryu suggested as they walked through the massive steel city gates, nodding politely to the bored-looking guards as they went. "Something tells me it _might_ be something of a sore subject. Just a hunch."

"A reasonable assumption, _mon ami_." Jean nodded, looking serious.

"Yeah, yeah." Katt made a face as they walked down the streets, surrounded by gigantic, hulking Builder Clansmen with hooved feet and sharp horns, the males coated in a full-body coat of light brown fur. Like Katt's clan, the females seemed to lack the fur on their upper bodies, but their frames were still as huge as the males, though most of them weren't quite as muscularly developed. "This place just puts me on edge, is all. I feel like somebody's going to step on me any minute now." She coughed, as the smog in the air became more apparent to Ryu.

"You and me both," Sten agreed. "This place is even worse than Farmland."

"Oh, cut it out." Rand rolled his eyes. "You don't see me complaining about feeling like I'm going to break anything I touch in the rest of the world, do you?"

"To be fair, you rarely complain about anything unless it is sufficiently important," Spar told him in a tone that almost actually held a slightly sardonic tone. "Whereas Sten and Katt are clearly the most vocal amongst our number. Honestly, I'd be more worried if an entire day went by _without_ either of them finding some target for their ire."

"Yeah, listen to Spar," Katt said, then paused. "Hey, wait a second here..."

"I think this city has us _all_ on edge," Deis muttered, looking around her. "Even Spar. For obvious reasons, in its case." Even inside the city gates, the land was ugly; Gant had been carved out of a mountainside, and its inhabitants had been more concerned with other things than aesthetic beauty. The houses were all massive, with pipes and smokestacks attached to the walls and roofs, every one of them with its workshop on the sides and boxes of parts stacked by the door. Even the cliffside itself had pipes running out of its surface in several places, with no explanation apparent.

"To be fair, this place is just like this, from what I hear," Bow commented, waving a hand in front of his face. "Even if they wanted to pretty it up, it probably wouldn't take. Be a waste of time. So they focus on functionality instead. Makes sense."

"I'm aware." Spar shook its head. "But this is my first time in a place without anything growing within three miles in any direction. It is... unpleasant."

"Well, the sooner we get our business done, the sooner we can head back home," Ryu told them. "So let's all-" He cut off, freezing, as they turned a corner and finally saw something that _wasn't_ a monument to urban development. It was a different sort of monument entirely. A thirty-foot bronze statue of a Builder Clansman stood in the center of town square, massive warhammer raised over one shoulder, a fierce grimace on his features. After a moment, they all slowly walked forward, staring at it. "Is that... who I think it is?"

"Ox," Deis said quietly. "Yeah, it's him. They got him right, too. Whoever cast that knew what they were doing."

"It appears to have been his grandson," Jean said solemnly, reading the plaque at the statue's base. "'Ox, hero of the Second Dragon War and savior of our Clan from Dark Dragon slavery, companion of Ryu and Nina, rests here. May his spirit always guide our hands.'"

"So." Ryu slowly nodded. "He is gone."

"Him and Mogu," Deis told him quietly, and they all turned to stare at her as she stared up at the statue. When she spoke again, her voice had changed, dark and almost venomous, a tone none of them had ever heard her use before, even on their enemies. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You all know about the others, or at least you have your suspicions. Yes, even you, Jean, so don't play dumber. Ox and Mogu were the most devoted to their families. They didn't want to outlive their own descendants. Karn and Gobi were more philosophical about it, though, and Bo..." She suddenly cut off.

"Bo?" Nina asked quietly, after a long moment, putting a hand on her oldest friend's wrist.

"Bo's an idiot," she said eventually, voice dropping to a near-whisper. "But those three are still around, and so are the last Ryu and the last Nina. Not that it means anything. They've deliberately avoided having any part in this mess except for what they have to, which is the smart way to do it, and they're going to keep it that way if I know them. So it doesn't really matter, when you get down to it. Not to us. Not to the demons. Not to Ladon. And not to the destiny bullshit."

"What about to you?" Spar asked, just as softly.

"Ha!" She laughed once, sharp and bitter. "You learned how to joke. Didn't think you had it in you." She turned away from the statue. "Enough. I'm not the kind of girl who sits around all day feeling sorry for herself, and we've got business to take care of. Let's go find his family. Their house'll probably be in the same place, and they'll know everything that's going on in this city, so they'll be able to tell us where to find the people we need."

"Will they be willing to help us?" Bow asked doubtfully, before wilting as she glanced at him. It wasn't even an angry look; just the opposite, it was dark and deep and filled with an obscure sort of pain that Ryu knew he'd never be able to understand.

"If they're Ox's family?" She told him. "They'll help. That's something that doesn't change, even after a thousand years."

They followed her through the streets in silence after that; once more, their natural tendency towards trading snark was dampened by the mood. That had been happening more and more in the last month or so, but try as he might, Ryu couldn't think of anything to do about it. Some things, even Katt couldn't stay cheerful over. Before long, they found the house, a two-story building that actually bore some traces of beauty; it was still an ugly brick edifice, but there was metalworking along the front in a fairly attractive design, including what looked like some sort of family crest.

"This is the place, all right," Deis said, knocking on the door.

"Yeah, what is it?" A deep male voice yelled from inside. Without waiting for the answer, an elderly male Builder Clansman with a huge white beard slammed the door open. "I don't know who you are, but this had better be..." He trailed off as he saw Deis standing there, and his eyes darted to Ryu and Nina as well before he stood back. His voice was still just as loud and gruff when he spoke again, all the same. "Sorry, mistress. Didn't know it was you. Please, come inside."

"Elapsed turnaround time?" Bow muttered.

"3.4 seconds," Spar replied.

"Come in, come in, sit down," the Builder Clansman told them as they walked past boxes of tools and parts, sinks of water, blast furnaces, and workbenches with many moving parts; the bottom floor of the house was one big room mostly filled with such things, though there were a few bookshelves against one wall and what looked like a kitchen corner. Crossing to that, he began taking out mugs. "I've got a new batch of ale that's just finished brewing. You've got good timing."

"Well, we won't say no." Ryu shrugged, then glanced at Nina, who shook her head. "Well, most of us won't."

"Not much for good brown ale, missy?" The Builder Clansman asked her keenly. "Shame. Your ancestor always liked having a pint with the rest of them, from the way I heard it."

"She did, but she really preferred wine," Deis explained. "She just wanted to fit in. Be one of the guys, you know?"

"I never really understood that line of thought, myself." Katt grinned, cheered by the prospect of a drink. "I just like the stuff."

"I suppose I could try some, considering I'm sure it's of the highest quality," Nina murmured, prompting Jean and Spar to exchange a dubious glance before both of them nodded as well.

"That's the spirit!" The old man grinned, filling ten mugs and carrying them over on a tray that looked to have been a shield before it was flattened out. "Try something new, huh? You're her descendant, all right!" As everybody took their ale, some more enthusiastically than others, he took a swig from his own mug before looking at them again. "So, it's _that_ time again, is it? Looks like you've got your whole team assembled. What's going on, anyways? Pretty sure I would have noticed if the world was falling apart again."

"They're being more subtle about it, this time." Ryu said after a moment; he hated even acting like he was nothing more than the latest "hero," but it would keep their explanation simple. "We've been uncovering agents of Infinity for most of the year, some of them in very dangerous positions."

"Infiltration, huh?" The old man narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, that's different, but I can see it coming. I don't really want to know just where you're talking about, do I?"

"Might be best for all of us." Sten nodded. "Glad to see you know what you're doing."

"Just common sense, is all." The old man shrugged, trying to look casual, but there was something in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "Mind if I ask if there's any chance it'll affect Guntz, though?"

"Not as long as we win," Ryu said honestly. "As far as we know, they're ignoring your Clan this time around, which I think everybody would agree you deserve after the Dragon Wars. We're not anticipating anything quite as spectacular as the finale of either of those, either. Both because of the whole subtlety thing, and because Myria's still dead. Seems like her old crew have picked up her torch by themselves."

"Wish I could say I was surprised by that." The old man took another drink. "All right, that's good enough for me. I ain't normally too keen on doing favors for total strangers, but I guess I kind of have a vested interest in making sure the world sticks around. Besides, if I didn't help _you _guys, my old greatfather would probably rise from the grave and kick my ass up between my horns. What can I do for you?"

"Two things we need information on," Ryu told him, drinking more as well. "First, there's a group of freelancers that we heard run their operations from somewhere on the island. The _Renegades_. Any idea where their home base is, so we can contact them?"

"The _Renegades_?" The old man blinked. "Tiga Lee's crew?"

"That's them," Bow said, grinning. "You know where they are?"

"Yeah, but it ain't here," he replied. "A couple months back, they packed up and moved out. Said they were getting involved in something so big that if it went wrong, it could affect everybody around them, so they were going to set up shop somewhere there _wasn't_ anybody else around to risk. Over in southern Carmen, in some canyon called Cotland."

"That's the place my mother told us about!" Rand's eyes widened.

"Yeah, but we already tried to find it, and we couldn't." Katt scowled. "Not a good sign."

"Hold on a second." Standing up, the old man went over to one of his bookshelves and pulled out an atlas. Bringing it back to them, he opened it up to a map of Carmen and pointed. "Right there. It's just a little crack in the cliffside at first, but it widens up inside, from what I hear."

"I will remember that location," Spar said calmly.

"All right." Ryu smiled; it was still something, so the trip hadn't been an _entire_ waste of time on that score. "The other thing we need is somebody who's an expert, or at least has an interest, in lost technology. We've found some buried back in our town, and we need some questions answered about it."

"Lost technology?" The old man blinked. "Really? Guess I shouldn't be surprised, but... well, that much, I _can_ help you with." Turning his head around, he bellowed towards the back of the lab. "_Eichichi, get up here!_"

"Eichichi?" Jean asked politely.

"My granddaughter," the old man harrumphed. "Brilliant, but a total ditz. She's old enough to move out and get her own home by now, but she's too busy spending all day in her workshop to even get started on that."

"Yes, grandfather?" A steel hatch on the floor popped open, and a pretty young girl climbed out from a ladder. Eight feet tall, she was pale and curvy, with a bust that was even larger than Deis'. She wore a tight white dress with a short skirt, her legs were covered with fur the same fiery orange color as her short hair, and her horns and hooves were small and cute. "Oh! You have guests? I'm sorry, I was so busy down in the workshop, I didn't hear!"

"That's all right," Ryu told her, deliberately maintaining eye contact. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Ryu Bateson, and me and my team have a problem your grandfather told us you can help us with."

"Oh, a customer!" She clapped her hands together excitedly, and several of the group winced. "I'm sorry, I should have come up as soon as you arrived, but I just had so many things I was working on, like my blueprints for a flying machine!"

"A _what?_" Nina choked.

"Don't bother getting worked up." The old man rolled his eyes. "It's her seventeenth model, and none of the others have stayed in the air for longer than five seconds."

"Yes, yes, but I'm on the right track with this latest design, I just know it!" Eichichi continued, oblivious to the criticism. "And then there's the idea for the oxygen storage device, and the accelerated coffee engine, and the automatic..." She blushed suddenly, pausing for a moment before continuing to chatter. "Anyways, I'm sorry I'm going on so much, but engineering is just so much fun, I can't help myself! The cold, shining metal, the sound of gears, the smell of oil... oh, forgive me. I just get so excited by machinery... what was it you wanted me for again?"

"Your grandfather tells us you're an expert on lost technology," Ryu started to explain, only to be cut off as her eyes widened and she started talking again.

"Yes, yes, I love lost technology! It's so fascinating, how advanced it is, and how it all existed thousands of years ago, but we don't have any of it any more! Even now, when we're starting to grow technologically advanced again, lost technology is completely different from anything everybody's managed to create, both in form and in function! Half the fun with it is just examining how it was all made, the design ideal behind it, before you even get to how it works! I could spend all day working with lost technology!"

"All day?" Her grandfather snorted, though his eyes were affectionate. "Try all month, the last time, when that guy brought in that blendy blady thingy. I had to remind you to eat. Remember when I had to remind you to eat?"

"Yes, yes, I know." Eichichi looked slightly embarrassed, but continued to ramble on. "Which was ironic, considering it turned out to be an electrically powered food processor. But I promise, that won't happen again! Oh no, I'm still babbling. Anyways, where is it? I won't even charge you for it! Just figuring out what it does will be payment enough!"

"Sure it will." The old man gave Ryu a look.

"Actually, we couldn't exactly bring it with us," Ryu told her, ignoring that for the moment. "See, what we found is kind of this gigantic mess of pipes connected to the device, at the bottom of an old well we opened back up in our town. We know some about what it does, but we'd kind of like to know _how_ it works, and just how much of the town it goes under. Do you think you could take a look, and see what you can..." He trailed off; Eichichi's eyes were even wider than before, and he could practically see sparkles in them.

"A device under your _town_?" She squealed, clapping her hands together and hopping, forcing most of the men to look away. "Are you serious? I've never even seen anything like that before! How big are we talking here?"

"_Un momente_, _mademoiselle_," Jean said, picking up a sketchpad that was lying on the table next to a pencil. After a few moments with it, he handed it to her; glancing at it as he did, Ryu saw that it was a surprisingly detailed sketch of the device, with measurements. "My memory is, of course, not accurate down to the inch, but that is a fair approximation."

"Oh... oh, _wow_," Eichichi murmured, staring at the sketch. "And you'll let me examine it? Please, say yes!"

"That's what we're here for," Ryu reminded her. "Like I said, we already know something about what it does, and it's not pleasant, but..."

"No, no, that's all right!" Eichichi said quickly, putting the sketchpad back down. "I'd really prefer it if I discovered its functions by myself, without any knowledge that might affect my analysis before the fact! I'll get my... oh, wait! Where did you say this town of yours was again? I'll need to know that if I'm going to go there!"

"Southern Auria," Ryu said, somehow managing to avoid commenting on the fact that she'd almost forgotten to ask. "West of Mt. Fubi. There's a beach near it."

"All right, I'll arrange for travel just as soon as I get everything I need packed!" Eichichi promised, before turning around and bolting for the hatch. "Tools! I need tools! And sketchpads, and books, and notes, and all my other lost technology, and..." Her voice trailed off as she slammed the hatch behind her.

"Southern Auria, huh," the old man said, raising an eyebrow. "Heard some things about a town down there. Some new one that's starting up? Band of mercs started it up, and now the ruins are being rebuilt?"

"Yeah, that's us." Ryu nodded. "Good things, I hope?"

"Mostly." The old man chuckled. "Heard that old maniac Niro Mani somehow managed to get on your crew, for one thing, and that he's running the show most of the time in that town of yours. Is that codger really still alive?"

"Oh, you know Niro?" Ryu grinned, relaxing. "Yeah, he's our agent, and he's doing fine. Well, fine for him, anyways. Probably gonna wind up being mayor or something once we really get the place off the ground."

"Well, any friend of Niro's a friend of mine," the old man told them, though a glint had come into his eyes. "Heard something else, too. Something about giving houses in town to people who want to move in, as long as they've got useful talents?"

"We _do_ still have a couple empty houses that need to be filled," Ryu admitted, smiling slightly. "And you've been wanting your granddaughter to move out, haven't you?"

"Knew you were a sharp one, kid," the old man said, standing up. "I'll go tell her to start packing all her stuff, not just what she thinks she'll need for this job, then." He paused as he started to turn towards the hatch. "Think there's anybody in town who you can ask to keep an eye on her? Make sure she really does remember to eat, things like that? She's a genius, but she's a scatterbrain, especially when something gets her attention like this."

"We'll ask Mrs. Rivab to check up on her regularly," Bow promised, though he was frowning slightly. "Not that I'm complaining, but... you're being awfully trusting, letting your daughter move out to a town run by freelance adventurers."  
"If it was anybody else, I wouldn't even consider it," the old man admitted, looking back at Ryu, Nina and Deis, one at a time. "But you're _their_ descendants, and you're _you_, Miss Deis. If I can't trust you guys, I can't trust anybody, the way I see it. I'm sure those old rats, the Sammy Brothers, would feel the same way if you'd knocked on their door instead of mine. Not that that's too likely, seeing as how you'd have to _find_ them first."

"Who?" Ryu asked, then paused as the answer dawned on him.

"Mogu's?" Deis asked quietly.

"Yep." The old man nodded. "We keep in touch. Me and Eichichi are probably the only ones who aren't involved in your business that know the Mole Clan's still out there. Don't go spreading it around, though, huh? They disappeared for a reason."

"We'll keep it under wraps," Ryu promised. "We know how to keep our mouths shut about classified information like that."

"Yeah, I believe it." He looked at Ryu oddly, as if he was going to say something else, but then shook his head. "Anyways, thanks for giving my granddaughter a reason to move out. She kind of needed one."

"No problem." Ryu nodded, as they all stood up. "We'll get out of your hair, then. I'll tell the guys back in town to get the house closest to the well ready for her; pretty sure that one's still empty."

"Probably for the best, so she doesn't get lost." The old man chuckled. "I'll make sure she's packed up by the end of the day, so she should be there in a couple more weeks. Good luck with saving the world."

"Thanks." Ryu shook his hand, turned and left, the others following behind him.

"You handled that pretty well," Deis told him as they walked back towards the city gates. "You're really getting the hang of this whole leadership thing, aren't you?"

"I was gonna say," Bow agreed. "You've come a long way from back when you were screwing up our meetings with Elder Allen, buddy. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Ryu replied dryly. "I think."

"I was wondering more about the new party line," Sten commented. "We're not even trying to hide it any more, then? That we're gonna be big damn heroes and save the world?"

"Is there any reason to?" Ryu glanced over his shoulder at them all, as they approached the statue of Ox again. "Something I'm starting to figure out about the last crew. Deis, correct me if I'm wrong. But the way I think it was, they didn't actually consider themselves heroes, any more than we do. Half of them wanted payback for what the Dark Dragon Empire did to their homelands, plain and simple, and the other half were just in it for the excitement of taking them on. That, and watching each others' backs, were what it really came down to for motivation."

"Pretty much," Deis agreed. "All the glitz and glory came after the fact, and they just went along with that because they'd pretty much stopped caring by then. When it was actually going on, they didn't give a crap about destiny."

"That was the impression I got as well," Nina said quietly. "But we are going to do it, right? We're going to save the world."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "We are. What I'm saying is, if that's what it takes to be heroes, there's no reason mugs like us _can't_ do that. So yeah, that's what we're going with now. Might not want to talk ourselves up that way around the _Renegades_-don't want to seem like we're blowing our own horns, you know-but with anybody who expects that from us? Let's just roll with it, from now on."

"It is, at this point, simple honesty," Spar noted. "It is highly likely that invoking our destined roles will be necessary to accomplish our own goals, and so we will do so. The distinction that said destiny is not the goal itself should not necessarily be clarified."

"Huh?" Katt asked, before shaking her head. "Actually, don't bother. I won't get it anyway, and I don't really need to. Don't really know how I feel about being some big shot hero, either-I'm a simple kind of girl, you know?-but if that's what it takes, I can play it that way."

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Bow nodded. "I'm with you. And with you, buddy."

"As always, I believe you all sell yourselves far too short, _mon amis_," Jean said, voice serious despite his smile. "But then again, that is not the point here, now is it? I trust that, in my case, I do not even have to say it."

"No, you really don't." Sten nodded, eyes serious. "Pretty good, picking up on that, too. You're learning, Jean. All right, I'm in."

"As am I," Spar agreed. "For the world."

"You know where I stand on this," Rand said firmly. "Even after we get my mother back, as long as one of those assholes is walking, I'm not gonna be done. I'm not a fan of violence, as a general rule, but this is different."

"This is personal," Nina murmured, eyes on the sky.

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "It is. We're all on the same page, then."

"Seems that way," Deis agreed, voice solemn. "Hope it doesn't creep anybody out too much if I'm glad to see it. That you're handling it this well. I figured you would, but it's nice to see that I was right."

"Don't you mean 'we'?" Rand asked her, and she shot him a brief smile.

"Something like that." Before anybody else could ask her just what she meant by that, she kept talking. "I'm on board, though. Don't ever doubt that. All the way, to the ends of the earth."

"That's one thing we never doubted," Bow told her seriously, and Katt nodded. "Any of us. Even if we doubted everything else, and that's in the past, too."

"Good." Ryu glanced into an alley at an old statue of Ladon for a moment, then turned his gaze away. "All right, it's getting late. Let's find an inn and get some rooms. Tomorrow, we'll head west, and give finding this canyon another try."

"And then?" Katt asked him.

"And then, with luck, we work on our hero act," Ryu told her, smiling slightly. "Let's hope we pick it up quick."

_CHEER UP SON I KNOW A PLACE WHERE MUGS LIKE US BELONG _


	34. Chapter 31: The Wild Company

_**Chapter 31: The Wild Company **_

_ Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power..._

Ryu woke up.

Looking out the small window of his room, overlooking the forest behind their town, he saw that the sun was just starting to rise. He hadn't had as much sleep as he'd have liked, but the voice in the dark had shot him straight to being fully awake, and he could tell he wouldn't be able to get any more before the others would be waking up as well. It was simply the price he paid, for having a demon's voice inside his mind when he slept; some nights, it only brought him mild discomfort, but others were screaming nightmares. If nothing else, he was used to it by now.

Pulling on his clothes, he glanced at his armor and sword before shaking his head; there was no need for that until later. Still, after a lifetime of justified paranoia, he slipped a dagger into his boot before going out; he felt more safe in his town than he had anywhere else in the past ten years, but old habits were hard to break. Creeping downstairs as quietly as possible so as to not awaken anybody else, he left the building and sat down next to the statue of Ladon, scanning the streets; this early, he couldn't see anybody else out there.

"Good morning, Ryu," the spirit of Ladon said quietly after a moment. "Trouble sleeping again?"

"How'd you guess?" Ryu asked rhetorically. "I'd ask you about that, but since it's Barubary and all, I'm guessing you'd prefer not to tell me." Their conversations about the past and future, of demons and destiny, were always slightly awkward due to the fact that Ladon refused to tell them much more than they already knew, for various reasons. In the past, Ryu had agreed with that sentiment, but the more time he spent embroiled in it, the more it began to irritate him.

"Actually, there's not much to tell." Ladon somehow gave the impression of shrugging, despite being completely immobile. "When you were a child, Barubary set up a mental link with you. Most likely on the Day of Upheaval; it was already in place when you met him. Through the third eye you see when you sleep, he sees all that you do."

"All?" Ryu made a face. "That's... actually really disturbing."

"Indeed, but as ridiculous as this might seem, it is also to your benefit," Ladon explained. "Monitoring you in such a way requires all of his concentration, and so he must spend his time focused on that rather than anything else. And because he is thus occupied, his actual activity against you and the world is minimal."

"Good point." Ryu slowly nodded, remembering his and Bow's sole encounter with Barubary as children, and shuddering; they had fought off their share of demons and Demon Lords as a group, but as terrifying and powerful as the worst of them had been, he still knew Barubary would be something else entirely. "I kind of wondered why he hasn't actually been doing as much as the rest of them. Guess that would explain it. Can't say I'm complaining; even with Kuwadora, Shupukay and Aruhameral down, we'll still probably have our hands full with Necromanson and Habaruku."

"Indeed you will," Ladon agreed, and his voice was no longer calm; now it held a dark, throbbing wrath. "Those two... the latter most of all... yes, their machinations will not be easy to foil. But it will be well deserved, and has been for a very long time."

"I imagine so." Ryu hesitated, before deciding to change the subject; as much as he wanted to press the God on that topic, he could tell that doing so wouldn't be the best idea in the world. "What did you mean by the 'Day of Upheaval'? What was that?"

"The day in which the gate to Infinity was opened, and Barubary and Habaruku led their handpicked forces out of the darkness into this world," Ladon said after a moment. "Into your hometown of Gate, with the intention to slaughter everybody but you. The last day you saw your mother, in her human form."

"Oh." Ryu's mind froze for a moment, as images he'd almost forgotten rushed through his head. Memories of darkness, and terror, of destruction and chaos, and a dragon's roar as he hid beneath his bed, holding his screaming baby sister tight and praying to a god he now knew to be false. A god who had been the one to plunge his world into darkness in the first place. "Okay." Before Ladon could apologize, as he knew he would, he changed the subject quickly. "So. Nina said you were there, in Windia."

"Indeed I was," Ladon agreed. "In spirit, that is. For obvious reasons, my form is no longer welcome in the lands of the Wing Clan. For that day, however... I made an exception, and used up some of what little power I have left to me in this world. It was my due to those who she met with in the tomb, though their fate was no choice of mine."

"That's what Nina said, all right." Ryu nodded, recalling the time he'd met his predecessor, and the harsh, bitter anger that he could tell had filled every waking thought in the old man's head for centuries on end. "I'm not going to pass any judgment, one way or the other, on that subject. Not my business, not my call." Staring up at the sky, as more light slowly began to creep over the town, he kept his voice casual as he continued. "So, who _was_ it supposed to be?"

"You already know that," Ladon said quietly. "As soon as Necromanson was recruited by Habaruku, a thousand years ago, Nina's father's life was in danger, though it would be almost a millennium still before he was even born. Were he to take up the Mark of the Great Bird, however... yes, it was cold. Yes, it was ruthless. But better him than either of his daughters. I never intended for Nina to make that sacrifice... and I certainly never did for Mina. I... am sorry, Ryu. I should have done more to ensure what would happen, but then..."

"Then it would have looked like you were setting Nina's father up," Ryu guessed. "And like you said, the Wing Clan aren't ever going to be your biggest fans." He took a deep breath, trying to control the way his fists were shaking, and to remember that the spirit of the Dragon God had always done everything he could to help them. "You warned them, didn't you? My ancestors."

"I did," Ladon agreed somberly. "And yet, they did not listen. It was not their union that made this necessary; that was beyond the power of anything in this world to change, and had they simply asked the world to make an exception for them, to allow them to marry despite the laws against such between Clans, all would have been fine; in time, their descendants would have replenished the family's Breath through the rest of the Clan. But when they 'did the right thing,' and had laws passed allowing _all_ of the Dragon Clan and the Wing Clan to interbreed, only one option was left to me."

"That's why nobody had any Breath of Wind left." Ryu closed his eyes. "And why my Breath of Fire is so weak. And what's worse is, they blamed you for all of it. Even though if you hadn't, we'd be shit out of luck right now, and Barubary and Habaruku would have won."

"It doesn't make it any easier," Ladon said softly.

"No," Ryu agreed, thinking of Mina for a moment before shutting that thought process off, shoving it out of his mind and away; he'd grown good at doing that, over the course of his life. "It doesn't. And it shouldn't."

"Morning, Bateson!" A voice startled him, and he turned to look at Azusa, one of the town's residents. A big, burly hunter in his mid-fifties with short blond hair and beard, he looked to be out for a job with his younger brother Maclean, who looked nearly identical save for dark blue dye of his own hair and beard. "Up bright and early, huh? Good for you! Unlike my worthless brother here, who I practically had to throw out of bed!"

"If you're going to lie, try to come up with one that's at least _slightly_ believable, huh?" Maclean, a fisherman, snorted. "I was the one throwing rocks at your window! You're just lucky I care about you enough to make sure you stay in shape, or else I'd have just gone running without you! Not that it'd make much of a difference!"

"Is that a fact?" Azusa yelled as they moved on. "Eat my dust, then, bro!"

"What was that? You're so far behind I can't hear you!"

"Come back here, then, and I'll help you with that!"

"Close one," Ryu muttered once he was sure they were out of earshot. "I have to be honest. I'm kind of surprised we haven't been found out already."

"As am I." Ladon shook his head. "And before you ask, yes, I _can_ make my voice audible to others outside of your group. As a matter of fact, those of the Dragon Clan will always be able to hear me, whether I want them to or not. However, somehow, I doubt that would go over well with many of the townspeople."

"The ones most devoted to St. Eva, you mean?" Ryu sighed. "Yeah, fair enough. It's going to be bad, breaking that one to them, as it is. Don't really need to do anything to make that worse." He glanced at the statue again. "Speaking of that."

"Don't," Ladon told him, quietly but firmly. "Don't bother. I'm sorry, Ryu, but I can't. Not on that subject. I have enough leeway to get away with slipping you a few hints on some things, but not on that."

"All right." He nodded. "Destiny, huh? Fate, and all that jazz. All right, then, let me fill _you_ in on something you might not have noticed. I figure I owe you a few."

"Well, _that's_ new." Ladon sounded amused. "None of your ancestors ever said that to me before. All right, I'm listening."

"Deis is starting to crack," Ryu told him flatly. "It's not sudden or anything. I doubt it's because of what happened to Mina. If anything, it's probably because she woke up early this time, and had to spend a decade undercover in the Magic School, pretending to be a normal girl. I've had my suspicions for a while now. Every so often, something would get to her, and she'd slip up. But I didn't know for sure until we went to Guntz, and started talking about her friends from the last time."

"The ones who've gone on," Ladon said, his voice thoughtful now; all traces of humor had vanished. "And the ones that haven't, even after a thousand years."

"Exactly." Ryu nodded. "The game's changing on her, and she's trying to keep up, but after I don't know how many thousands of years, that's not as easy as it sounds. Don't get me wrong, I'm not worried about this time around. I trust her with my life, just as much as any of the others. But next time, or the time after that... she might be ageless, but she's not immortal, and she's not invincible, old man. She can't keep doing this forever."

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Ladon murmured, his voice odd, as if he wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad.

"She's like family to me, now," Ryu said simply. "Has been for a long time, really. I don't know what she means to you, but I'm guessing you feel the same way. That's why I'm telling you. No matter how cool she acts, there's a limit to how much she can take. It might be higher than any other mortal in the world, if she is mortal, but it's there. If you, or destiny or fate or whatever, keep making her do this, eventually she's going to break. Don't."

"Deis means more to me than even you could know, Ryu," Ladon said softly. "As does another who is dead and gone now, despite everything that she did. And yes, Deis is mortal, by her own choice. Even those such as her and I, and Myria, and St. Eva, have choices, though they are not the same as the choices made by you and yours. There is always a choice, in matters of fate and destiny. She made hers, and continues to do so... perhaps even when she should not." He went silent for a moment before continuing. "I will do what I can. Thank you for telling me."

"Figured I should, for some reason." Ryu stood back up. "Don't know why. Anyways, I'm going to go see if anybody else on that lazy crew of mine's woken up yet." Hands in his pockets, he started to walk away, then paused. "I'll do what I can, too. Might not be much, from her perspective or yours, but I'll try."

"It's more than you think," Ladon told him. "Thank you."

Ryu didn't respond verbally, but he raised his hand in the air as he opened the door and walked back inside.

While he'd been outside, Niro and a couple of the others had woken up as well, and the old man had started up a pot of coffee. Some of the team were earlier risers than others by choice, but they'd all had enough experience getting an early start on their work that Ryu didn't have to force the issue with any of them. Once Deis came down, yawning, they had breakfast before flying back to southern Carmen, near where the old man in Guntz had said the Renegades would be found. They kept good pace with the sun, and arrived a little before the relative time they'd departed, and a little after sunrise.

"All right, we're right here," Ryu said slowly, looking at a map they'd brought with them and putting his finger on the location. "And the old man said that canyon was..."

"Here." Spar pointed as well, first at the map, and then at a rugged cliffside ahead of them that stretched off towards the east and west. "Or rather, there."

Everybody was silent for a moment as they stared at the cliff.

"There's nothing there, man," Bow said eventually. "You sure that's the right spot?"

"Positive," Spar assured him.

"Then they must have some sort of visual illusion up," Deis guessed, exchanging a glance with Nina. "Think it holds up from above?"

"There's only one way to find out," the Princess said as her wings began to carry her higher and higher into the air. Soon, she was above the cliff, and drifting over to look down. After a few minutes, she came back down to join them. "I found it. We were right after all; it's straight ahead. There's an illusion spell, as we thought, but it's covering up a large boulder that's blocking the entrance to the canyon off. Very sneaky."

"We'll take care of the rock," Katt said, glancing at Rand. "Does the canyon widen out?"

"Yes," Nina confirmed. "Behind the boulder."

"No problem, then." Rand walked forward with Katt, and the two of them began feeling at the cliffside with their hands.

"Where is it, where is it..." The Woren girl muttered. "Aha! Here we go." Her hands had sunk into the cliffside, as if it were water. She leaned forward, and her arms vanished as well. Rand joined him, and the two of them began pushing at the unseen boulder, her with the strength granted by the Breath of Spirit and he with his natural, massive muscles. Slowly, they began moving forward, further into the wall, until they were completely submerged in the illusion. "All right, that should be enough room for all of us to get past."

"If Rand can get through, I don't think any of the rest of us will have any problems," Bow joked as they all walked into the cliff. As soon as his face passed through the illusion, Ryu saw the canyon behind it, a wide crevasse leading uphill to a stone wall topped with barbed wire. A metal gate, of the kind that could be raised and lowered, was the only way through, and a guard wearing a mixture of plate and chain mail was watching them approach, eyes narrowed.

"All right, you've got ten seconds before I raise the alarm," he growled. "If you've got an explanation, now would be good."

"Claris sent us," Ryu said quickly. "Well, not really sent, but she told us to come get in touch with you guys, after we ran into her in Evrai a couple days ago and spent some time talking. We're in the same line of work as you."

"The _Dragonkin_, right?" The guard relaxed, looking them over one by one. "Yeah, you match the descriptions. She talked about you in the last message she sent, so we figured you'd be showing up pretty soon. The boss has been chasing his tail ever since, waiting for you guys." Stepping back, he began turning a winch to raise the gate

"Yeah, that sounds like Lee." Sten chuckled. "We should probably go calm him down, then. He's in, right?"

"Yeah, he'll be in the barn on the left." The guard waved a hand towards one of the hastily constructed buildings beyond the gate. "Smith's not here right now, though."

"Thank Ladon for small favors," Bow muttered.

"Met her before, have you?" He raised an eyebrow. "That's right, the boss said you guys had run into him, Claris and Smith a couple times." Turning towards the base, he raised his voice. "_Hey, you lugs! They're here! _Come on, guys, let's go see the boss."

"Right." Ryu nodded, following him as more burly brutes began emerging from doors and windows, or around corners, all grinning and shouting welcomes. Tattooed sailors and punks with dyed hair, bearded lumberjack-types and goons in fine clothes with shaved heads, they made the _Dragonkin_ look like polite, law-abiding citizens by comparison. Even the only woman among them was almost as muscular as Rand, with very short hair dyed an electric blue. Most of them were human, but there were a pair of Builder Clansman who looked like father and son, as well as a Highlander Clansman.

"I can see why Lee said he was surrounded by mugs," Nina murmured under her breath as Bow, Katt, Sten, Jean and Deis yelled back just as cheerfully. "Still, they seem friendly enough."

"If Lee's leading them, they'll be good guys," Ryu told her. "You only met him the third time we ran into him. He's pretty wild, but he knows what he's doing."

"They're all like Katt," Spar said thoughtfully, looking around. "It seems to be an entire company with the general mindset of Katt."

"Nah, if that was all there was to it, this place wouldn't still be standing after a _day_, let alone how long these guys have been here." Rand pointed out, earning a punch on the bicep.

"Hey, boss!" The guard shouted as they approached the barn. "Our guests finally showed up!"

"Well, it's about time!" A familiar voice bellowed from the inside, joking tone obvious. "Tell 'em to get on in here, and get the rest of the lugs too! I've been sitting on this keg ever since Claris came for a reason!"

"More ale?" Jean asked, making a face. "I am sure it is delicious to those accustomed to it, but I must confess..." He left it hanging.

"I feel the same way," Nina told him. "A pity Claris isn't here; she would likely have had some wine on hand."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Katt teased her gently, falling back with the two of them as the others started going in. "I get the feeling looks are a little deceiving with her."

"Hey, Lee," Ryu called back as he entered. "Been a while. It's what, a month since the last time we ended up coincidentally working the same place? We gotta step up our game."

"Never took you for this much of a wiseass, Bateson," Tiga Lee, leader of the Renegades, replied with a grin as he walked around a huge meeting table to greet them. He was of the Woren Clan, the same as Katt, though in his case the feline cast to his features was much more pronounced. His long, shaggy orange and black-striped fur covered all of his body rather than just from the waist down, though it was (thankfully) particularly thick around that area, and so he wore even less than her; his only articles of clothing were a blue vest and toeless boots, along with armbands around his forearms and a red kerchief over his neck. His build was muscular, and his eyes sharp and golden.

"Guess these guys have been rubbing off on me," Ryu explained as Tiga shook his hand, careful not to react to the sharp black claws atop his fingers; like all of his Clan's features, they felt much more pronounced than Katt's. "Somehow, though, I think the balance of 'ass' to 'wise' is a little uneven."

"Know what that's like," Tiga agreed, moving on to the others. "Hey, Marks. Haven't been slacking off, I see. Legacy. Still packing all those knives?"

"Five of 'em at the moment," Sten replied with a grin and a handshake.

"You mean six, right?" Tiga chuckled. "How you doing, Spar? You need to lighten up more, guy. This is supposed to be a party, isn't it? Dogi. Keeping the rest of these clowns in line, I hope?"

"Doing my best." Bow made a wry face as Spar rubbed its wrist, looking slightly confused. "Of course, with _this _pack of clowns, it's probably a losing battle. Still, somebody's gotta do it."

"Story of my life." Tiga nodded sympathetically. "Or Claris', I guess. Deis! As hot as ever, I see. Jean, right? Still in good spirits?"

"As always, _monsieur _Lee." Jean bowed flamboyantly. "A life without joy is no life at all, yes?"

"Something like that, yeah!" Tiga laughed again. "Nina! Still pretty, not that I figured otherwise. And who's..." His voice trailed off as he saw Katt, who'd been staring at him without moving as soon as she'd seen him. Freezing, his eyes grew just as wide. "This... then..."

Watching them stare at each other in silence, Ryu suddenly felt a strange, cold black anger grip him, but said nothing either.

"Uh, guys?" Bow asked after a few long moments. "Do you two... know each other?"

"Huh?" Katt said, breaking eye contact and shaking her head. "No. No, we've never met. I'd have remembered, trust me."

"I know I would have," Tiga agreed, voice low and emotional. "What's your name, cutie?"

"It's Katt," she replied, smiling slightly now in a way that caused several of the group to take a step back and relaxed Ryu a little, though _only _a little. "Katt Chaun. And I don't care how good-looking you are, if you ever call me 'cutie' again you'll get to choose just where I'm going to shove my battlestaff, and you're not gonna like any of the options."

"My bad," he admitted, though his eyes were still locked on hers. "Katt, then. Damn, where were you every time I ran into these guys?"

"Hey, boss, we're-" One his men started to say, peeking in, before groaning. "Aw, geez. Not again. Should have known this would happen as soon as I saw how many hot girls you guys had on your team. Figures that it'd be while Claris was out, too; she's normally the one to make sure this doesn't get out of hand."

"Give me a break, Don," Tiga said, recovering at last. "We're all friends here."

"Sure, boss," another of the men said sarcastically as the others began piling in. "Whatever."

"Does this happen a lot, then?" Rand asked, looking unamused.

"You have no idea." Jasmine shook her head; her voice was surprisingly deep and masculine, and Ryu noticed that she appeared to need a shave, but chose not to comment on either. "The boss falls in love four times a year. Just give him a month or so and he'll be seeing hearts for somebody else."

"What _is_ this?" Tiga demanded. "National backtalk day? Look, you idiots, this is _serious_."

"Uh-huh." Don rolled his eyes.

"If everybody's here, why don't we get down to business?" Ryu said, a little more sharply than he'd intended. "Not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but time is zenny and all that."

"Man's got a point," Tiga agreed, not looking offended. "Sit down, you lazy blokes, and we can get the introductions out of the way." His team all started taking seats on the far side of the table, though they left the one directly to Tiga's right empty. Ryu sat down opposite him, and his own group followed suit on that side. "All right, on my left, we've got Mick, Don, Max, Goof and Pete, AKA Big P. Over on my right, it's Little P, Chip, Gaston and Jasmine; obviously, Claris isn't here right now, and neither is Miss Smith."

"Gotcha." Ryu nodded, trying to get his irrational irritation under control. "Bow, Sten, Rand and Jean on my right. Katt, Nina, Deis and Spar on my left. There's Niro, too, but he didn't come; he minds the store for us, so to speak."

"Agent, right?" Tiga guessed, inclining his head towards the younger of the Builder Clansmen, who was sitting next to Claris' chair; despite his youth, he looked almost as huge as the rest of them. "Yeah, Little P does that for us. He's got a few years left before he's old enough to come into the field with the team most of the time." He steepled his hands before him, and though he was still smiling, it looked more serious now. "Well then. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way... we got a letter from Claris a couple days back saying you guys ran into her in Evrai."

"Yeah, she helped us out of a jam," Bow admitted, glancing at Ryu before continuing. "I'll be frank. We screwed up. Didn't do the research, and ended up trapped there without any way out. I'm assuming she told you guys about that in her message?"

"Yeah, filled us in on the whole story." Tiga nodded. "Doing one last favor for the old firm, huh? That what you guys were working on every time we ran into each other?"

"Not really." Sten shook his head. "Back in Sima was before we got this job, and Skytower was a side job for some quick cash. Over in Highfort, though? Yeah, that was part of it."

"I've been kind of curious about that, actually," Chip said, raising an eyebrow; he was an older-looking Highlander Clansman who'd dyed all of his fur the same blue as Ryu's hair. "Ever since the boss and Claris told us that, and _especially _after Miss Smith added the part about General Shupukay."

"It's a long story," Katt replied quickly, earning a grateful look from Sten. "Besides, it's in the past. We cleaned the place out."

"Personal, huh?" Tiga raised an eyebrow. "We can respect that. So, if it was after Sima... from the stories we've been hearing about you guys, I'm guessing that'd make it early fall when you picked this one up."

"You got it," Ryu admitted. "Everything we've been doing since then has been connected, except for Skytower. We can't exactly share all the details, thanks to client confidentiality, but we've been doing a lot of demon hunting over the last few months, and we've found some in some very unexpected places."

"Same here." Tiga frowned for the first time since Ryu had met him. "Probably not as many catches as you guys, but we've had our fair share. Enough to agree with you there. We're not exactly bastions of morality here; we're mercs, and that means we do dirty business for zenny. But even guys like us have _some_ standards, and the shit we've been finding these guys doing... well, we wouldn't go after them for free, but we're not backing out of this one no matter _what_ happens. Sometimes you really _do _just have to do the right thing, even if you are getting paid for it, you know?"

"We feel the same way, yes?" Jean agreed. "Some crimes are simply so abominable they offend even the sensibilities of professionals such as ourselves, and in such cases, the only possible response is complete and utter obliteration."

"I _like_ the sound of 'complete and utter obliteration,'" Don said with a chuckle.

"We've always kind of been fans of it," Deis agreed, smiling broadly. "Especially when aimed in certain directions."

"Let's not get off topic here." Ryu folded his arms. "Point is, we like killing demons, and we like getting paid a lot more. In order to do that, it's become apparent that bringing down Evrai is going to be a necessary step. Seeing as how you guys are working on that yourself, and since we all seem to be getting along pretty well, I think we've got what they call a mutually beneficial situation on our hands. How about you?"

"Seems like you've got the right idea." Tiga smiled again. "And if it's taking down a whole city, well, double the manpower is probably gonna come in handy. Keep the paychecks separate?"

"We're not gonna try and cut in on whatever it is Miss Smith is offering you," Ryu promised. "You've got your job, and we've got ours. We're just pointed in the same direction, is all. Only makes sense to form a united front."

"Then I'd say we've got ourselves a deal!" Tiga pounded the table, and all of his men did as well, cheering. "Little P, get the mugs! A round for everybody, and let's drink to... to..." He frowned. "What did you call it?"

"A mutually beneficial agreement," Bow told him.

"Well, I ain't got a chance in hell of saying that right, so!" Tiga raised his mug in the air as Little P gave it to him, the first one he'd filled. "To whatever it is Bow said!"

"Whatever it is Bow said!" Everybody roared.

"You get the feeling you guys have a lot in common?" Sten muttered to Katt, leaning back.

"I'm trying not to think about that, actually," she growled back just as quietly, though she didn't look angry; more than anything, she seemed confused, even awkward, which was actually much more worrisome coming from her than anger would have been.

"Is there something wrong?" Spar whispered as the _Renegades _continued to whoop and Little P kept filling the mugs. "I feel like there's something I'm missing."

"I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, I don't like it," Rand told it.

"I'll explain later," Katt told them both.

"I'll drink to that," Ryu said loudly, before any of the _Renegades_ got curious and asked what they were talking about; whatever it was, he wanted to keep it in-group. "Anyways, seeing as how we're providing the backup here, we'll probably just follow your lead until Evrai's dust. Any plans we had kind of went down the crapper when we underestimated the setup there anyways."

"Well, here's the thing." Tiga said, growing serious again as Little P began giving mugs of ale to the _Dragonkin_ as well. "We _do _have a plan worked out, but at the moment, there's a snag in it that's kind of holding us up."

"Would I be correct in assuming that this 'snag' has something to do with Miss Smith, and her absence at the moment?" Nina guessed.

"Huh?" Mick blinked. "Hey, how'd you know that?"

"We know Smith, that's how," Bow said bluntly. "And if there's a problem with anything she's connected with, two to one odds say she's at least partially responsible."

"Harsh, but I can't exactly argue with it," Tiga admitted. "Yeah, you're right. She had a little side project of her own she wanted to see to, so she left us some zenny and told us to buy everything we needed for the next stage of the plan. Problem is, she didn't leave us enough, so we're stuck waiting here until she comes back."

"And since this is Smith we're talking about, who knows how long that'll be," Ryu said, rolling his eyes as he took a drink of his ale; it was good, which for some reason made his inexplicable anger even worse, especially when he saw Katt's eyes light up at her first sip. "I'm guessing she told you guys not to come looking for her, too?"

"Keep those guesses up, we're gonna start thinking you really _are_ psychic," Jasmine joked, making a face.

"What she said." Tiga inclined his head in her direction. "I _told _her that was a bad idea, but she said she didn't want us bothering her while she was doing it, and you know how it goes. She's the client, she decides."

"Might just be we can help you guys out already, then," Ryu said, forcing a smile as he drank some more. "Assuming you at least know where she went, which I'm hoping you do, even if she said not to follow her. Seeing as how she's not paying _us_ a single zenny, there's not much she can do if _we_ go looking for her."

"All right, but don't be too rough," Tiga told him. "I doubt it'll be possible to do it while keeping her in a _good _mood, but if she's in _too _bad of one she might just decide we're responsible anyways, even if we didn't do anything."

"Damn," Bow muttered.

"Deal," Ryu agreed, ignoring him. "We'll just let her know what's happening. If I know her, that'll be all it takes to get her back here. Bitching and moaning the whole time, yeah, but she'll come. Whatever it is she's doing, it won't be as important to her as taking the demons down; she's got some weird personal stake in that that I don't really understand, and I'm probably not ever going to."

"You noticed that too, huh?" Tiga raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, there's _something_ going on, but she doesn't like talking about it, and pushing a client on something like that tends to cost, so we don't. All right, she's actually back over in Highland again, but this time, she's down in the desert. Place called Thieves' Tomb. Heard of it?"

"You gotta be kidding me." Sten slapped his face, wincing. "I should have known. All I'd have had to do was ask myself what the stupidest possible thing she could be doing was."

"If it's what I'm thinking of, then I'd agree with that," Deis muttered, draining half her mug in one go. "And if that's the case, I'm gonna need a lot more of this."

"You can have mine," Nina offered, handing it over. "I'm sure it's very good, but ale just isn't my thing, I'm afraid."

"I'm gonna call that a 'yes,' then," Tiga drawled. "Well, that was a week ago, and no word since. We're _hoping_ that's just because she forgot to arrange for a pickup from us and she's too stubborn to send word for one, and she's just making her way back here. Either that, or she's not done yet. If she's gone and gotten herself killed..."

"The job's a bust, and you cut your losses?" Ryu guessed. "Well, for reasons of our own, we'd kind of prefer you didn't. So why don't my group go on over there and ask around, see if we can find out? I've never heard of the place myself, but it sounds like a couple of my group have, so they can fill the rest of us in."

"That's a decision you might come to regret," Sten warned him. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"We appreciate it." Tiga nodded as most of them finished their drinks, Jean giving his to Sten, who gladly accepted and drained it. "Wish we could help you out more, but..."

"We know how it goes," Ryu told him, standing up. "Your hands are tied. Call this paying back the advance favor Claris did by getting us out of there. With luck, we'll be back soon with your client in tow, and then we can all get down to earning those nice, hefty paychecks."

"I'd say we can all get behind that goal." Tiga grinned, standing as well and reaching across the table to shake his hand again. "Good luck, then." He offered his hand to Katt as well, and after a moment's hesitation, she took it too. "And when you get back, we'll all bring Evrai crashing down around those demons' ears." His hand tightened, his eyes locked on hers again. "Together."

"Yeah." Katt smiled, but something in her eyes still seemed hesitant. "Together."

"We should probably get going," Rand said loudly. "Time's burning, or however that saying goes."

"Right," Ryu agreed, as Katt and Tiga turned away from each other, and he forced himself to look away as well. Once they were outside, Nina called the Great Bird back down, and they flew back the way they'd come, arriving back home just as the sun was beginning to set. "All right, we need to get this mess over with as quickly as possible. Let's grab some dinner real quick, and then head south so we can pull her out of there."

"Hold on a second there, buddy." Bow shook his head. "There's a couple of things we need to talk about, first."

"Do you mean this 'Thieves' Tomb' we will be heading to?" Spar asked. "I must confess, I would prefer to know more about it before we go in."

"Same here." Ryu nodded. "Sten?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like, chief." Sten made a face. "A deathtrap. Some old fortress from the First Dragon War down in the desert. Sometime between the First and the Second, it got converted into a labyrinth meant as a test for thieves, to see who was the best. Damn stupid idea, if you ask me, but there you go."

"They used to call it 'Krypt,' a thousand years ago," Deis added. "With a k. You know, so people would know they were serious. Is that ridiculous moat of quicksand still around it?"

"Nah, that collapsed a couple centuries back," Sten told her. "One good thing, I guess. Even so, it's not gonna be fun in there. Let's hope it's just a matter of asking the staff if they've seen her. If we actually have to go in and look for her, today is gonna suck."

"This place has a _staff_?" Bow asked, raising an eyebrow. "You gotta be kidding me."

"I wish." Sten made a rude noise. "Like I told you, the whole thing is stupid."

"Can't be worse than a Demon Lord," Rand grunted, glancing towards Katt. "What _I _want to know is, just what the hell was going on back there between you and Lee?"

"Ah, yes," Jean said with unusual diplomacy. "That."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katt muttered, flushing as she glanced away, and Ryu's fist tightened involuntarily. "Any of you."

"Katt, when he saw you, my _petals_ nearly _ignited_," Spar told her firmly. "And if _I _noticed that, then it's certainly not just a figment of our collective imagination."

"Big deal!" She snapped. "So this guy's a playboy. Big surprise. Didn't we already know that? Doesn't mean he's getting anywhere!"

Sten, Deis and-surprisingly-Jean all exchanged a calculating glance.

"Well, all right, then," Sten agreed, waggling his eyebrows. "Guess you're just popular with the guys all of a sudden. Wish I was that lucky with the girls!"

"Hey, it could be worse," Deis drawled, smirking. "At least he's easy on the eyes, right? What a hunk. Maybe I could run interference, huh?"

"Five more seconds oughta do it," Bow muttered to Ryu as a low growling began emanating from Katt's throat, her eyes flashing and her knuckles grinding.

"_Monsieur _Lee has a cruuuuuuush!" Jean began dancing around. "He has a crush on Katt!"

"_That does it!_" Katt exploded as the three of them scattered, whooping. They ran for the treeline, and she blasted after Sten. "_You're all dead!_"

"Yup." Rand nodded. "Bit obvious, but whatever works."

"Are we done?" Ryu said flatly.

"Come on, buddy." Bow patted him on the shoulder. "She's got a point, you know. I mean, it's not like he's even her type, right?" He paused, and looked at Ryu for a moment, concern growing in his eyes. "Oh. Uh-oh."

"Stop," Nina murmured, covering her eyes with one hand. "Just stop, all of you. You're forgetting one very important thing. Katt is incredibly stubborn, not to mention straightforward. This..." She gestured wildly. "_Situation_ the three of us are in is somewhat unfortunate for many reasons, but for better or for worse, she's committed now. Until it's resolved, she's not about to go looking for alternatives."

"Yeah, she's not," Ryu agreed, relaxing slightly; he had a hunch as to just how much saying that had cost her, since he knew for a fact that Katt had always felt bad about secretly hoping that her best friend would find somebody else she'd be happy with. Looking at Nina's face, calm and cool, he felt most of his anger drain away, though a few traces still remained. "All right, let's get back to business. Since we've never been to this place before, we should probably just take Mina."

"I was about to suggest that, yes." Nina nodded slightly.

"Let's go pack up some lunches while the clowns get their morning exercise, then," Bow suggested as several violent noises and howls of pain began echoing over the town. "We can eat once we arrive."

"Just as long as there isn't any ale, please," Spar said, slightly plaintively, as the five of them walked inside.

The other four were back soon, Jean and Sten both sporting several bumps and bruises. Katt seemed to be in a better mood, and nobody broached the topic of Tiga's attraction to her again, while Deis was as enigmatic as ever. Nina called Mina down, and they took off across the sky to the south again, over the mountains to Highland. Passing the cliffs, they continued into the southern desert, where they'd found the ruins where Deis always slept for millennia months ago.

"Have I mentioned how glad I am that we don't have to go tromping through the desert again?" Bow shouted as they soared through the sky over the sand. "Because I'm glad about that. Really, really glad."

"Think we all are," Rand agreed. "I swear I _still _have sand under my shell."

"I could help you with that, if you wanted," Deis told him, winking.

"Should be coming in sight any minute now," Sten said loudly as the big man flushed. "It's over in the west, not the east like Wisdon."

"I believe that would be it, over there." Spar pointed.

"You have good eyes," Nina told it, murmuring something to the Great Bird, causing her to change course slightly.

"Cactus," Spar explained. "I'm just glad it didn't explode. This time."

"Does that, uh, happen a lot?" Katt asked uncertainly as a dot on the horizon began to grow. "Exploding, I mean."

"Cactus are... tricky," Spar told her gravely. "I'd explain further, but I'm not sure how to. Verbal communication is so _limited_."

"Perhaps, but that it also what makes expanding the limits of its capabilities through song and poetry so exciting, yes?" Jean asked brightly. "Perhaps one day, we shall have to translate some into the language of the flowers!"

"I... but..." Spar stammered, nonplussed. "It is not... that is to say..." After another few moments, it gave in. "Perhaps."

"Always kind of wondered who'd win if that ever happened," Katt muttered to Bow as the Great Bird started to descend outside of a massive, four-story square stone building; its walls leaned slightly inward towards the perfectly flat roof, and a huge stone pillar towered over each corner. There were no windows, and only one door; despite the constant wear of the sand and wind against it, it looked to be as sturdy as the day it had been built.

"Same here," Bow agreed. "Good to have that answered."

"Be nice," Rand told them as the Great Bird landed and they all climbed off, Spar looking more confused than ever. They took a break to eat their lunch before heading in, one that was only interrupted by a single wandering bronze golem, which they were able to dispatch in short order, unlike their last trip through the desert.

"Anybody else get the feeling we've been improving a lot lately?" Sten asked as he sheathed his knives again, stepping away from the pile of bronze rubble. "More than usual, I mean."

"I know I can bench press more than I used to." Katt shrugged. "But then that's what happens when you get older, right? So that's not surprising."

"Actually, it kind of is," Ryu told her, curious. "Normally, you kind of hit a point where you hit a wall... well, unless you want to end up looking like Rand or something. How much can you press now?"

"Me," Rand said absently.

"Ah."

"Is that really a thing that happens?" She made a face. "That's stupid. Must suck not to have-" She cut herself off abruptly. "Well, you're doing fine, all the same."

"I try," Ryu muttered, suddenly feeling grumpy again. "Anyways, what are we going to have on our hands in here?"

"Assuming the staff don't have any answers for us?" Sten shook his head as they walked inside, down a long, empty hall. "Several floors of bullshit. I think they remodel it every couple hundred years or so, too, so Deis won't be able to guide us through the way she took last time."

"I wasn't even there for that, actually," she told him. "Hadn't woken up yet when the guys went through here. I just heard about it from them afterwards. That and, you know, it was right next door to me, so I knew some things."

"This is _not_ what I would call an ideal neighbor," Bow said dryly. "I don't even want to think about what kind of Homeowner's Association would let this place in."

"What's a Homeowner's Association?" Spar asked, looking baffled.

"Never mind."

"I am more curious about the existence of this 'staff,' as well as these 'remodels' you mention, _monsieur _Sten," Jean said, sounding puzzled. "Perhaps this is naïve of me, but I must ask, nonetheless. Who, exactly, _are _these people?"

"Wish I could tell you." Sten shrugged. "But it was classified above even _my _level back at Highfort. Best I can figure is that there's some kind of secret society of thieves that was left over after Bleak got demolished about half a millennium back or so. You know, that one nation of thieves? Never really understood how that _worked_ myself, but they're probably connected somehow."

"One of these days, we really are going to have to figure out if our town actually used to be that place's capital," Ryu said as they reached the end of the hall. "Not that it's likely to be relevant to anything, but it'd be nice to know, you know? Huh?" He blinked, surprised, as they emerged into what seemed to be a _lobby,_ of all things.

There was a large wooden desk in the middle of the room with a bored-looking old man sitting behind it, reading a book; metal poles were set in the floor with ropes strung between them to form a long, winding line. To one side, another table held a barrel with a tap in it, along with a great many cups made of what looked to be _paper_, of all things. Towards the back of the room, a staircase was blocked off by a horizontal metal grate set in the floor.

"Oh, more suckers," the old man muttered, looking over the tops of his spectacles at them; he was thin and pale, with short dark hair and a neat little mustache, dressed all in black. "And here I thought the season was out. I suppose I should have known there would be a few more stragglers towards the end. A group, huh? Well, normally we only let a few through at a time, but you're in luck. There's nobody else in line right now, so you can just go on through."

"Hold on a second," Bow said quickly. "We're here on... er..." He paused, as the old man's hand started moving towards a series of buttons set into his desk. "I mean, have you seen a teenage girl go through here recently? Blue hair, wings like a bat, bad attitude?"

"The Thieves' Tomb management has a strict policy against divulging information on clients," the old man told him sternly. "She was at the end of the line. Complained the whole time, so I kept her cooling her heels for a while even after she was the last one. Sent her down about a day ago. Hasn't come back yet, but maybe she's still down there."

"Wait." Spar paused. "You just said..."

"Never mind," Rand told it. "Let's just go."

"Hey, what happens if people try forcing the line?" Katt asked curiously as the old man pushed a button, and the metal grate retracted. "I mean, there's a lot of guys in here sometimes, right? If the line is this long. What's stopping them from just saying 'screw you' and rioting?"

"Oh, I just tell 'em I'll press this button instead unless they settle down." The old man pointed at another one. "Fires three-inch poisoned metal spikes at every spot in the room except where I'm sitting. That does the trick."

"I imagine it would, yeah," Ryu agreed, chuckling weakly. "Come on, guys, let's get going and get out of this gentleman's face, huh?"

"Don't have to tell _me_ twice," Deis said as they all quickly walked towards the stairs; there wasn't _quite_ a stampede to get down them, nor was there any shoving, but it came fairly close before everybody was at the bottom.

Three corpses, fully intact but still obviously dead, dressed in gray with ugly yellow scarves wrapped around their heads, walked around the first corner of the stone hall and regarded them blankly.

"And here we go." Ryu sighed. "Let's hope this isn't too bad."

"Allow me, _monsieur_," Jean said, stepping forward. Before anybody could stop him, he raised his rapier in the air, and the entire hallway began to glow brighter than it had before; it seemed to be emanating from the air itself, as the torches on the walls looked dim and pale compared to it. Above Jean's head, a rainbow appeared, its bands shifting from one color to the next like flowing water.

All three of the undead fell over and expired in a single motion.

"_Whoa!_" Bow yelped as the rainbow faded away. "What the hell was _that_?"

"Holy magic," Nina murmured, glancing at Jean approvingly. "The most difficult element of all to learn. It does nothing against the living, but cleanses the undead. When did you learn that, Jean?"

"Only recently, from those books of magic you allowed me to borrow and study, yes?" Jean explained as the group continued down the hall. "As _monsieur _Sten and _mademoiselle_ Katt were saying, we have all been improving a great deal over the recent months. It would not do for me to be a burden on the group, no?"

"Good thing that's not happening." Ryu shot him a smile. "Nice work, Jean."

"It's one of the only ones _I've_ never been able to use," Deis told them. "Holy magic, that is. Requires a pure heart, or whatever, to use. And, well, yeah."

"I've been trying to learn it myself," Nina admitted, smiling slightly. "I'll admit, it _would_ be nice to be able to do _one _thing better than you."

"Why not go for two for one, while you're at it, and see if you can learn water magic too?" The Sorceress joked. "Reach for the stars!"

"The last time you told me to do that, we nearly got hit by a meteorite," Nina reminded her.

"So?"

"Hold it!" Ryu yelled suddenly, and everybody froze, as something crept around the corner. At first, he thought he was seeing things; it was a hole in the floor, and it was _moving_, creeping along the stone towards them like a puddle sliding downhill. Despite the ridiculousness of it, he could see the darkness of another level below, though it wasn't close enough to get a look at what was actually down there yet. The hole seemed to be doing its best to remedy that, by the pace at which it was moving towards them. "All right, everybody get ready to jump!"

"Well, not _everybody_," Spar pointed out, glancing at Nina, who was hovering a foot off the ground, even when indoors.

"Indeed," she murmured, drifting forward ahead of them curiously. "I wonder if I could get a closer look?"

"No, don't!" Deis yelled, but it was too late. As soon as she passed over the hole, it yanked her down into it, as if gravity had suddenly increased beyond her ability to defy it.

"Nina!" Ryu yelled.

"I'm all right!" She called back up. "But keep going! I think the further you get, the better!"

"What she said!" Katt said quickly, running forward and hurdling the hole. "What the hell happened there, anyways? Why'd she fall like that?"

"The damn thing's magic, that's what!" Bow told her as Sten and Ryu jumped next, the former more nimbly than the latter. "If being a Wing Clansman was all it took to bypass it, it wouldn't be much of a challenge, now would it? Guess jumping's fine, but pretending it isn't there counts as cheating or something. All right, here goes." Making a face, he hurled himself over the hole bodily, landing on his side. "Oof!"

"Or something," Deis agreed, coiling her lower body up before launching herself over, landing much more neatly than he did. Jean and Spar followed suit, both without much trouble, leaving only Rand. "Come on!"

"Nah, I'll just step over it," Rand told her as the hole bore down on him. "All this acrobatic stuff isn't really my thing, you know? Besides, even if it pulls me in like that, I'll just get my foot stuck. No big deal."

Nobody else said a word as, upon reaching him, the hole expanded to four times its previous size, more than large enough for him to fall into.

"_Oh, come on!_" The big man yelled as he vanished into its depths.

"I was going to say something, but he was really kind of asking for that." Deis shook her head.

"Definitely," Sten agreed. "Besides, Nina should probably have somebody down there with her, you know? Whoa, look out!" The hole had turned around, and was coming for them again.

"I can still hear you all!" Rand yelled through the hole as they all turned and ran down the hall.

"Chances on another one coming around that corner right about now?" Ryu asked dryly.

"One hundred percent," Spar informed him clinically as the second hole appeared and began racing towards them at the same speed as its predecessor.

"Knew it."

"Just continue to run and jump, _mon ami_s," Jean advised them. "So long as we stay ahead of our pursuers, it will make no difference, no?"

"What he said," Katt agreed, hurdling the hole, followed by Sten and Ryu.

"Easy for you to say," Bow grunted, puffing slightly. "I'm not built for this kind of thing. Here goes nothing." He threw himself over the hole again, and once more cleared it... only for it to reverse itself, catching him anyways. "_Dammit!_"

"That is profoundly unfair," Spar noted, jumping over it as it came for him; as long as they made it by more than a few inches, it seemed to keep going.

"What did you expect from thieves?" Deis pointed out, clearing the hole. "Your turn, Jean!"

"Fear not, _mademoiselle!_" Jean began prancing towards the hole, hopping with his feet spread. "Behold!" Before he could do whatever it was he was planning, the hole suddenly shot ahead at twice its previous speed, snaring him. "_Quuuuuuuoi?_"

"Saw that one coming," Ryu said as they raced onward, two holes chasing them now.

"Only a matter of time," Sten agreed. "So, think the next one's going to be coming at us at that speed from the get-go?"

"See previous calculation on respective probability in regards to statements tempting fate," Spar said dryly as they rounded a pair of corners to see a third hole approaching at an increased speed. "This will likely be as far as those of us not burdened with an abundance of grace will go."

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Katt said, racing ahead of the pack. "If two of us run side by side, it can't go after both of us, right? Ha!" She frontflipped over it easily and hit the ground several feet beyond it.

"Show-off!" Sten called after her, prompting her to stick her tongue out at him. "She's got a point, though."

"Not sure I want to risk it," Ryu grunted, jumping it and landing without stopping; this turned out to be a wise move, as the hole tried to catch him with an about-face, and he almost fell back in before he managed to regain his footing and run onward.

"We'll try it," Deis said as Sten hurdled it much more easily. "Like Spar said, we're probably going down anyways. Might as well only be one of us." The two of them drew even with each other as the hole approached, and both jumped at once.

The hole promptly split into two, both the same size, and both reversed themselves to catch the two of them.

"Oh, this is just ridiculous!" Spar snarled in a rare show of temper as it fell.

"_Bullshiiiiiiiiit!_" Deis yelled somewhat less eloquently at the same time.

"We've been here for ten minutes and I already hate this place," Ryu growled.

"I think everybody does, boss," Sten told him. "Pretty sure that's part of the point of the whole thing, when you get right down to it."

"Eh, it's not so bad," Katt disagreed. "I mean, maybe if the guys who fell were actually in trouble, but so far it's..." She trailed off as _six _holes raced around the next corner in two rows of three. "Okay, you know what? Forget it. You're right. This place can just go to hell."

"Should we even try?" Sten asked as the three of them drew level.

"You know what?" Ryu shook his head. "Screw it. One, two, three!"

"_Banzai!_" Katt yelled as they all hurled themselves straight into the first three holes, feet first. They fell into a much larger, more open room, one that looked to take up the entire level of the fortress. Rather than a floor, it was a series of bridges, crisscrossing each other to form a grid over a chasm. Said bridges were formed of stone blocks about ten feet square, each bearing a strange, brightly colored face atop it. The three of them all landed on the same one; looking around, they saw the rest of the team in three other places, two of them on each block. Treasure chests stood at the end of each "aisle," and wooden hatches were positioned high on the walls. "Everybody all right?"

"More or less," Nina called over; she and Rand were close to Jean and Bow, but none of them seemed to be moving at the moment. "Don't move, though. I've got some bad news for you. It seems that was just the warm-up. This is the real challenge."

"That's ominous," Ryu said, glancing down; the face they were standing on was a vibrant green, and it bore a slight smile on its features. "All right, we're listening. I'm guessing it has something to do with these things?"

"You got it," Bow grunted. "To put it simply, something happens every fifth one you walk on. Doesn't matter if you double back, and if people move together onto the same square it only counts as one, but what happens is different depending on whatever the face is." He indicated his feet, where he and Jean were standing on a cheerfully grinning yellow face. "As far as we can tell, these ones are good. They'll use healing magic, or give you some zenny."

"These ones don't really do anything," Deis added, gesturing at the green face she and Spar were occupying. "By themselves, anyways."

"And_ these _seem to be a mixed bag, so to speak," Nina glanced down at her and Rand's feet, where a sad-looking blue face stared up. "One gave us a piece of Wise Fruit, but then this one delivered an electric shock. My guess is that they're randomized. Unpredictable." She glanced over at the fourth type of face, an angry, scowling red. "Nobody's tried those ones yet, but somehow, I doubt we want to. They'll almost certainly trigger a trap."

"Ugh." Katt shook her head in disgust. "All right, I _think_ I can remember all of that, but I'm glad it's not worse."

"I am afraid it is, _mademoiselle_," Jean informed her. "Notice, if you will, the stairs leading upward towards this end of the room, and those leading downwards towards that. Looking at the room as a whole, the faces seem balanced, yes? However, the amount of yellow and green ones increase toward the near end, while towards the far side, the red and blue grow more numerous. It will not be as easy as it seems to reach the end without stepping on one."

"That's not the worst part, though." Deis chimed in. "Look at the side."

"The side?" Ryu peered over the edge of the blocks, and saw the top of one of the yellow faces there. "Aw, no. Don't tell me."

"Afraid so," Rand said flatly. "Every ten blocks, instead of anything else happening, we get flying undead released out of those hatches up there. And every _twenty _blocks, the only thing that happens is that one color turns a side. Looked like about half of the blues, the yellows, the greens or the reds. At least, I _hope_ the reds turn; haven't actually seen those or the green yet. If we're standing on the wrong color block when they do that..." He glanced into the abyss significantly.

"And somehow, I doubt _this_ fall is one that anybody will survive," Nina added. "I'm not even going to risk flying, after that hole."

"Probably smart." Ryu slowly nodded. "I gotta admit, this is a real mess."

"My head is _really_ hurting right now." Katt moaned. "How the hell are we supposed to get through this?"

"It's supposed to be bad enough with just one or two people." Sten shook his head. "Making it with _nine _of us is-"

"Possible," Spar cut him off sharply, and everybody stared at the Grass Man; it had remained silent ever since they'd arrived, studying the blocks. "Yes. It will be difficult, but... Rand, the blocks have not turned since we arrived. Which is the next color, and when will it turn?"

"Either green or red," Rand told it. "In ten. That's why we told you and Deis not to move. After that yellow, and then blue."

"I see." Spar replied, eyes narrowing. "Then the objective is for all of us to reach the opposite side, without ever standing on a moving block, or activating a red face. We must avoid those at all costs; I do not trust them to remain inactive during the enemy attacks or the changeovers, even if all other faces do. If the red faces do not turn, then victory is currently impossible, with our numbers."

"And if some of them do?" Bow asked.

"Possible." Spar nodded sharply. "The first step will be to reunite us all. Once we are all on the same square..." It paused. "Well, perhaps two squares... then I will likely have seen enough to know."

"If it turns out we can't do it, I can use the Exit spell to transport us back to the front door," Deis told it. "Only works one way, though, so you and a couple others would have to come back and give it another go without nine people taking up all the moves."

"Let's try and do it on this try if we can," Ryu decided. "Spar, tell everybody what to do."

"The three of you, move two blocks straight ahead," Spar told them, and they did, onto a yellow face. "Now, Deis, walk with me three blocks to the right onto this green face. Forgive me, Nina, Rand; we must all get together as quickly and safely as possible."

"It's all right," Nina told it. "We know-ouch!" She hopped on one foot, as Rand grunted in pain. "Something pricked me!"

"Probably poison," Rand guessed, casting a spell on both of them. "That should purify it."

"Let us endeavor to avoid it from now on, all the same," Spar said, as coins fell from above onto everybody on a yellow face; they all managed to catch them, except for Jean, who was clonked on the head. "And hope that red is next. In case it is not, however, Deis, walk with me three blocks straight ahead. Rand and Nina, move forward onto the yellow face once we have reached ours."

"Gotcha." Rand nodded, he and Nina doing so. A moment later, several of the red faces turned on their sides with the sound of grinding stone, and Ryu winced; the big man had been right in that anybody standing on one would have been hurled into the chasm. When they were done turning, those that had moved were now green.

"Thought you said about half," Ryu told him, frowning. "I wasn't exactly counting, but that didn't look like half."

"I would say a quarter," Spar agreed, tapping its chin. "I see. A slow climb towards defeat, but a climb nonetheless. The longer we remain, the more red faces accumulate, until eventually, the path becomes almost impossible."

"Almost," Sten repeated. "Does that mean we can do it?"

"So long as we are not unlucky in regards to _which_ red faces remain permanent..." Spar slowly nodded. "And that we are all able to congregate on one square, and make our movements unanimous from that point onward... yes, it is possible."

"Uh, problem." Rand raised a hand. "I'm not exactly sure I can do that."

"No big deal." Katt grinned. "Me and Sten'll just ride on your shoulders, is all. And Spar on your head, so it can direct us all!"

"Hey, I kind of like this plan." Sten chuckled.

"Do I look like a cart?" Rand demanded. "Or a horse? Don't answer that."

"Just be glad I didn't say Deis," Katt shot back.

"I don't know." The Sorceress glanced over at him, smirking. "I'd be okay with that. Maybe in your arms, big guy?"

"If we could get back to business?" Ryu said loudly as Rand flushed again. "Spar, what's next?"

"Move two space to your right, the three of you," the Grass Man told him. "Now, Nina and Rand, one space forward and then one back..."

The next hour seemed to last forever, as the nine of them all moved around the room like pieces on a chessboard, methodically following Spar's instructions. When the undead were released into the room, the spellcasters and Bow destroyed them with light and fire and crossbow bolts. Nobody said a word about the treasure chests; even Sten recognized them as the traps for greedy idiots that they obviously were, and everybody ignored them.

Nina and Rand were the first to reach another group, that being Spar and Deis; once they did, the huge Farm Clansmen knelt down with a silent scowl, and Spar did indeed climb into his back and lock its legs around his neck, equally silent. Deis, however, chose not to follow through on her offer. Picking up Bow and Jean on their way; they soon reunited with Ryu, Katt and Sten, the latter two who proceeded to climb onto Rand's shoulders with matching grins. Rand didn't complain, seeing as it was the only way to fit them all on the square, even with Nina riding on Jean's back as well.

The red faces continued to accumulate as Spar directed them towards the stairs leading downward, and Ryu's nervousness started to grow along with them; even with Deis able to provide an emergency bailout in case they were stuck, he couldn't help but worry, considering the amount of trust he placed in the building. The fact that they were eventually forced to stand on blue faces in order to avoid reds didn't help, though none of those ever did anything more than mildly irritating. In the end, however, Spar's intellect came through, and they arrived safely on the far side of the chasm.

"You, my friend, have proven your value to this team today without a doubt," he told Spar fervently as it climbed down, along with the other three. "Thanks, man. We never would have stood a chance without you."

"Damn straight." Katt slapped Spar on the back, causing it to stumble slightly. "Can you imagine if _I'd_ tried it? I'd have been screwed in ten minutes. Kick-ass."

"I am glad to be of worth," Spar said, smiling slightly. "I must confess, there are moments when I am unsure of my own equivalence to the others in the field of combat, so the opportunity to contribute in other ways is a welcome one."

"Jack of all trades, and master of none, yes?" Jean said sympathetically. "I find myself in a similar predicament, _mon ami_, and there are occasional brief moments when it causes me distress. But then I remind myself of all of my other skills and qualities, and then I am simply glad to be able to share them with all of my other friends! Simply do the same whenever that mood strikes you, and your glass will always be, how do you say... half full? Yes, that is it! Now, let us see what awaits us next!"

"Wait, there's _more_?" Bow demanded as they all began walking down the stairs; nobody seemed inclined to comment on the Prince's advice. "I thought that was it!"

"We can hope so, but we can't be sure," Sten told him. "With this place, it's entirely possible that was just part one. Yeesh." He winced as they descended into an alcove on the floor below, allowing them a full view of what awaited those who fell from above. The rest of the entire level was covered in ten-foot steel spikes, which were themselves covered by a multitude of corpses in various states of decay, from the freshly dead to scattered skeletons.

"Have I mentioned I'm glad I didn't risk flying?" Nina murmured, shuddering as she stared at a Wing Clansman who'd been dead for about a week. "Because I am."

"The good news is, Miss Smith doesn't seem to be among them," Sten pointed out. "At least, I think that's good news."

"Let's get down there and see what's taking her, then," Ryu said, leading the way down more stairs into another long stone hall. The walls were lines with alcoves, only one of which was barred off, down near the door at the end.

"Somebody's there?" A familiar, female voice called out sweetly as they approached. "Hi! Listen, I'm kind of stuck in here, so when you go back up, do you think you could do me a _big_ favor and ask them to let me out? I'll make it worth your... while..." She trailed off once she saw who they were, and remained silent as they stood before her cell. Patty Smith, the self-proclaimed "Phantom Thief," hadn't changed much since they last saw her; too much revealing red leather with too much padding, too much makeup and too sour an expression. When she finally spoke again, her voice matched it. "Okay. No. Just no."

"Whatever you say." Ryu turned away, as did the others. "See you."

"No, wait!" Patty lunged at them. "I didn't _mean _it! What do you want, huh? Name your price!"

"I would, if I thought there was any chance you were good for it," Bow muttered; he'd never quite gotten over the time she'd robbed a local noble in their hometown and left him to take the fall.

"Actually, we're here looking for you." Ryu turned back to her. "This isn't the time or place to go into details, but we're joining forces with the _Renegades_. Seems we have some common interests."

"Really." Patty raised an eyebrow, looking up at the ceiling before nodding slightly. "Okay, I'll buy that. Doesn't explain why you came after me, though. Lee's a big boy. He doesn't need me holding his hand."

"Granted," Ryu agreed. "Problem is, you didn't leave them enough cash to cover their expenses for the next part of their plan. _That's _why we're here. They can't move forward until you came back, and you told _them_ not to come looking for you."

"So you did instead." Patty rolled her eyes. "Figures. All right, I was _almost_ done here before I got sloppy. It won't happen again. Head on up and convince the guy behind the desk to let me out, and I'll be right up; they control this whole place from up there."

"Oh, no you don't." Ryu shook his head. "How do we know you're not gonna get yourself suckered again?"

"Well, what else are we going to do?" Katt asked, scowling. "Try and solve this thing ourselves?"

"We'd stand a better chance of it than _her_," Ryu snapped back, suddenly angry again.

"Excuse _me_?" Patty yelled.

"Shut up!" Both of them snarled, and she jumped back for a moment, surprised, before recovering.

"_I'll_ do it," Deis offered as she started to open her mouth again. "Look. I'll use my spell, go back up there, and get the geezer to open this thing. The rest of you, stay down here with her and make sure she doesn't get herself smeared all over the hall." She raised her staff in the air, and closed her eyes... and nothing happened. "Hey, what the hell?"

"Spatial magic doesn't work in here," Patty informed her, looking smug. "_Duh_. What kind of deathtrap would it be if you had an escape clause?"

"So we're going to have to go back through that room _again_?" Bow put a hand to his face. "Kill me now."

"Don't _say _that in here," Rand grumbled. "This place just might."

"Actually, if you win it, you get a shortcut back to the top," Patty pointed out. "Not that _you'll _be able to."

"You know, I was _about_ to thank you for actually being useful for once," Sten drawled as they turned and walked the rest of the way down the hall. "Never mind, though. We'll see about that." Opening the door, they looked inside, and saw a treasure chest sitting in the middle of the floor. After staring at it for a moment, they all looked back over their shoulders. "Really, Smith? Really?"

"It's _empty_, you clod," she retorted. "There's a switch hidden under a false bottom that opens up a secret door, but I figured that was too easy. Had to be a trap. So I looked around for something else."

"Let me get this straight." Ryu said slowly. "You found a secret passageway, but figured that it was a trap, so you wandered into one of _these_ instead." He gestured at the alcoves. "Is that how it went?"

"Makes sense to _me_," Katt grumbled.

"It would."

"Fear not, _mon amis_!" Jean said happily, cutting them off. "I will happily test this passageway, and should it be trapped after all, I will shield you with my body!" Skipping ahead, he opened the chest, found the switch, and pressed it, causing part of that room's back wall to move aside.

"Does he, uh, say things like that often?" Patty asked as the Prince continued onward.

"You have no idea." Bow sighed, following him, and after a moment the others did as well. In the hidden room, they found Jean opening up another chest and removing a folded package from it.

"Now, let us see just what this treasure is, yes?" He said, opening the package before jumping back with a startled oath in Siman as _something_ expanded abruptly. It turned out to be a ridiculously large _hat,_ bright red and spherical, with pink and orange tassels. Gold letters on the front read, "KING AND/OR QUEEN OF THIEVES." After staring at it for a moment, the Prince coughed. "Um."

"I don't suppose there's any possible chance this is another trick?" Nina asked dryly.

"I wish." Bow shook his head in disgust. "Here, though? In this place? Yeah, this is probably it. You know, if it _is_ real, we could probably just sell it and use the zenny to finance the _Renegades_."

"What, and just leave her here?" Katt scowled. "Yeah, she pisses me off sometimes too, but still, that's low."

"Tempting, all the same." Ryu pretended to think it over. "But Tiga and his boys won't ditch a client that easily." Taking the hat from Jean, he folded it back up and slipped it into his pocket, then spun around at the sound of more grinding stone. Another secret passage had opened up, revealing a staircase leading upward. "All right, let's get out of here."

"What I'm wondering is, if all this was in the basements, what's with the huge fortress up top?" Katt muttered absently as they walked up several flights of stairs in single file.

"Oh, that's all decoys for chumps who try breaking in from outside," Sten told her.

"Ugh."

"Congratulations, you have conquered the Thieves' Tomb," the old man behind the desk told them without looking up as they emerged in the lobby again. "No refunds."

"We weren't planning on asking for one," Ryu assured him. "While we've got your ear, though, there's a girl in one of the cells down on the bottom floor. Mind letting her out?"

"Huh?" The old man blinked. "An occupied cell? Knew I should've been paying more attention to those. The poison spiders must have all crawled out. I'll just release some more-erk!" He froze as Sten casually moved behind him.

"Now, why don't you be very careful about which button you push?" The Highlander suggested. "We want the one that'll let her _go_, and we _don't_ want any accidents, now do we?"

"No, sir," the old man agreed quickly. "Accidents are bad." He pressed a button, and nothing happened, but Sten remained behind him until Patty followed them up the stairs, looking grumpy.

"Good work." The Highlander nodded. "Katt?"

"On it." Walking over, she rapped the old man on the back of his head, and he fell forward, bouncing off his desk before hitting the floor.

"All right, let's get out of this dump," Ryu told them. After a moment's pause, he sighed and glanced at Patty. "Look, if you want to come back with us, we can give you a room at our place for the night, and then a ride over to Cotland in the morning."

"Aw, isn't that sweet of you," Patty said sarcastically, walking past him. "Don't go doing me any favors. I can find my own way back, _and_ my own lodging. I'll see you all there tomorrow morning."

"She pick your pocket and swipe the prize off of you?" Bow muttered quietly as she left.

"Yep." Ryu smiled. "Shame we won't be able to see the look on her face. All right, let's go outside and head back home." Walking out, they hailed the Great Bird, and rode her back to their town as the sun set, arriving just as the first stars started to come into view. "Looks like it's about dinner time. We'll go see if she really can make it back there in one day all by herself tomorrow."

"Ryu?" Nina asked quietly as the other started walking into town, hanging back. "Could I have a moment, please?"

"Sure." He stayed with her. "Is something wrong?"

"I believe that's my line," she told him, glancing towards Katt. "For you, and for her."

"Oh." He scowled. "That."  
"Yes, that." She nodded patiently. "It's not really any of my business, I suppose, but I'm concerned all the same. She's my best friend, and you're..." She glanced down at her feet. "You're you."

"I know," Ryu agreed, thinking back to Windia, when she'd intended to sacrifice herself for their sakes, and written Katt a farewell letter telling her she'd "won," which had only infuriated her; idly, he wondered if the two of them had ever talked about that. "I just don't know myself, to be honest. _Something's_ wrong, yeah, but..." He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."

"You remember what I said earlier today, right?" Nina reminded him. "I mean, if it turned out that you and I..." She trailed off awkwardly before continuing. "Well, that would be one thing. But as long as she still has an even chance with you? She's not going to go looking anywhere else, any more than I would. She's not that kind of girl."

"I know she's not," Ryu admitted, sitting down on a waist-high stone wall around the edge of town, not even bothering to think about if it had been there the last time he'd looked. "But _something_ happened, back there, on her end too, and she's pretending it didn't. Does that sound like Katt to you? _Not_ talking about something?"

"I'll admit, that's not exactly customary behavior coming from her," Nina agreed. "She's even more talkative than Jean on most days."

"Exactly." Ryu nodded. "Whatever this is has her tight-lipped all of a sudden. If it was anything else, I'd just shrug and say it was her business if she wanted to talk about it or not, but as it stands... I know I shouldn't be getting angry about this, but knowing that and _doing_ it are kind of two different things. I'm not perfect."

"So _do_ talk to her," Nina said firmly. "If it's something personal, then that just means you'll need to ask her about it in private, rather than in front of everybody else. You know Katt as well as I do, so you know what she's like on those rare occasions."

"She's opened up to you too, huh?" Ryu smiled slightly at that, recalling the few times the Woren girl had told him about her past, before she'd joined their group; no matter how things turned out between them, he'd never speak a word to anybody about just how quiet and confused Katt always got whenever she had to deal with matters of the self. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as how you're best friends and all."

"Exactly." Nina nodded. "Trust me, Ryu. Just go and find some reason for the two of you to be alone together, and ask to talk about it. You're right about something being wrong here, with her and you and Mister Lee, and if it was anybody else I don't think she'd want to. But if it's just you and her, she will. I know she will."

"Maybe I will," Ryu said quietly as he studied her face, turned away from his, picking up on both what she was saying and what she wasn't. "Listen, Nina..."

"Don't." She bowed her head. "Please. Not now. I can't... I just can't. I'm sorry." Floating back up, she turned towards the town and began flying in. "I'll see you at dinner."

"All right," Ryu replied softly, unsure if she even heard him or not, but didn't follow her in. Instead, he looked up at the night sky, and the stars glittering overhead.

Even near the equator, it was growing cold at night now.

_LIVING ON A RAZOR'S EDGE _


	35. Chapter 32: The Goodbye

_**Chapter 32: The Goodbye **_

_"Soon, we will leave you, child. No, don't cry. It is our way, the way of our people, the Woren. We are a solitary people, and you must learn to live alone. You are strong. We have already taught you how to survive, and so you will. But before then, there are things you must know about the Woren, for we are different from other people. They are many, and we are few. This is the way it always has been, and this is the way it always will be. Now listen, and I will tell you the secrets of our people, the laws that are ours, and ours alone."_

Katt woke up.

The first rays of the sunrise were shining through the window; she'd forgotten to close the curtains before turning in again, and the light had managed to score a direct hit on her left eye. Muttering curses, she fell out of her bed and bounced twice before dragging herself to the feet and fixing the problem. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep now; once she'd woken up, she usually stayed that way. Stretching and yawning, she pulled a robe on over her nightshirt and opened the door, wanting to hit the communal shower on the girls' floor before Nina or Deis woke up.

Still groggy, she almost failed to notice the envelope pinned to the wall outside of her room with her name on it, in Ryu's handwriting. For a moment, she almost kept walking anyways, before giving in and plucking it off the wall, hoping he'd remembered to use small words and short sentences. She'd never actually _told_ any of the others that she could barely read-it wasn't exactly something she was proud of, in the modern age-but she was pretty sure that most of them had figured it out by now without needing to be told.

_Katt. Meet me up top. Bring your staff. -Ryu. _

"Well," she muttered to herself, suddenly feeling better about a lot of things. "That's my kind of letter, all right." Turning around, she closed the door behind her and got dressed, though she didn't bother with her chain mail; this would only be a spar, rather than a serious fight, even if they were using their weapons. She did, however, take the time to close her extensive collection of bracers around forearms, calves, waist and neck. Picking up her battlestaff, she left her room and walked up the flight of stairs at the end of the hall, onto the roof.

"Hey there," Ryu called over to her as she emerged. He was sitting on the edge of the roof, clad similarly to her, in pants and undershirt rather than his plate mail, though the longsword strapped to his back was still more than enough to clue anybody in as to his line of work. He wasn't quite smiling, but he wasn't frowning either, and the glint in his green eyes spoke louder than words about what he was thinking, the same as her. A pot of coffee steamed next to him, atop a tray with two mugs, though neither was filled yet. "You're even earlier than I thought you'd be."

"Had some trouble sleeping," she replied, walking towards him before stopping half the roof away. "Besides, you should talk. This is the second day in a row you've been up before me." She was about to ask if he'd had some trouble sleeping himself, but managed to bite it back just in time; no matter how cranky she was with him, he'd trusted her with the knowledge of his nightmares born from Barubary's voice, and to joke about _that_ would be a betrayal of that trust.

"Didn't want to keep you waiting," he shot back, standing as well and walking forward. "You want to have our coffee before or after?"

"Like you have to ask?" She teased him, spinning her battlestaff. "Then again, maybe you do. Getting old on me already? Not gonna be able to wake up all the way and do your best without a little jolt first?"

"Just for that, I oughta chug the whole pot and make you get another," he joked back, drawing his sword. "But if you're gonna put it _that_ way..." Without another word, he immediately moved in, feinting for her shoulder before making his actual swing a little lower. Grinning, she blocked it with her staff and forced him back, turning her battlestaff to bring the other end down towards his head, and he stepped aside with a smirk of his own before slicing at her ankles.

It was the dance of blood, a dance they were more than familiar with, both in general and against each other. They'd fought for their lives, _all_ their lives, which was what had led them into this line of work. At some point for both of them, it had become thrilling rather than frightening, something to be enjoyed while it lasted, instead of feared for the possibility of death. It wasn't as simple as sadism, or even masochism; a one-sided fight, either way, killed the buzz. It was only when it was _good_, when both sides were evenly matched, that it made their blood boil and their thoughts sizzle.

It wasn't completely in earnest, of course; they both had enough control over their weapons that neither was going to kill each other unless they tried. They'd only gone all-out once, the very first time, when they'd gone head-to-head on fight night in the Coursair Coliseum as part of the demonic manager's plot. Even then, they'd still been fighting for fun, rather than to kill. And it _had_ been fun, which was one of the reasons she'd chosen to tag along with him once it was all said and done, putting an end to her life as a stray and finding a family for the first real time in her life.

They'd sparred every now and then since, about once a week at first, though it had been nearly a month since the last time for some reason; it probably had something to do with how serious things had gotten. Ever since Rand's mother had been taken, none of them had even been able to pretend they were just doing it for the money and the adventure. It was _personal_ now, and that had affected them all; this was the first time all month she'd been able to put it out of her mind and just enjoy the moment, and it made her realize how much she'd missed that, missed sparring with Ryu.

In the end, she managed to win this time, which didn't surprise her; they were evenly matched enough that in a straight-up physical confrontation, it was more or less anybody's guess. After about ten minutes, both of them sweating and bleeding, though the latter only slightly, she managed to finally sweep him off his feet. He hit the floor hard, on his back, and before he could move she managed to get a foot on the wrist of his sword hand and the tip of her battlestaff against his throat. Their eyes met, and once she saw acknowledgment in his, she stepped away.

"Good one," he said, still smiling, as he got back to his feet. "Been a while."

"I was about to say," she agreed, inclining her head towards the tray. "Coffee?"

"Let's hope it's still hot." He nodded, and they walked over, taking turns pouring their own mugs. "I think it's safe to say winter has arrived."

"You'd better not be getting soft on me," she teased him, ruffling his hair. "You've been up north this time of year, same as me. They've probably got snow waist-deep in northern Windia right now. Aurian winters are nothing."

"Not as long as our coffee's still hot, they're not," he shot back.

"Point." She took a sip of hers and smiled; it wasn't exactly burning, but it was still warm enough to be enjoyable. "Good enough. This was a good idea."

"I thought it might be," he agreed, sitting on the edge of the roof, and she joined him without hesitating, though she stifled the urge to lean against his side. As much as she would have liked to, they were pushing it already by being up here alone. _That_ was why they hadn't sparred much recently, she suddenly remembered, and had to fight to keep her face calm; even if she and Ryu and Nina all knew there would be nothing more just yet, it still hurt her best friend on an irrational level, and eventually they'd both realized that.

"How long do you think it'll be before the others wake up?" She asked, thinking quickly. "_Was_ anybody else up already?"

"Just Niro, when I checked, and that was pretty much unavoidable," Ryu told her. "Everybody in town says he naps a lot, but _I've_ certainly never been able to catch him sleeping."

"Good point," she admitted. "Let me guess, he already had this pot brewing too?"

"And another one for backup, which is why he didn't mind me bringing this one up here." He nodded. "Say what you will about Niro, but he takes care of this place."

"Takes care of us, you mean," she joked. "You know he actually has people do our laundry, when we're out on jobs? Some of the townsfolk."

"I wondered about that," he admitted. "How'd you find out?"

"Asked him after the first time I came back and found all my bras washed," she explained. "I even managed to stop myself from hitting him until he had a chance to explain himself, which turned out to be for the best."

"Yeah, probably," Ryu said dryly. "Maybe I should suggest we add 'butler' to his list of titles just to see what he says."

"I wouldn't, unless you actually _want_ to see that, just to screw with your head," she advised him. "He spent some time as an actor, when he was younger. He's actually pretty good at it."

"You know, I just might, but not until we've got all this cleared up," he replied, humor fading from his voice. "This really isn't the time for screwing around much. Don't think we'd appreciate it the way we normally would."

"Things _have_ been taking a turn for the grim lately," she agreed, spirits falling a little again as she remembered how close they'd come to _actually_ going at it, in a way that was the exact opposite of fun, just the other day. Taking a sip of coffee to give herself time to think, she quickly remembered why she didn't do so very often; thinking _hurt_, not in the physical sense, but in the irritation and discomfort of _not_ being able to turn questions into answers the way most other people could. After a moment, however, she realized at least one thing. "You didn't ask me up here just to spar, did you?"

"Not entirely," he admitted. "Don't get me wrong, I really did want to, and it really was fun. But that wasn't all."

"Crap." She sighed, glancing downward. "I should have known."

"It's all right, if you don't want to," he said, a little too quickly, without looking at her. "I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. I just..." He trailed off.

"I know," she replied quietly, still staring down at the houses below; the early risers were already up, and the first signs of life were clearly visible, as the residents of the new town without a name began their day. "It's a problem. I should have talked to you, or somebody, about it already, but..." She took a deep breath, and decided to go with what had always worked for her before. Full speed ahead, and damn her doubts. "All right. First things first. I'm _not_ crushing on Tiga, all right? That's one thing that _isn't_ happening here."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ryu told her, and she could tell by the sound of his voice that he believed her. "I mean, I was pretty sure about that much already, but I'm still happy to actually hear you say it. You know?"

"Yeah." She glanced at him, and this time he met her eyes. "I know. I'll admit, if I hadn't met you first? It might have happened. _Maybe_. He _does_ seem like he's my type, and he's _almost_ as good-looking as you are."

"Now you're just flattering me," he said dryly.

"You'd prefer I told you you looked like something Rand scraped off the bottom of his boot?" She shot back in the same tone before continuing. "Like I said, _could_ have happened, under other circumstances. But I just _met_ the guy, for crying out loud. And you and me..." She paused, trying to figure out a good way to phrase it, one that she wouldn't mind getting out to Nina, even if her best friend would likely never hear about it. "Well, we've known each other for what, nearly half a year now? And it really didn't take us long."

"Half a year," Ryu said thoughtfully, glancing down at the town again. "Is that really all it's been? It seems like so much more than that."

"I know, right?" She agreed, doing the same. "It's like all the time I spent before I met any of you seems to have gone so fast, and then after... so slow. But in a good way. You, and Rand, and Nina and Sten and all the rest... you're already more like family than..." She caught herself just in time to avoid finishing that sentence, though she knew Ryu would probably guess what she was going to say, and flushed; she didn't feel embarrassed often, but that just made the rare occasions burn all the more. "Anyway. What I'm saying is... that's all one-sided. On his part."

"_That_ much was kind of obvious," Ryu said, and though there was still a little anger in his voice, it was much more reduced than it had been the previous day, which heartened her. "I'm hoping that doesn't get too out of hand. The guy's definitely the kind who falls in love twice a month, and maybe once he figures out you're not interested, he'll move on. He hit on Nina and Deis both, even if he wasn't exactly falling all over them."

"Why am I not surprised by this?" She rolled her eyes, fighting down a surge of discomfort at his guess; as much as she hoped he was right, the opposite was far more likely, and the fact that he had no idea why just made it all the more troublesome. It was that, more than anything, that was behind her decision to own up. "Anyways, if that was all there was to it, this wouldn't be a problem. But there's something else."

"I thought so," Ryu said quietly. "But I don't know what it is."

"You wouldn't," she said calmly. "Nobody else does, outside of the Clan. I never thought it would actually be important, myself; Tiga's the only actual member of my own Clan I've ever met, aside from my parents. Those freaks at the Wildcat Cafe don't count, since they got thrown out, so I wasn't worried about them, but this..."

"Is _that_ what this is about?" Ryu asked, eyes widening suddenly. "Clan Law?"

"You've got it." She nodded. The 'Three Laws' that governed the world were separate legal systems, divided based on jurisdiction. First was World Law, decided and enforced by the council of nations and Clans who convened in the undersea city-state of Prima. Second was National Law, which each separate government applied to its own territory. Third and last was Clan Law, the rules and regulations a sentient species governed its own kind by. In the case of the Woren Clan, it was a secret that only their Clan was supposed to know; revealing it to others wasn't strictly forbidden, but it was frowned upon. "I'm not supposed to talk about it to people from other Clans, but... I want to."

"It's your decision, Katt," Ryu said, taking her hand in his. "I understand, now. If you want to tell me, or if you don't..."

"I do," she told him, quietly but firmly. Reaching around behind her, she grabbed the coffeepot and refilled both of their mugs before continuing. "You guys... like I said, you're my family. It's hard, but I want to." Taking another deep breath, she kept talking. "It's like this. You know how there aren't very many of us, right? The Woren Clan. I'd be surprised if there were more than a hundred of us, all over the world. If we weren't so hard to kill, we'd probably be extinct, and the way we 'take care' of our kids doesn't exactly help."

"You told me about that once," Ryu recalled, shaking his head slowly. "I still say that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard of, and I've been hanging out with Bow all my life. I mean, you turned out great, but..." He trailed off.

"But a lot of other Woren kids might not have been so lucky?" Katt finished for him, thinking back to the day her parents had abandoned her, almost as soon as she'd been able to walk; she couldn't remember their faces now, and every day, the sound of their voices faded a little more. For a while, she'd wondered if they would have done it Clan Law hadn't forced them to, but eventually she'd stopped, deciding she didn't want to know. "Yeah, I know. But if you think _that's_ stupid, I've got some bad news for you."

"It gets _worse?_" Ryu demanded incredulously.

"Afraid so." She shook her head. "Here's the thing. World Law says we can't marry any other Clans except humans, on account of how they're the only ones that'll result in Woren kids instead of halfsies. Just like any other Clan." She kept her voice level, trying not to think about the tragedies they'd all recently endured because of the Dragon Clan and Wing Clan's interbreeding a millennium ago. "So for us, it's humans or other Worens. For obvious reasons, the former happens more often than the latter, which is probably the only thing keeping our numbers on the rise, or at least breaking even."

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm _really_ not going to like this?" Ryu growled, hand tightening around hers.

"Because you can smell this kind of thing coming from a mile away," she told him, trying and failing to put the appropriate amount of sarcasm into it; the unfortunate truth was, there simply wasn't anything even remotely funny about the situation. "The thing is? Normally, we don't normally get along with other people. The way I hear it, by my Clan's standards, I'm as warm and fuzzy as _Jean _is to normal folks. So a lot of the time, Woren Clansmen just avoid anything permanent if they've got any choice in the matter. Which doesn't exactly lead itself towards keeping our numbers up. Which is where Clan Law comes in."

"Oh, no." Ryu's eyes narrowed in anger. "You are _not_ telling me what I think you are."

"Afraid so," she said flatly. "Whenever two Woren Clansmen of opposite genders meet, unless one or both of them is already involved with a human, Clan Law dictates that they do so with each other as soon as possible. As in, marriage."

Ryu made several anatomical and scatological comments.

"Yeah, pretty much," she agreed. "I'd have told you guys before, but I didn't know Tiga would be a Woren Clansman."

"And we didn't know it would be important, so we didn't tell you until it was too late," Ryu added glumly. "Shit! This is a real mess." They were both silent for a few moments, staring out over the town, and Katt once again had to fight not to lean against him. Eventually, he spoke again. "What do you mean by, 'involved?' How specific is that?"

"We don't have to actually have a kid on the way," she told him, somehow managing to keep a straight face. "But we would have to be. Well. Trying."

"That's out, then." He shook his head. "Nina aside, if and when we do, it's not going to be because of some stupid _law_."

"Yeah," she agreed quickly, wanting to move past that topic; it wasn't making her _blush_, but it was still a little touchy, especially when she wondered how far they'd have gone by now if the situation _had_ been less complicated between them and Nina. "You know Tiga better than I do. Is he likely to make an issue of this?"

"Normally?" Ryu shook his head. "I'd say no. He's a pretty easygoing guy, and most of them time his flirting seems to just be trying his luck. But the way he was acting around _you_... that's different. I really don't know."

"I was afraid of that." She sighed. "Kind of hoped that if he figured out I wasn't interested, he'd agree to keep this under wraps. What the rest of the Clan doesn't know won't hurt us, and all that. But if he _wants _it to happen..."

"Just for the sake of curiosity, what happens if we _do_ go with that, and then you're found out?" Ryu asked cautiously.

"Death sentence," she told him bluntly. "For me _and_ him."

"Probably not going to happen, then," he grumbled. "All right, there's only one way out of this, then. It's going to suck, but that'll happen sometimes. We're going to have to _act_ like we're a couple around the _Renegades_ from now on, whenever we work with them. Additional motivation to bring down Evrai and conclude our business with them as fast as possible, I guess. I just hope Nina understands. I know you hate lying, but it'll at least have _some _basis in fact, and right now we don't really have a lot of options."

"I didn't want to ask," Katt confessed, fighting down a warm glow at the thought. "Either you or her. Not just because I hate lying, either, or because I suck at it. Because it felt too much like asking you to choose."

"And I'm not ready for that," Ryu admitted quietly. "I should be, and I'm sorry, but I'm not. This, though... you didn't ask for this. It's not your fault, and we're not going to let you take the fall for it, any of us. We'll have to tell the others, though. Not just Nina; the rest of them will notice something's up if we start acting different, and that might ruin it. But for her sake, most of all, I think you'd better be the one to tell them."

"I wanted to," she said, just as softly. "I really did. But I just couldn't. Now, though... now, I think I can." She gave him a smile. "Thanks."

"Any time," he promised, turning to look her in the eye again and smiling in the same calm, but not cocky, way that she'd always liked. "No matter what happens, Katt... I'll always be there for you. I promise."

"I know," she agreed, and now it was her turn to tighten her hand around his. "That's why I can't... you know."

"I know," he repeated somberly, though his smile remained. "Ready to go down and see how the others are doing?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I'll tell them after breakfast, okay? We can have a meeting and everything before we head over to see if Smith really did make it back all on her own." Her eyes widened suddenly, as a thought struck her. "Crap, Smith! Will she give it away?"

"Pretty sure we never talked about that sort of thing with her," Ryu reminded her. "The way I remember it, we were all pretty careful about what we said whenever she was around. I know I was, especially about being Dragon Clan, and I know for sure she _doesn't_ know that. As far as she, or any of them know, I'm just a regular human. So long as we all make sure not to let that, or anything else, out, she'll just be one more guy we have to fool."

"Good." She relaxed. "All right, I'm gonna see if the shower's occupied."

"Sounds like a good idea." He nodded. "See you in a few."

To her delight, it turned out that both Nina and Deis were still asleep, and she was able to take her shower uninterrupted before returning to her room and dressing again. This time, she wore her chain mail over her top, though she left the enchanted hood back; as effective as it was, she couldn't shake the nagging thought that it made her look ridiculous. There was no real need to wear the armor in town, but they'd be setting off soon, and she wanted to be ready to go when Ryu gave the word.

She spent the next half an hour doing some basic exercises, as the rest of the team stumbled, slouched and slipped their way downstairs and into wakefulness. Once Deis joined them, they made their way over to the Rivabs', where the couple once again insisted on giving them their breakfast free of charge, no matter how strenuously Ryu and Rand protested. Katt had her theories about why they did that, ones she'd shared with Sten to make sure she wasn't just being a bonehead again, and he'd agreed, but it never quite felt like the time to share that with either of them.

Once they'd eaten, they went back home for the meeting, which Ryu opened up as usual before turning it over to her. She explained the situation, only hesitating for a moment; Ryu's awareness of the problem, and his trust in her, were enough to overcome the doubt she'd had about telling anybody before. As she talked, their faces changed from polite neutrality and dry amusement to confusion, anger and disgust. By the time she was done, nobody looked happy, not even Jean.

"Okay, then." Sten coughed once she'd finished. "Speaking as a representative of the Highlander Clan, which is pretty ass-backwards in a _lot_ of ways? That is the _stupidest_ excuse for a law I have _ever _heard, and I used to serve under a guy who the grunts used to say had _literal_ shit for brains."

"It is ridiculous, is what it is, _mon ami_," Jean told him, shaking his head sadly. "To make love a thing of... of _obligation_ is almost beyond belief."

"Believe it," she told him, though she was slightly pleased that even he was taking this seriously. "It sucks, but it's real."

"Then you're right, of course," Nina said solemnly, face blank, and _that_ hurt; she could tell by now when the Princess was concealing her emotions in favor of pure practicality, and this was one of the worst cases she'd ever seen. "We can't allow that to happen. If acting as if you and Ryu were already a couple is the only way to ensure that without gambling on Tiga's choices, then that's the way it'll have to be. Just..." She faltered for a moment before continuing. "Don't go _too_ over the top, all right? If you act lovey-dovey, they'll get suspicious."

"We know," Katt told her, not even commenting on the 'lovey-dovey' part. "Thanks, Nina. For understanding. This... probably isn't going to be much fun for you."

"It won't be," she agreed bluntly, shaking her head. "But it wasn't your idea, either of you, and it's too late to back out of this deal now. Besides, honestly speaking? We need them. If this is the price for that, so be it."

"You're all being a lot more cool about it than _I_ would be, that's for sure." Bow chuckled lightly, though he was giving Ryu a meaningful glance, one Katt had the feeling was saying something to Ryu that only he would understand. "Sheesh. This is a real mess."

"That's what I said," Ryu agreed, looking glum again. "Why is it that, even though we're winning every fight we're in and making more money in a few months than we expected to make all year, I still feel like everything keeps getting worse and worse for us?"

"Would you prefer _losing_ our fights?" Deis pointed out. "Look, I can't say I saw this coming in particular, but this is basically the way it goes. Things _are_ going to keep getting worse and worse, for all of us, until we finish this. In every way we can imagine, and probably some we can't. The only way we're going to get clear is to get out."

"Well," Katt muttered, torn between wanting to punch the snake sorceress and thank her, though of course neither was something she'd actually do. They'd been friends when she'd pretended to be human, and to a certain extent they still were, but after revealing herself and joining up, Deis just confused her. "That's encouraging."

"If you want encouragement, you joined up with the wrong group," Sten commented.

"If that's what we have to do, then that's all there is to it, then." Ryu put his hands flat on the table, and everybody turned to look at him. "I'm sick of this destiny bullshit. It's already taken far too much from us, from all of us. I want out, as quickly as possible. And if that includes payback against those bastards, so much the better. So let's go see if little Miss Smith can actually back up that talk of hers, and then find out exactly what she and Lee have planned, huh?"

"Normally, I'm in favor of days off every now and then, but you're right when it comes to this situation." Bow nodded grimly. "The only way out's straight ahead."

"My favorite way of doing things anyways," Katt cracked, grinning, though she knew it wasn't in her eyes. "No holds barred, and hope for the best."

"And if the best doesn't happen, we _make_ it happen anyways," Nina added. "Well then. Shall we?"

"Yeah." She met her best friend's eyes, and saw a multitude of emotions in them; pain, and sorrow, and despair, from everything that had happened to her before now just as much as what was going on at the moment. But there was acceptance there was well, and understanding, and that was why they were still best friends, despite having nothing in the world in common. "Let's."

Another spell from Jean took them back to Cotland, on the other side of the world; its distance made even the Great Bird impractical, which was a pity. No matter how many times they did it, Katt would always love flying, high above the world. But business took precedence over pleasure, now of all times, and in an instant they were there, right outside the canyon. She and Rand moved the boulder again before walking around, and found the gate already rising, Gaston walking over with a wave and a grin.

"Hey, guys!" He called. "We were wondering when you'd get in!"

"Expecting us, were you?" She shouted back. "I take it that means little Miss Smith managed to find her way here after all?"

"Came in right around sunrise, wrung out like a washcloth and pissed as hell about something, but she didn't say what," Gaston said, smirking. "I don't know _what_ you guys did to her, but I kind of wish I could have seen it. She's sleeping it off right now, but she had a chat with Tiga first, so our funding issues are all straightened out. We were just waiting for you guys to get back here before we started planning the next stage of our operations."

"Glad to hear it." Ryu nodded professionally, anger back under the surface again. "The sooner we take 'em down, the better, right?"

"Damn straight!" Gaston turned around and began yelling at the buildings again, prompting the rest of his crew to begin bursting out of doors and climbing out of windows like the last time.

"You know, I used to think _our_ crew was pretty wild, but these guys put us to shame," Bow commented dryly as Chip jumped off a roof and rolled to his feet upon landing.

"Not unexpected, with a name like the _Renegades_, _mon ami,_" Jean pointed out.

"We chose it for a reason," Gaston agreed, chuckling. "Boss is in the barn again. He'll be glad to see you're back. Especially you, Chaun."

"I'll bet." She rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to glance at Ryu; he didn't need her cue to know to respond to that.

"Just as long as he doesn't get _too_ glad," he replied, keeping his smile on, though his eyes were no longer friendly.

"Oh." Gaston looked from one of them to the other, and his eyes widened. "_Oh_. That's how it is, huh? Man, why didn't you say so?"

"Didn't seem polite to make a point of it, when we were getting along so well otherwise," Ryu said, still calm. "We kind of hoped it would pass."

"Hate to break it to you guys, but that's not the way the boss works." Gaston grimaced. "At all. Give him a couple weeks, and maybe he'll fall for somebody else, but until then he's gonna be driving himself up the walls thinking about you, Chaun."

"Just as long as he know how to keep it professional." She shrugged with more nonchalance than she felt; acting wasn't really her strong point, but she knew how to keep up a calm facade at least. "That's what's important."

"Katt?" Tiga threw the door of the bar open, staring out at them, and just like when she'd first saw him, her mind immediately froze under the conflicting emotions. Despite what she'd told Ryu, there _was_ something inherently attractive about Tiga, and there was only so much she could do to keep herself from reacting to that. "Thought I heard your voice! You came back to me!"

Deis muttered something in some incomprehensible foreign language under her breath.

"Yeah, pretty much," Gaston agreed, just as quietly.

"Hey, Lee." Ryu stepped between them as he approached, holding out a hand. "Heard Smith made it back okay."

"Yeah, she did," Tiga said after a moment, pausing in his path with a blank look on his face before finally shaking Ryu's hand again. "Thanks, by the way, for taking care of that. We got the issue of funding all squared away before she conked out, so that's all taken care of. Just need a day or two more to buy everything we'll need, and then we'll be ready to get to work." Glancing at Katt again, he turned back towards the barn. "Come on in so we can go over that, huh? Little P, get the drinks!"

"I'll pass this time, thank you," Nina told the kid quietly. "Ale isn't my thing."

"I as well, _mon ami_," Jean agreed quickly, and Spar nodded.

"Came prepared this time, actually!" Little P assured them as they walked in, crossing to the keg and picked up a bottle that had been lying next to it. "The boss picked up some red wine out of Sima from a nearby town last night. Seemed polite, you know? What about you, Chaun?"

"Huh?" Katt blinked, surprised, before shaking her head vehemently. "No, thanks. I'll take ale any day."

"My kind of girl." Tiga chuckled, winking, and she struggled to control her automatic reaction; despite what she'd told Ryu, and everything else she knew, he was even better-looking than their own leader, in a roguish way that she'd always liked. Once they'd all sat down, however, his eyes took on a glint that was all business, and he pointed at a map on the table. "All right, here's how it goes. Everybody knows what the final target is. Evrai. No matter how you slice it, it's gotta go, ideally as spectacularly as possible."

"Sounds like there's a 'but' coming on," Bow predicted dryly.

"Pretty sharp." Tiga nodded as Little P started passing out the mugs and wineglasses. "I like that. The fact of the matter is, we don't have enough information. Claris went in to get some more, and that's helped, but even before she did she warned us that that wouldn't be enough, and it turned out she was right. As usual. Which means we need to get it from another source. Problem is, that's not as easy as it sounds."

"I don't suppose it would be," Nina agreed. "I doubt the lower-ranking demons would know much, if anything, about Evrai; none of the ones we've encountered that weren't in the upper ranks seemed like they would. And as for the Church of St. Eva, just snatching random priests off the streets is about as bad an idea as it gets. Most of them are probably just being duped, just as much as their followers, and it would attract too much attention to do it over and over until we got lucky, professional standards aside."

"Right again." Tiga tapped at a point on the map, south of Cotland, down in the wasteland of Scande. "Fortunately for us, we've managed to find a solution to that. A target we _know_ is dirty. If you head as far south as you can from here, into the wasteland of Scande, at the end of the land is a recruitment camp for the Church of St. Eva. Bando. It's basically where prospective citizens of Evrai make a pilgrimage to, in order to prove their devotion. The rumor goes that if your faith is strong enough to carry you through Scande in one piece, you'll be found worthy."

"Bando." Rand snapped his fingers, scowling. "That's where that shitty paladin tried to tell us my mother had gone."

"Your mom?" Mick said sympathetically. "Let me guess. The Church made her disappear conveniently? Same thing happened to my girlfriend. I believed in St. Eva until then, but after that happened..." He trailed off, lowering his head.

"Me, Bow and Ryu used to follow the Church ourselves," Katt told him sympathetically. "We weren't really fanatics about it, but we believed, you know? We even know a honest paladin we used to be on good terms with. Worked together with him a couple times. But after Rand's mother disappeared... well, it wasn't too hard to connect the dots."

"The Church has a lot to answer for," Tiga said solemnly, meeting her eyes again. "And we're going to make them pay. For breaking your faith, and for everything else they've done. To us and to the world."

"You were saying something about Bando?" Ryu asked curtly.

"Oh yeah." Tiga blinked before turning his attention back to the map. "Anyways, one of the demons we hauled in for questioning eventually spilled that Bando is more than meets the eye. It's actually second only to Evrai in the conspiracy; there's apparently a massive basement full of prison cells and torture chambers. Funny that you mention paladins, since our guy also claimed that was where those who the demons managed to corrupt spent most of their time. The 'dark paladins,' he called them."

"So we might end up going up against a lot of paladins here, huh?" Sten made a face before shrugging. "Eh, we've all seen worse odds."

"And if that's the case, maybe my mom really _is_ there," Rand said quietly.

"Let's hope so," Katt agreed. "Let me guess. You figure the guy in charge'll know something about Evrai?"

"We _know_ he will." Tiga scowled. "Everything we've managed to dig up points to this guy being one of the conspiracy's top men." He slapped a sketch portrait on the table, one that was all too familiar to them. "Father Nicholas Manson. Priest of St. Eva for more than sixty years. Personal friend of the Archpriest. Career shitbag."

"_Manson_," Ryu growled, as several others on the team muttered various uncomplimentary words. "Yeah, he's in on it up to his stinking neck, all right. If you want a target, you couldn't have picked a better one."

"Take it you've met him before?" Don raised an eyebrow.

"You could say that, yes," Nina agreed, eyes cold with wrath. It had been Father Manson who had been behind everything that had gone horribly wrong in Windia, poisoning her father and driving her little sister to give up her life and become the Great Bird, before fleeing the country. "A job in my homeland. He managed to slip through our fingers, but not without doing a great deal of damage. We'll have to be very careful with him; he's a Demon Lord."

"We've handled our share of demons before too," Pete boasted. "We know how to handle them."

"Trust us, there's a _big _difference between a demon and a Demon Lord," Ryu assured them. "They can die, just like anything else, but... well, I guess you'll see for yourselves when we take Manson on. Just don't give him an inch of leeway."

"We try not to do that in general," Tiga told him calmly, smiling slightly, before glancing back at the map. "Anyways, Bando itself isn't exactly a fortress, above ground. The trick is going to be catching them off guard; we'll want to take as many of their forces out in the initial strike as possible. Chip went and scouted ahead a couple weeks ago; managed to get right outside without getting spotted. He'll be able to Warp us right onto their front door, so we can charge right in and get down to work before they've got time to ask who's there."

"Taking nearly twenty guys is a bit out of my league, though," Chip added. "I can manage a dozen or so, but any more than that and I'm out of luck, so you guys are going to have to find your own ride."

"We've got our own ways of dropping in out of the blue," Ryu assured them. "A surprise arrival isn't going to be a problem."

"Glad to hear it." Tiga nodded. "Once we've got the upper levels secured, we can take our time rooting all the rats out of their nest. We're planning to hit them two days from now, at noon sharp. Sound good?"

"We'll be there." Ryu nodded.

"Good." Tiga finished off his ale, then stood up. "Now that that's out of the way, there's something else I need to say."

"Here it comes," Max muttered.

"Just a second here." Ryu's eyes narrowed. "Maybe there's something I should say, too."

"Here me out!" Tiga replied, staring at Katt. "Katt... ever since I met you, I haven't been able to think about anything else. I know it was just a day ago, but I can already tell, this isn't going to go away. I can't get you out of my head. This is out of line, and normally, I wouldn't even consider it, but it's driving me crazy. I _have _to ask. It's the only way."

"What are you saying, Lee?" She demanded, confused; she wasn't sure what he was up to, but it didn't sound like he was asking her out. "Get to the point."

"All right." He took a deep breath, stood up straight, and closed his eyes for a moment before meeting hers. "Katt Chaun... will you marry me?"

Every single jaw in the room except for his hung open.

"_Was zum hölle_?" Sten demanded after a few seconds of total silence.

"_Etes-vous fou_?" Jean added.

"Chief?" Don asked slowly. "Are you... feeling all right? You hit your head or something?"

"Never better, Don," Tiga assured him. "I've never felt like this before, but I already know... I want this. I want you, Katt. I want you to spend the rest of your life with me. I've got more in common with you than anybody I've ever met, and not just because we're of the same Clan. We were meant for each other."

"And you know this how?" Ryu replied, no longer calm or friendly. "Look, Lee. I tried to be professional about this at first, but since that's obviously not the way we're doing this, I've got some news for you. Katt's not on the market." Reaching over, he put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against him.

"What he said," she said quietly, and even that took a great deal of effort. She hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said lying didn't come naturally to her; part of her inherent dislike for dishonesty came from her self-awareness of her own inability to do so convincingly. "Sorry, Tiga. I'm already taken."

"Bateson?" Tiga's eyes widened. "You and him? Seriously? I could have sworn it was Windfree."

Nina winced, but didn't say anything.

"I gotta admit, I was thinking the same thing," Goof muttered, and a couple of the other _Renegades_ murmured agreement as well.

"Something's not adding up here," Tiga decided, eyes narrowing. "And I don't like that. I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I _don't_ appreciate being taken for a fool, either. When you say you're taken, just how much are we talking here?"

"It's not a question of 'how much,'" Ryu said, taking his arm from Katt and standing up. "She's not available. End of discussion."

"It's not that simple," Tiga replied, anger entering his own voice now, as the two of them stared each other down across the table. "You've told them, haven't you, Katt? About Clan Law. I've told my boys, and I bet you've done the same."

"Oh, shit, I forgot about that!" Pete blurted out, and the rest of the _Renegades_ all made similar noises of surprise.

"Yeah, she told us," Rand admitted, crossing his arms. "So what? She's still taken."

"Is she?" Tiga muttered, glancing at Katt again, and she suddenly realized that he _knew_, somehow. "I'm not too sure about that. Tell me, Katt. Is it true? Are you and Ryu more than just friends?"

"We..." She licked her lips nervously, trying to get up the nerve to agree, even though it was false. Looking around the room, at the faces of her team, she saw encouragement on all of them, until she got to Nina's. As soon as her eyes met the Princess's, and she saw the despair hidden deep within them, all her willpower drained away as if sucked out by magic. It was irrational and stupid and it would ruin everything, but all the same... she couldn't do it.

"No," she whispered, hanging her head. "Maybe some day. But right now... we're friends. That's all."

"Oh, my," Spar murmured.

"Thought so." Tiga nodded calmly. "I didn't want to put it on that basis, but Clan Law is Clan Law. Shit! This is a real mess." He raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully, as his tail began to lash, and after a moment, he nodded. "Okay. I've got an idea. It's not a _good _idea, and I'll admit, I'm probably biased, but it's all I can think of."

"Let's hear it," Ryu told him dubiously.

"Let me ask you a question, first," Tiga replied. "Just so I know this makes sense. Well, it's more like two questions, one for you and one for her, but let's start with you. If you and Katt had an argument over something... say, something to do with group policy... and no matter how you went at it, you weren't going to agree, how would you settle it?"

"Huh?" Katt blinked. "I'd back down. He's the boss."

"Yeah, but what if it was something you couldn't back down on?" Tiga pressed her. "Something important. These guys are loyal to me, but they've all got personal shit I don't try and push them on, because I'm smarter than that. What if it came up?"

"We'd fight," Ryu answered. "We've done it before. Before she joined up. And if she beat me, I'd be the one backing down."

"Thought so." Tiga nodded briskly before glancing at Katt again, his gaze and his voice softening. "Question two. Katt... I don't know how you and Ryu met, or how he talked you into joining up, but... if it had been me, instead of him, would you have said no?"

"What kind of question is that?" Bow asked, frowning.

"An important one," Tiga told him. "Until you started up with that bullshit you were trying to sell me, that's what I thought this was. I figured Ryu was just making sure I didn't try to steal her from you guys. That's why I admitted I was being out of line. But this is a special case. That's why I have to know. Would it really be so different, being one of us?"

"I..." Katt closed her eyes, thinking back to when she'd met Ryu in Coursair, and why she'd followed him away from there. "Maybe. I'm not sure, but I can't say no. Maybe I would have."

"Then I know how we can settle this." Tiga nodded slowly. "It's old-fashioned, and it's got some pretty unpleasant implications, but we all know each other by now. Even if we're going head-to-head on this score, nobody here's an asshole. It's not like I'm asking you to sleep with me right away or anything; I respect you too much for that."

"Trust me, that's the only thing that's keeping me from changing my mind about you." Ryu slowly nodded. "Let me guess. You and me. One-on-one."

"Bingo." Tiga crossed his arms. "You win, we'll go along with this con of yours, even if it means putting my neck on the line. I win, Katt joins up with the _Renegades._"

"Are you freaking _kidding _me?" Deis demanded. "That's preposterous!"

"And she's supposed to just sit back and _watch_?" Sten agreed. "Ridiculous! There's got to be a better way of doing this!"

"I win, you let this go?" Ryu asked slowly. "Even if it means trusting us to make sure word doesn't get out to the Clan elders?"

"Yeah." Tiga nodded. "Like I said, we're all friends here, or at least we were before this came up. I'm hoping we can be again once it's settled. Yeah, I'd do that."

"Then let me add another condition," Ryu continued. "Expand on that a little. No matter what happens in this duel, no matter what either of us does, it doesn't leave this canyon. Nobody here speaks a word of what they see, until their dying day. You guys willing to agree to that?"

"I'll swear to it," Tiga promised. "Guys?"

"You know we're with you, boss," Don told him, and the others all nodded as well.

"Katt?" Ryu asked softly. "I'm not going to agree to this if you don't want me to. It's your call."

"What are you..." She started to say, then trailed off as the light dawned, and she realized what he was planning. There was only one thing he could be referring to, when he'd added the stipulation; his dragon transformations. Even without them, though, she realized that she trusted him to win. He'd never actually lost a fight, alone or with them backing up him up, and she couldn't see him ever doing so, even if she knew he was just as mortal as anybody. After a moment more, she slowly nodded. "Yeah. All right. It's a deal."

"Let's do this at sundown, then," Tiga decided. "Give us both time to get ready."

"Done." Ryu stuck out his hand once more, and Tiga clasped it, but their eyes held an altogether different emotion than every time they had before. "See you then."

* * *

_ Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power..._

"Buddy?" Bow's voice jerked Ryu from his nap, as he knocked on the door. "You in there?"

"Yeah," Ryu called back, sitting up; he'd been on his back on the bed. "Just resting my eyes for a bit." He'd made sure his sword and armor were both in perfect condition, picked up a few backup measures from Hanz's general store, and had dinner without drinking, which left only the matter of his lack of sleep the previous night.

"Want to make sure you're all rested up for this, huh?" Bow joked, opening the door; it hadn't been locked. "Guess that makes enough sense." Walking over to Ryu's desk, he pulled the chair out and sat down in it, looking worried. "Speaking of which, I gotta ask. Are you sure about this, buddy? Something about this whole thing just doesn't sit well with me."

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it myself," Ryu admitted, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "As much as I actually kind of _want_ to break Lee's face right now, this isn't the way I like to fight. Especially not with Katt at stake." He shook his head slowly. "But it _is_ a solution. And if Katt's willing to trust me with that, I'm not going to let her down."

"Never said you were, buddy." Bow shook his head, smiling briefly. "Besides, I kinda want to see you break that jerk's face, myself." He dropped the smile then, meeting his eyes. "That's not what I really wanted to talk about. Even after you win... this situation is getting out of hand, buddy. Between you and the girls."

"I know." Ryu looked down at his feet. "I never should have let it get like this in the first place, but now that I have..."

"Maybe, maybe not." Bow brushed past that. "Here and now, though... it's hurting them, buddy. Every day that you don't choose, it hurts them both a little more, thinking about what'll happen if you choose the other one. No offense, but I'm kind of surprised one of them hasn't just made the hard call and dumped you first."

"I'd probably deserve it," Ryu admitted, chuckling slightly. "I don't think they're going to, though. Which doesn't excuse _my _indecision."

"No, it doesn't," Bow agreed bluntly. "You're going to have to grow up eventually, buddy, and that means learning to make decisions, even if you don't like it. Sometimes you just gotta do it, no matter how much you don't want to. That's what growing up means."

"This, coming from you?" Ryu joked half-heartedly. "Since when are you mister responsibility?"

"I've been doing some thinking of my own," Bow told him seriously. "Once we're out of all this destiny bullshit, and the demons are all dead, assuming that everything's still going well between us... I'm going to ask Silvia to marry me."

"Whoa." Ryu slowly smiled. "Well, okay then. You are officially more mature than I am. You sure?"

"Yeah." Bow nodded slowly. "I am. I think she'll say yes."

"I think so, too." Ryu raised his fist in the air, and Bow bumped his against it. "Good for you, man. Now that you bring that up, though, Katt said the same thing to me, earlier today. I told her once we were done with the destiny bullshit, I thought I'd be able to do it. To decide, I mean. Make sure to hold me to that, will you?"

"Deal," Bow agreed. "As soon as we're finished, you make up your mind. No more excuses, at that point. As for today..." He smiled again, more vicious-looking than his normal cheerfulness. "Kick his ass. Ladon knows he's got it coming."

"That's what I had in mind." Ryu stood up and glanced out the window, at the night sky. "Sun'll be setting over in Cotland soon. We should head over."

"That still bugs me, you know?" Bow commented as they left the room. "Changing timezones on a moment's notice. It's weird. Not to mention inconvenient."

"You'll live," Ryu told him, walking down the stairs. The rest of the team were all waiting for them in the meeting room, various expressions on their face ranging from anger to trust to disgust to sadness. Looking from one to the other, he saved Katt's for last; she met his eyes calmly, without hesitation, and he nodded slightly. "All right, people. I'm not going to pretend this is anything but screwed up, because it's not. Which is to say, it _is_ screwed up. But it's the best way out of this mess, and we're not exactly loaded down with options here."

"And if he wins?" Sten suggested. "The Breath of Spirit's no joke, chief. What happens if Tiga's is even stronger than Katt's, and he beats you?"

"I'm not going to let that happen," Ryu told him, shaking his head. "No matter what. Everybody ready?"

"And waiting," Spar replied coolly. "Shall we go, then?"

"Let's," he said, and they left the building before Warping back over to Cotland once more. As he'd predicted, the sun was almost at the horizon, and the sky was just starting to turn orange. The _Renegades_ were all gathered outside, leaning against walls or sitting on roofs; with a nod from Ryu, his team spread out and began taking up similar positions as he and Katt walked forward towards Tiga, who was sitting on a rock.

"You ready for this?" The Woren Clansman asked as they approached.

"More than." Ryu smiled coldly. "Nothing personal."

"Same here." He stood up and grinned, sharp teeth glinting. "You can still back out, you know. You _are_ just friends, right?"

"Not happening." Ryu slowly shook his head. He knew it was only trash talk, bravado meant to unnerve him, but all the same, that one comment had ignited his rage anew. "You're going down, Lee. All there is to it."

"Then I guess there's no point in waiting any longer." Tiga turned his glance to Katt then. "Sorry it had to be this way, Katt. But I need you to at least give me a chance. If this is the only way to do that..." He shrugged.

"We'll see," she replied quietly. For a moment, Ryu thought she was going to say something more to him, but then she turned and walked away to lean against a wall next to Jasmine.

"Well?" Tiga said, so quiet that Ryu barely heard him. "Come on. Let's go."

"Wish granted." Drawing his sword, Ryu immediately slashed out at Tiga's waist in the same motion, only for the Woren Clansman to catch the blade in one hand, clawed fingers bracing the blade a hairsbreadth from his palm. Before Ryu could react, his other hand came up, tearing into his plate mail like it was paper and stabbing into his chest in five places with enough force to send him flying off his feet onto his back.

_"And if he wins?"_ Sten's question came back to him as he landed, and he realized far too late just how stupid he'd been, and what the horrible consequences of his arrogance could be.

Rolling back to his feet, he tried a cut at Tiga's shoulder next, but the larger man sidestepped it easily before dropping down and kicking. Jumping it, Ryu saw Tiga's grin and raised his other arm to block his hand, only to howl as he crushed it, flesh and bone. Whirling around, he flipped Ryu overhead and slammed him into the dirt.

"Come on, don't tell me _this _is all you've got?" Tiga said cockily, letting go and stepping back, tail lashing behind him. "You were pretty confident back there. You've got some sort of trump card, don't you? Something you're relying on in case you're out of options. Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're already outmatched. Whatever it is, you'd better bring it out, or else this'll be over before I even have time to work up a sweat."

"Yeah, okay." Gritting his teeth, Ryu stood back up, resisting the urge to drop his sword and clutch his broken hand. "Remember, though. Nobody breathes a word of this." Reaching inside of him, he summoned up the secret legacy of his Dragon Clan blood, the Breath of Fire, and transformed on the spot. Skin to scales, hands and feet to claws, hair to horns, his wings spread and his tail thrashed as he loomed before the now-stunned Tiga, whose eyes had widened gratifyingly, and belched a massive fireball that engulfed the Woren Clansman completely.

A moment later, he reverted; due to the weakening of the Breath of Fire caused by breeding with the Wing Clan, he could only remain in his transformed state for a few devastating moments at a time. As the _Renegades_ howled in shock and protest, he landed on his feet, back in his human form once more, sword in hand.

"Well?" He called towards the blaze. "How's that for a trump card, huh, Lee?"

"Pretty damn good, I gotta say," Tiga replied, walking forth from the flames, and Ryu's heart almost stopped. He was actually on fire, fur blazing, but he continued striding forward as if it were only an illusion. Once he was clear of the main blaze, he paused before suddenly spinning like a top, extinguishing himself instantly.

"Wasn't expecting that," he continued, pausing for a moment far enough away that neither of them would be able to attack without moving closer "Dragon Clan, huh? I can see why you wouldn't want that getting out. Why'd you turn back, though? You only held onto it for a moment." He grinned again, golden eyes glinting, backlit by the fire. "Or is it that you _had_ to turn back?"

Ryu didn't respond verbally; instead, he charged, swinging his sword again. With a sigh, Tiga made to catch it again, only for Ryu to halt the swing and drive the pommel towards the larger man's chin. Surprised, Tiga's head snapped back, and Ryu tried following up with a punch from his left hand, remembering too later that it was already broken. The blow landed, but it was feeble, probably hurting himself with the movement more than it did Tiga. Hissing, he tried a light cut, but Tiga was already moving again, bringing a leg up to kick him in the side and send him flying.

Rolling on the ground, he realized his mail had been dented inwards, enough that it was actually cutting into his side now. Breathing heavily, he forced himself back to his feet just in time to parry Tiga's next attack with his sword. Before the Woren Clansman could use his other hand, he charged, shoulders down. Ramming Tiga, he heard the breath whoosh out of his opponent, and felt a surge of elation at finally getting an edge over him. Without waiting a moment, he swept Tiga's feet out from under him and raised his sword in an overhead swing as he fell. As he brought it down, however, he saw Tiga's hands slash together in an odd manner, forming an X across his chest.

A blazing red blast of energy slammed into his chest, tearing into his plate mail even further and blowing him away.

"Man, oh man," he heard Tiga say as he lay there, groaning. "Figures you'd make me use my last resort too. You're better than you look, Bateson."

"You too, Lee." He wheezed, fighting his body's demands to just lie down and bleed. Gritting his teeth, he got back up again, fumbling at a pouch on his belt. Meeting Tiga's eyes, he spat blood to the side before grinning as he realized something. Despite how angry he was at him for forcing it to this, despite how angry he was at himself for falling for it, he couldn't quite bring himself to actually hate this man who was so much like him in so many ways. "We might as well just go with those, at this point."

"You gonna do it again?" Tiga raised an eyebrow. "Way I heard it, using that knocked all your magical reserves out in one go."

"It does," Ryu admitted, finally opening the pouch and plucking out what he'd bought from Hanz. Dried berries of the Wise Fruit, which restored magical power at the cost of physical health. "But I plan ahead." Before Tiga could react, he popped three of them into his mouth and swallowed, before crouching and heaving at the hideous taste, so foul it actually hurt, three times as bad as ever before. Choking down the pain, he transformed again, even as another energy slash came his way. This time, he became a drake of ice, and the blast ricocheted off him harmlessly as he bathed Tiga in freezing gas.

When he reverted, he didn't bother waiting to see if Tiga was down or not; he immediately went for the pouch again, pulling three _more_ berries out. As fast as he was, before he could actually down them, another blast sent him flying in the dirt, knocking the fruit from his hand.

"You don't let up, do you?" Tiga said approvingly as Ryu's vision swam, dark spots interspersed with bright flashes; he couldn't even tell what direction the Woren Clansman was approaching from any more. "Not even for a moment. Too bad for you that I don't either."

"I noticed," Ryu muttered, managing to get another handful of Wise Fruit and stuff them in his mouth. Instantly, he vomited painfully, barely managing to raise himself on hands and knees as he did so. Retching, he felt the magic surge through him once more all the same, and with a phenomenal effort, got back to his feet one more time. Swaying on them, almost falling over backwards, he glared at Tiga's approaching form and transformed a third and final time, into a drake of thunder. Rising, he screamed his defiance and blasted him with lightning.

And then his strength drained away as he transformed back, and he fell towards the charred, blasted, but still standing Woren Clansman's claws.

"Sorry," Tiga said quietly as he brought his sword down in one final, desperate swing, and was met with his rising claws.

Sword and armor and bones all shattered, as his vision darkened, and the last thing he saw was Katt's horrified face before it all slipped away.

* * *

"How's he doing?" Bow asked Kay Sindel, the town doctor, as she turned away from Ryu. They'd healed him and brought him back home before waking her, but even after they'd deposited him in his own bed, he'd shown no signs of waking. Ever since they'd called Kay up, he'd sat in the room's only chair, watching intently; he wasn't going to let his buddy out of his sight until he woke up, no matter how long it took.

"You did a good job," Kay said calmly, meeting his eyes with a tired smile. "He'll be fine. There'll be some residual damage, of course, and he'll have those scars for a long time, but it won't be debilitating in any way. I'm impressed, actually. Either you and Rand are truly phenomenal in the art of healing magic, or he's much more resilient than most young men."

"Let's chalk that one up to a little of each, then," Bow said smoothly; in truth, he figured it was probably more the latter than the former, but even though all the townsfolk knew about his best friend's heritage by now, it still wasn't something he felt comfortable talking about. "Sorry for waking you up this early, but we were pretty worried about him."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled slightly. "It's my duty as a doctor to be ready to help people at all hours, and I can tell why you would be, even if you had him healed before calling me over. What exactly was it that he picked a fight with, anyways? This might be naïve of me, but... well, until now, I just couldn't see him losing to anybody."

"Don't think any of us could," Bow agreed glumly. "That was kind of the problem." He shook his head. "Leader of another gang of mercs. A Woren Clansman."

"Ooh." Kay winced. "That would do it, all right." She frowned slightly. "I'm surprised Katt wasn't there with you knocking down my door. Come to think of it, she wasn't even with you, was she? Is she all right?"

"Yeah." Bow forced himself to lie, remembering what had happened after Ryu had gone down. Closing his eyes, he continued. "Katt's not gonna be around for a while, I'm afraid."

"What?" Kay blurted, shocked. "Where is she? What happened?"

"She's fine, she's fine," Bow assured her, hating himself more with every false word. "She's just got something to take care of by herself for a while. She'll be back."

"All right," Kay said, smiling again. "Group business, right? You can't talk about it. I understand. Everybody in town knows how that goes." Walking away from Ryu, she paused in the doorway. "He's the only one, then? Nobody else is hurt?"

"Not even a scratch." Bow smiled slightly. "Believe it or not, that was the only fight any of us had all day."

"Will wonders never cease?" She joked. "Well then, I'll be getting back to sleep. May St. Eva guide your path."

"See you," Bow replied, barely managing to stop himself from replying hotly with what he thought of St. Eva these days. Sighing, he watched her leave, then turned back to see that Ryu's eyes had opened. "Hey, buddy. Feeling okay?"

"I lost," Ryu said calmly, staring up at the ceiling. "Didn't I?"

"Yeah," Bow admitted. "You did."

"What happened?" Ryu didn't look at him. "After I went down."

"The _Renegades_ started cheering, of course," Bow grumbled. "Bunch of thugs. Soon as they did, though, Tiga yelled at them to knock it off. Said this wasn't something anybody should be proud of. Pretty sure that was the only thing that kept Sten from taking the asshole out; I was kind of tempted to put a bolt through his skull myself."

"And Katt?" Ryu asked quietly.

"See, that's the thing," Bow continued, trying to stall as long as possible. "As soon as Lee said that, she starting howling, and everybody turns to look at her... and she's using _magic_, buddy. Black magic, and a lot of it, all at once. Everybody had to get out of the way real fast, or else we'd all have been blown away. Soon as it was over, she nearly passed out. Deis and Nina think that she somehow managed to use her body's magical stores without any training to give it shape or form. Wild magic, kind of like that time-"

"Bow," Ryu cut him off, finally meeting his eyes.

"She..." Bow lowered his head. "She's gone, buddy. I'm sorry. She stayed with them. I think Tiga was gonna say something, but she cut him off. Told him... and us... that a deal was a deal. Said something to Nina that made her turn white. Didn't hear what it was." He handed Ryu the envelope she'd given him before they'd left. "Went into the barn and wrote this before we left. Told me to give it to you."

Ryu didn't say another word then; he simply opened the envelope and read the piece of paper inside. A moment later, he climbed out of bed and began walking out, dropping the note on the floor.

"Hey, hold on, buddy!" Bow yelped, starting to stand as he glanced down at the paper.

_I love you. -Katt _

"Oh, shit," he whispered, as Ryu continued to calmly walk out and down the stairs. By the time he caught up with him, he was already outside, and walking towards the statue of Ladon. For a moment, Bow started to reach out towards him, then stopped as Ryu put his shoulder against the statue and began to push with everything he had. This went on for several minutes, during which the statue refused to budge, until he finally slipped and fell forward onto his face.

"I'm sorry, my friend," Ladon said sympathetically. "This wasn't something I foresaw."

Ryu didn't respond, and when Bow reached down to help him up, he ignored that as well. Standing again, he began walking away.

"Buddy?" Bow asked quietly.

"I'm going to go ask Maclean if he knows any good fishing spots about a million miles away from anything," Ryu said, almost too quiet to be heard. "Don't follow me."

"Yeah, okay," Bow agreed, just as softly. "See you." Looking around to make sure that there was nobody else out on the street this early, he sat down next to the statue. "You took that pretty well. What he was trying, I mean."

"Believe me, I've seen worse," Ladon said without a trace of humor. "If he'd really wanted to destroy it, he'd have transformed. That would have done it, even if no amount of physical strength would."

"I'd say that's good to know, but I'm actually kind of hoping it's never relevant." Bow shook his head slowly. "You really didn't see this coming? At all?"

"No, I didn't," Ladon repeated. "Tiga Lee is an outside factor. A wild card. By the time I realized what part he would play in your destiny, it was too late. There are two others not of your number who will help you on your journey as well, and already have; their names were known to me long ago. But Tiga... no."

"I've got a couple theories as to who they might be, but that's a story for another day," Bow said, frowning as he recalled everybody who'd helped the group in the past; aside from known agents of Ladon and heroes from the last generation, two names did in fact stand out more than anybody else. "Right now, I'm more concerned with something Deis said once. Something about us. Stop me if I get anything wrong, but the way I understand it, aside from Niro, all nine of us were 'destined' to come together against the demons, right?"

"That's right," Ladon agreed. "Ryu's name was written in the stars long ago, as was Nina's, and of course Deis', but so were those of all your number. You, and Katt, and all the others. All of you are necessary to prevent the demons' triumph."

"Then we're going to need her," Bow reasoned, forcing himself to keep his voice calm. "Katt. We're not going to be able to do this without her."

"Two for two," Ladon said reassuringly. "Your hopes will be validated, Bow. She will return to you, in time. I am not sure how, or why, but this problem will pass. She'll come back to you, and to Ryu."

"Good." Bow slowly nodded. "She's like a sister to me, you know? I'm just surprised nobody's made a cats-and-dogs joke yet. Not that there's going to be much joking about this." Standing up, he turned back towards the door. "All right, then. Now it's just a matter of keeping the team from falling apart until she does. That's my job."

"You'll do fine," Ladon told him. "I know you can do it."

"It's what I'm here for," Bow replied. As he walked inside, he realized that he'd finally, completely come to accept his position as the second-in-command of the group, and everything that that implied.

Despite everything else that was going so horribly wrong, it felt kind of nice.

* * *

The _Renegades_ had built a campfire; apparently, they did so every night in the same firepit, in the center of Cotland. They'd had their dinner out there, a freshly caught wild boar, along with more ale. There was some decidedly off-key singing, a little friendly brawling, and general camaraderie all around. Tiga wasn't present, claiming to be busy working on the plan for the attack on Bando, and neither was Patty, apparently still asleep.

Katt didn't take part in any of it. It had been a long time since her dinner on the other side of the world, but she wasn't hungry, and she didn't want anything to drink either, both unprecedented. She simply sat against the wall of one of their buildings, knees up under her chin and arms around her legs, watching them carouse. Several times, some of the Renegades bellowed requests for her to come join the fun, but she simply shook her head, saying nothing.

Eventually, they began leaving one by one, heading indoors to get some sleep. Only when Jasmine alone remained at the campfire did Katt approach, resuming her previous position once she was much closer, and lowering her head into her arms so that she couldn't see her surroundings. That way, she could almost pretend that she was still back in her own home, and the campfire was there instead. Almost.

"It won't last," the other woman said after a few minutes, her voice gruff and growling; she'd been tending the fire when Katt had walked over, and hadn't looked at her, which she'd appreciated. "It never does. Just wait a few weeks, maybe a month. Sooner or later some other girl'll catch his eye, and he'll tell you he's changed his mind. Never fails."

"How many times has he asked them to marry him?" Katt replied after a few moments, hating the sound of her own voice; it didn't sound at all like her, not even close. She _never _sounded like that, hadn't since she was five, and she'd never wanted to again.

"Well, okay, that's new," Jasmine admitted. "But I'm pretty sure that's just because of the Clan thing. He's really a decent guy, you know. We wouldn't follow him if he wasn't. Once he gets over you, he'll agree to pretend this never happened. Just like your boss being a Dragon Clansman. We know how to keep a secret." When Katt didn't say anything else this time, she remained quiet as well for a bit before speaking again. "I'll leave some dinner out here for you in case you want it later. See you tomorrow." Setting a plate and mug down by the fire, she left as well.

Katt kept her head down, ignoring it, even when she heard more footsteps approaching, followed by a familiar voice.

"Oh, it's you," Patty said grumpily. "What are you still doing here? Don't tell me you stooges are going to be sticking around the whole time until the attack on Bando."

"No," Katt replied; normally, she'd have shot something equally derogatory back, but tonight she just didn't feel up to it, not even for the irritating thief. "Just me."

"Guess that's something." Patty muttered. "Hey, you gonna eat that?"

"Go ahead." She kept her head down.

"No taking it back, then!" She sat down and began noisily scarfing it. Katt did her best to ignore her at first, but sure enough, it wasn't long before she started up again. "So what's the deal? How come you're sticking around without the rest of your crew?"

"I quit," Katt said quietly, and a moment later, she heard Patty drop her plate.

"Shit!" She snapped. "Now look, you made me spill my dinner. It'll taste like dirt now. Thanks a bunch. Now cut the crap. What's the real reason?"

"I just told you," Katt replied, still not looking at her. "I'm joining the _Renegades _instead. That's all there is to it."

"Bull," Patty said flatly. "Look, I don't like any of you. You're all a pain in the ass that won't go away. But one thing even I have to admit is that you're good to each other. Hell, you're practically one big happy family, and all that garbage. You'd take a sword through the gut before you ditched the rest of them. And you're saying you just up and quit, and joined the Renegades? Yeah, sure. Tell me another one."

"It wasn't my idea," Katt muttered, slightly surprised that she still felt absolutely no anger.

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere." Patty paused to take a drink of ale. "So. If it wasn't your idea, then why _are_ you doing it?"

"Clan law," Katt said flatly. "Me and Tiga have to get married."

"That's not funny," Patty replied after another moment, all trace of her usual sarcasm gone now. "You suck at telling jokes, Chaun."

"Do I look like I'm laughing, Smith?" Katt finally raised her head to look at her; the thief's face was serious in a way she'd only been when talking about demons before. "It's not a joke."

"He's dead." Patty's eyes went flat. "I don't care how tough he is, I'll strangle him in his sleep."

"Don't." Katt put her head back down. "Like I said, it's Clan Law. Sure, he's not exactly broken up about it, but it's not his fault."

"Fine," Patty said before chugging the rest of the mug in one go, by the sounds of it, and standing up. "But I'll find _some _way to fix this." Without waiting for a response, she marched off again, leaving Katt alone once more. Just when she thought she was starting to drift off to sleep, however, she heard footsteps approaching again.

"Hey," Tiga said, sitting down next to her. "You okay?"

"Should I be?" She replied quietly, trying to sort out just how she felt about him now. It was complicated, and she wasn't used to that, not when it came to her emotions.

"I guess not." Tiga sighed. "Still, I was hoping... well, never mind that." He shifted awkwardly before continuing. "You know we've got bunks inside. There's a couple of extras, so you can go ahead and take one. I'm not expecting you to share mine or anything."

"I'll sleep out here," she replied, tail twitching. "Thanks anyways."

"No problem." Tiga was silent for a little while then before he spoke again. "Do you hate me? For doing this?"

"Not really." She raised her head again to look at him, but couldn't force herself to smile. "I get where you're coming from. Like I said, maybe if things were different, I'd have been into this just as much as you are. It's just..." She let it trail off.

"You're not just saying that, are you?" Tiga asked her quietly. "I'm a big boy, Katt. You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings or whatever."

"Even I can figure that one out." She finally managed to smile, just a little. "Look, Tiga. You're a great guy. You're strong, you're tough, you don't back down from anything. You love to fight just as much as I do, and nothing much gets you down for long. Maybe you're not the sharpest sword in the armory, but hey, neither am I. You're easy on the eyes, and we're in the same line of work. I like you, okay?"

"Then what's the problem?" Tiga replied, looking confused. "That's how I feel about you, Katt. Yeah, you're a babe, but all that aside... you get it. You get _me_, Katt, like nobody else ever has. That's why I want to marry you. I never thought I'd be the kind of guy to _get _married, but when I saw you, I knew you were the one. We've got so much in common, it can't just be a coincidence. We were meant for each other. And you just said you feel the same way I do, right?"

"Tiga..." Katt met his eyes, and spent a moment choosing her words carefully before she spoke, more than she ever had before. "I said I like you, and that's true. But I don't _love_ you. Liking somebody isn't the same as loving them."

"I don't get it," Tiga replied after a long moment, staring back at her. "I'm trying, but... I just don't understand."

"That's okay." Katt lowered her head once more. "I don't either."

"Well, if you say so," Tiga said quietly, though she could tell he was still confused. When he spoke next, however, his voice had a more businesslike tone to it. "I talked with Bow a little, after the fight. He said they're still in when we storm Bando, so we're gonna go ahead with the plan and attack two days from now at noon. You gonna be up for that?"

"Of course I am," she replied, her voice still quiet. "I'm not giving up until every last one of those bastards is dead."

"That's what I like to hear." Tiga chuckled, sounding happier now. "If you fight by my side, I'm not afraid of anything, Katt. No matter what it is, we can take it down. Together. I'll see you in the morning." He walked away then, and left her alone by the campfire.

_"Soon, we will leave you, child. No, don't cry. It is our way, the way of our people, the Woren. We are a solitary people, and you must learn to live alone. You are strong. We have already taught you how to survive, and so you will. But before then, there are things you must know about the Woren, for we are different from other people. They are many, and we are few. This is the way it always has been, and this is the way it always will be. Now listen, and I will tell you the secrets of our people, the laws that are ours, and ours alone."_

"Alone," she whispered to herself, as a cold wind blew from the south, and she shivered, curling up tighter and edging closer to the campfire. "Again. I thought I'd never have to be alone again."

For some stupid reason, her cheeks were wet.

_WILD THING I THINK I LOVE YOU _


	36. Chapter 33: The Undying

_**Chapter 33: The Undying **_

Maclean's private fishing spot was located in the far northeast, where the land of Tantar trailed off into a curving peninsula that had gained the nickname 'the end of the earth' on account of how its cliffs loomed for miles above the ocean, growing higher the further you went. For those who knew, however, there were pathways down through cleaves and canyons to small, isolated ledges near the surface of the waves below.

It was on one of these natural shelves that Ryu sat, staring out over the ocean with his fishing pole in his hands, his catches swimming in a barrel next to him. He had no idea how long he'd been there, and didn't care; he slept when he felt tired, and ate a fish when he felt hungry, though he didn't bother to cook it first. The rest of the time, he just kept fishing. It had been a hobby of his for his entire life, one that had been useful as well, but now it was a means to keep his mind blank and his thoughts absent.

No matter how out of it he was, however, it was still more than a little surprising when a stout young woman with jet-black hair climbed out of the ocean onto the ledge and shook herself off before walking towards him. She was human, but judging by her entrance and her appearance, she had blood from the piscine Maniro Clan; her features were broad and fishlike, and over her dress she wore the white apron that was practically said Clan's uniform.

"Are you Mr. Ryu Bateson, leader of the _Dragonkin_?" She asked him, opening the pouch of her apron-it seemed to have been sealed to make it watertight-and pulling out a pad of paper, a quill and a jar of ink, which she unstoppered.

"Yep," Ryu responded after a moment. "Who are you?"

"My name is Surfy Sarono, and I represent the First Bank of Prima," she explained. "Your new town in southern Auria has reached the appropriate size for us to open up a branch. I'll be running it. Is there a building that the First Bank will be able to purchase?"

"Should be several," Ryu told her. "You can choose whichever one you want. Talk to a man named Niro Mani; he'll handle the details, and he doesn't leave town often."

"Sign here, then, and I'll handle the rest with Mr. Mani," she replied, holding out the pen and paper. Dipping the quill into the ink, Ryu signed at the bottom without even bothering to read it; there was a good chance that would come back to bite him eventually, but at the moment he honestly didn't care. "The First Bank of Prima appreciates your cooperation." Putting everything away again, she started to walk up the ravine behind him, then paused. "Oh, while I'm here. What exactly is the name of your town? We've been unable to find out."

"It doesn't really have a name," Ryu said, slightly surprised; he'd never actually thought about that before. "I guess we should probably come up with one."

"It would be highly advisable," Surfy agreed. "You might also want to straighten out the issue of actually owning that land with Auria; for some reason, it keeps getting tied up in red tape, but eventually the government will come knocking on your door on that matter. Have a good day, Mr. Bateson."

"Duke Kilgore," Ryu muttered, thinking back on the elderly nobleman from his hometown who'd accidentally gotten Bow framed for robbery, and spent the next several months doing whatever he could to help the group in order to make up for it. Only afterwards had Deis told them that he'd been an agent of Ladon the entire time; he hadn't actually seen Kilgore since then, for several reasons, and he certainly wasn't in any mood to think about that now. Shaking his head, he went back to his fishing, only to see somebody else approaching beneath the waves.

"Hey there, kid," Gobi, a full-blooded Maniro Clansman Ryu had met many times before, said cheerfully as he pulled himself onto the ledge. Stout and elderly, his orange scales touched by silver and the white fins on his head long and floppy, he was still energetic and unflappable, traveling the world to sell his goods. "Been a while."

"That it has," Ryu agreed, staring out at the waves once more; he knew Gobi wouldn't be offended. More importantly, he had strong suspicions about the man who coincidentally kept running into him and his group in highly improbable places. A man who bore the same name, appearance, and personality as one of the heroes of the Second Dragon War, a companion and friend of his ancestor a thousand years ago, who was also somehow still alive. "Where have you been?"

"Ths Isle of Giants," Gobi replied. "Of course, we called it Pagoda, back in my day. Didn't want anybody forgetting that that right there was the actual place where the Goddess Myria was imprisoned. Guess that's not such a priority now that she's dead, though, and I suppose the new name _is _pretty accurate."

"Decided to drop the act, huh?" Ryu asked after a moment. "Hope you weren't expecting me to be surprised."

"Probably been a bit more obvious than I should have," Gobi admitted, sitting down next to him. "Never was all that good at subtlety." He was quiet for a few moments before speaking again. "Had a bad couple days, haven't you?"

"I failed her," Ryu told him quietly. "The only time I ever had to do something for her, without her holding up her own end right by my side, and I botched it. She's gone, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Yeah, that's always rough," Gobi said sympathetically. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Keep moving forward, I guess," Ryu replied. "The plan's the same. The big picture hasn't changed. We still know what to do, and we're going to do it. I just... can't deal with that. Not right now. I need some time. You know?" He glanced at him.

"Your ancestor was the same way." Gobi nodded sagely. "We just stepped back and let him come to terms with it. Knew he'd return eventually, and that when he was, it would be back to work. Until then..." He shrugged.

"Yeah?" Ryu turned his gaze back to the waves. "He used to get like this, too?"

"Every now and then," Gobi said, his voice taking on a strange tone. "He was... is... different from you, kid. You've seen a lot worse than he has, but you take it better. You're better at handling it. Our Ryu, now... he was more volatile. Every so often, he'd go off by himself and brood. Only got this bad a couple times, though. The first one was when our Nina fell into a timewarp. That was bad, but it got better. We found her. Got her back."

"And the second?" Ryu asked, knowing already what the answer would be.

"The second time..." Gobi sighed. "Was after we figured out that the new guy in the Dark Dragons' Tiamat Unit was his sister Sara. That one... didn't get better."

"I imagine not." Ryu was silent for a while then, as was Gobi. Eventually, he spoke again. "Tell me honestly. Do we have a chance of making it out of this?"

"As long as you don't forget what's really important?" Gobi replied. "I'd give you two-to-one odds. Even against Infinity. Admittedly, you might be asking the wrong guy here; my sense of 'possible' and 'impossible' is a _little _skewed by now. But I'd still put my money on you, kid, and believe me, I like money."

"I'll just have to hope you know how to pick your bets, then." Ryu chuckled without humor, before frowning; something heavy had just pulled on his fishing line, but it didn't feel like a fish. It was too inert; there was no struggle, no sense of movement. "The hell?" Curious now, he slowly reeled it in, eyes widening as it emerged from the waves, caught on his hook.

It was a claymore, like the one Tiga had destroyed during their duel, but one glance told him that it was a blade like no mercenary had ever owned. Slightly wider near the tip than at the hilt, it gleamed in the sunlight in a way that was both alluring and unnatural, drawing the eye and repelling it at the same time. The hilt was made of gold, and at the crosspiece was a strange sigil, a black dragon roaring. The pommel bore a round stone like a blazing coal, orange and red, almost seeming to glow.

"Holy _shit_," Gobi whispered, as Ryu carefully pulled the sword in and took it from the hook.

"The balance is strange," he said, testing it with one hand. "But once I get used to it..." Examining the blade, he whistled. "I'm no smith, but the quality of this steel... this is the best sword I've ever seen in my life." A moment later, he realized what he'd just said, and turned his gaze upon Gobi again, who had actually gone pale. "This isn't a coincidence, is it?"

"Not _even _close," Gobi murmured, eyes still locked on the sword. "I just wish I knew whether it was a good sign, or a bad one. Of all the swords in the world, why _that _one?"

"You recognize it." Ryu looked back at the sword again. "Do I want to know whose it was?"

"I wouldn't," the old man said fervently. "I was there when my boss threw that thing into the ocean. If it were any other sword, I'd be asking how the hell it hasn't rusted, but that one... I don't like it, but I'm not surprised, either. Damn!" He rubbed the back of his head, still looking troubled. "Hope you don't mind, but I'd better move my tail back to the Isle of Giants and tell the rest of the guys. They're gonna want to know about this."

"I think I can trust you guys not to spread it around," Ryu said dryly. For some reason, now that he'd found the sword, his previous black mood was being burned away; not vanishing, but being replaced by a more familiar kind of anger, the kind that made him want to work it off through action. Glancing up, he saw that the sun was high in the sky. "Just wish I knew how long I've been out here."

"_Monsieur _Ryu?" A familiar voice called from up the canyon, and they both turned to see Jean approach somewhat hesitantly. "I hope I am not disturbing you, but it is nearing the time when we will need to depart, if we wish to take the Great Bird and meet up with the _Renegades _for the attack on Bando. _Monsieur _Bow sent me to see if you were ready to return." He blinked as he saw who else was there. "Ah, _Monsieur _Gobi! It has been some time, yes? Am I interrupting something?"

"Not really." Gobi shrugged. "I was heading out anyways. Good luck out there, kids. And watch your asses on this one. If there's one thing that sword reminds me of, it's the unpleasant fact that the past doesn't always stay buried like it should." Without waiting for a response to that, he dived back into the ocean and was gone.

"A new sword?" Jean glanced at it. "I take it that you did not purchase it from _Monsieur_ Gobi?"

"No, I fished it out of the ocean," Ryu explained. "Improbable as that is. I'll have to get a new scabbard made for it." Slinging his fishing rod across his back, onto the strap he'd made for it crossing under his old scabbard, he glanced at his friend again. "Let's head back, then."

"As you wish, _mon ami_," Jean agreed, bowing his head. For a moment, Ryu thought he was going to ask if he was feeling better, but instead, the Prince simply Warped them back to the town, and the two of them walked back inside to find the rest of the team sitting around the table, waiting.

"Everybody ready?" He said after a long moment, during which he considered several things to ask or tell them, all of which he discarded. Even as they all nodded, however, he realized that that alone wasn't going to cut it, and took a deep breath. "All right. I'm not going to pretend things are okay, because we all know they're not. But right now, we've got a job to do, and somebody very important to all of us is waiting for us to show."

"Let's go give her some backup, then," Rand said, crossing his arms. "And if that purring playboy's so much as put a finger on her, I'll stuff him into a bottle and send him out with the Highlandian tide."

"Don't I wish." Ryu shook his head. "But as tempting as that sounds, we're probably going to need him. Let's head out."

"If nothing else, it will be good to see her again," Nina murmured, and Ryu could tell with just a glance that some of the walls around her heart and mind that he'd spent so long breaking down had rebuilt themselves during the time he'd been gone. As much as that galled him, however, he knew that asking her about it immediately would only make matters worse, and so he drifted back next to Deis instead as they all walked back outside, leaving Niro to start tidying up.

"Oh, by the way, some girl from the First Bank of Auria should be coming by pretty soon," he called to the old man off-handedly. "Says she'll be setting up a branch here."

"I'll take care of it," Niro yelled back. "You just keep your mind on what's _important, _son."

"Knew I could count on you," Ryu joked half-heartedly, before glancing at Deis. "How's Nina doing?"

"Shitty," the Sorceress said bluntly. "She's been taking this almost as hard as you have. Harder even than Rand, and _him _I had to stop from jumping Tiga. You know that Katt's like a daughter to him, even more than the rest of you brats. He's just been angry, but Nina... she spent most of her time in her room, and even when she did come out, she didn't talk much."

"Damn," Ryu grunted; it was bad enough that he'd failed one of the two girls that were so important to him, but the thought of doing so with the other as well, though to a lesser degree, was almost enough to put him right back into the mindless funk he'd been in for the last few days. "Seems like I can't do anything right recently."

"Screwing up is easy," Deis told him as Nina called the Great Bird down. "Making up for it is harder."

"Good thing I like a challenge, then." Ryu forced himself to smile.

"That's what I like to hear." She slapped him on the back. "Good to see you're putting yourself back together. So, where'd you get the new..." She trailed off, as she looked at the sword in his hand, and her eyes widened.

"Fished it out of the ocean." Ryu shrugged; as he'd told Gobi, he wasn't really sure he _wanted_ to know who the sword's original owner was. "An old friend of yours was there. He pretty much had the same reaction."

"I should certainly hope so," Deis murmured, shaking her head. "I didn't see _this _one coming. Seems like that's happening to _me _a lot recently. And if I know Ladon, he won't be talking about it no matter how much anybody bugs him."

"Hey, you two!" Bow yelled; everybody else had climbed aboard the Great Bird already. "You gonna stand around chatting all day, or are we gonna go do our jobs?"

"Yeah, yeah," Deis shouted back as they climbed aboard, and the Bird took off with a happy chirp, unconcerned with their troubles. Nobody spoke much during the flight, and when they did, it was only idle chatter without much substance. Several hours and a quick lunch of traveling rations later, they finally reached the other side of the world, as the ocean gave way to land once more.

The wasteland of Scande, in the far southwest, was currently the least populated nation in the world. It had no true capital, or any actual government, since the departure of the Dark Dragon Clan who had once inhabited the region; like the Light Dragons in the north, they had all simply vanished one night, disappearing from the world and leaving an empty nation behind. The only reason it was still regarded as an independent country was due to the fact that no other nation _wanted _the land.

What had once been one of the largest countries in the world had been hit particularly hard by the frequent earthquakes that so often rearranged the planet's geography over the last millennium, leaving nothing more than a winding strip of land that weaved back and forth like a snake. Even that much of Scande was still a barren wasteland, forever scarred by the pollution left behind from the days when the Dark Dragons had founded an empire, intending to conquer the entire world in service to Myria, Goddess of Lies.

"Dismal place," Bow grunted as the Bird soared over barren dirt colored an unhealthy-looking dark magenta; there were no plants to be seen, and the only animals were the occasional monsters, all of them freakishly deformed. "I knew about it, but I didn't think it was going to be _this _bad."

"Did a stint in here, once upon a time," Sten muttered. "Had to track down and take care of a group of insurgents who ran down here after their little coup blew up in their faces. Lost more men to the environment than we did in combat. Never came back here a second time, and never regretted that."

"The Dark Dragon Empire really did a number on their homeland," Deis said, scowling. "After the Second Dragon War, I think they tried making up for it, but it was too little, too late." She glanced at Spar, who was looking slightly nauseated. "You okay?"

"I will survive, but this is..." The Grass Man groped for words. "Unpleasant, I suppose, is one way to put it. What plants remain here are highly warped, and the Breath of Nature cannot simply be turned off. The communion is..." It shuddered. "At any rate, it is currently two minutes to noon."

"That must be the place," Bow pointed out as they approached the end of the land. There, perched an equal distance from all three coastlines, a cathedral the size of a small castle loomed, alone in the wilderness. Despite its placid appearance, however, the walls looked thick, and the stained glass windows narrow. A pair of paladins in full plate mail flanked the huge double doors. "Should we just circle until it's time?"

"Might as well." Ryu glanced at Nina. "Do you think if you ask her to dive, she'll understand?" Before the Princess could answer, the Great Bird did so herself, its chirp sounding more like a hunting cry than usual.

"I believe that's a yes," Nina murmured, smiling sadly. "Even now, she wants to do everything she can to help us."

"We appreciate it," Ryu said somberly, forcing himself to focus on the job ahead; if he thought about Mina now, he'd fall into depression once more. "Spar, can you tell us exactly when noon hits? Down to the second?"

"I can, and will." The Grass Man nodded, and they all fell quiet as the Bird began circling the cathedral. If the paladins below noticed that anything was amiss, they showed no sign of it; even so, Ryu grew tense as he waited for the signal, until Spar finally spoke again. "Now!" As soon as it did, the Great Bird screamed and plunged towards the front of the cathedral.

"Ohhhhhhhh noooooooo!" Jean wailed, hanging on tight.

"Ready?" Ryu called, out, as the paladins looked up, and everybody shouted agreement, even the Prince. "Steady? Go!" The Great Bird leveled out a few feet above ground level, swooping past the paladins, and Ryu led the jump off as the _Renegades _began popping out of the air around them, Tiga in the lead. A multitude of emotions ran through Ryu's mind as he saw the burly Woren Clansman, but he shoved them aside; there was no time for that, not when they had business to deal with.

As his feet hit dirt, he caught Tiga's eye, and they both nodded slightly before charging together, each to a startled paladin. The enemy lowered his spear, and Ryu's sword slashed out, chopping the head from it with the screech of twisted metal. Undaunted, the paladin lashed out with the pole as if it had been a staff in the first place, and Ryu blocked it with one armored arm before resuming his attack. Unfortunately, the paladin was wary now, and chose to deflect his blows rather than trying to block them. Though the armored knight was clearly on the defensive, Ryu was unable to wound him, let alone kill.

And then, with a familiar whoop, Katt flung herself over his head in a spin that ended with a downward swipe of her battlestaff through the plate mail helmet, crushing it and the head within like an egg. The paladin crumpled, and she landed on her feet, shooting Ryu a grin over one shoulder.

"All right, you mugs!" Tiga roared, and Ryu spared a quick glance to see that he'd finished off his own opponent as well. "Get in there and take control of the upper levels! Try not to hurt anybody who looks like a civilian, but don't give any churchmen any leeway, especially the paladins! Anybody sees that asshole Manson, yell your head off! Do _not _try to engage him solo!"

"What he said!" Ryu agreed, looking over his shoulder as his group charged the front doors, the Renegades with them. As tempting as it was to join in, he remained standing there for a moment and glanced at Katt. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied, smile fading. "How's everybody doing?"

"Lousy," he admitted. "But as much as I'd like to talk about that..." He sighed.

"Yeah." She nodded, as Tiga walked over to them; he'd remained behind as well. "Business comes first."

"Exactly." Ryu turned his gaze to Tiga and forced a smile he didn't feel. "Everybody on your side ready for this?"

"More than." Tiga smiled back, inclining his head skyward, where the Great Bird was circling again. "Was that what I think it was? Can't say I was expecting that one. I didn't think the Wing Clan could _do _that any more."

"Long story," Ryu said bluntly, as Katt looked away. "Let's just say the cost outweighed the benefit."

"Gotcha." Tiga dropped his smile as well, shifting awkwardly on his feet. "Listen, Bateson. About... well, you know... stuff..."

"I'm not going to say I'm happy with it, because I'm not," Ryu told him bluntly. "But like Katt said. Right now, we've got a job to do, which means talking about our feelings and emotions and shit is a distinctly secondary priority. I'm still kind of pissed off at you, but I've got your back, all the same, and so will my people."

"And me and mine have yours." Tiga nodded, smile returning. "All righty, then. What say we get in there before everybody else hogs all the action?"

"Now that's something I think we're all on board with," Katt agreed, twirling her staff, and the three of them charged in, as surprised shouts began reaching their ears from further inside the church.

It turned out to be easier than Ryu had thought it would be to take control of the building itself. As massive as it was, it was mostly empty; in particular, there seemed to be an almost total lack of civilians present. From the main hall, the _Dragonkin_ went right, and the _Renegades_ left, clearing the first floor before moving on to the second and third. There were churchmen here and there, along with the occasional paladin, but none of them posed an actual threat to the two bands of highly skilled mercenaries. In less than half an hour, it was all over, and everybody convened back near the entrance.

"We've got a couple prisoners we shoved into a storage closet," Don reported, as everybody milled around the front hall. "They surrendered after seeing what we were doing to their paladins and the ones who resisted."

"Any lesser demons?" Sten asked, idly flipping a knife in the air.

"A couple." Tiga nodded, leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed. "They transformed when they figured out we meant business. Both of them were some kind of furry... elephant... man... things." He struggled with that for a moment more before giving up and continuing. "Used earth magic, and hella strong, too."

"Not strong enough, though?" Deis guessed.

"How'd you know?" Big P chuckled nastily.

"We've seen that particular variant before," Spar murmured; the description was similar to M.C. Tusk, who the group had freed him from. "They focus entirely offense. In layman's terms, they can dish it out, but they have a great deal of trouble taking it. Tragic."

"Yeah, I'm drowning in my tears here," Jasmine grunted.

"No sign of Manson?" Ryu asked, and everybody shook their heads. "All right, then. Looks like we're gonna have to head into the basement and flush the rest of the rats out. He's not getting away from us this time."

"Damn straight." Katt cracked her knuckles, scowling. "Long past time for that bastard to pay his bills, and we're here to collect."

"Sounds like whatever he did to you in Windia wasn't just business." Tiga raised an eyebrow.

"No." Nina closed her eyes, and though her face was calm, everybody near her took a step back; even the _Renegades_ could sense the ice-cold black wrath emanating. "It was personal."

"Oh." Tiga's eyes widened in sudden comprehension, and he glanced out the window for a moment before slowly nodding. "Sorry. All right, you guys get first crack at him."

"Appreciated." Bow reloaded his crossbow. "Shall we, then?"

"Uh, one problem." Goof raised his hand. "If he's in the basement, that's all well and good, but... how do _we _get in there?"

Everybody in the room considered this for a moment.

"Stop me if I'm getting this wrong," Rand said eventually. "But I always thought that was kind of a straightforward concept. We find some stairs here, leading downward, and... we go down them. Pretty hard to get that one wrong."

"If there _were_ stairs," Max explained. "But we've combed the whole building, and nobody's found any."

"Any chance your source was full of it?" Sten asked, glancing around the hall.

"Not after what we did to him." Tiga shook his head. "Especially when it was Smith's turn. She got _really _into it. I just hope it was just because he was a demon, and not for... unrelated reasons."

"You know, that's something I could have cheerfully gone my whole life without thinking about," Ryu muttered, grimacing.

"Ditto." Katt made a face, turning to a massive statue of St. Eva behind the altar. "Bleah! This sucks!" Drawing back her foot, she kicked irritably at the stone base of the statue, and it smashed as if it had been made of paper, revealing a ladder leading downward into a dark hole.

Everybody stared at that for a moment with commenting.

"Ah, luck is on our side!" Jean exclaimed, breaking the silence. "What a fortunate turn of affairs, yes?"

"That's my girl!" Tiga agreed, pounding Katt on the back. "Way to go!"

"All right, let's get moving," Ryu said roughly, ignoring the urge to stab the Woren Clansman in the face repeatedly. "The three of us in front, if it's wide enough down there?"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Tiga grinned again. "Time for round two."

"No arguments here." Katt dashed over to the ladder and began hopping down, three rungs at a time. Tiga and Ryu followed, somewhat less agilely, and the others came after them, with some grumbling over the bottleneck. At the bottom, they emerged in a long, empty stone hallway, three men wide. Torches were installed to provide light, magically enchanted not to give out, and alcoves lined the walls between them, cast into shadow.

"We'd better check every one," Ryu muttered, as Katt and Tiga flanked him, both nodding. They advanced down the hallway, keeping their eyes out for a sneak attack, only to pause as another paladin walked out of an alcove ten feet away and stood in their path, hand on his sword.

"I cannot allow you to go any further," he said, drawing the blade. "Your lives and souls are forfeit for this blasphemy against St. Eva. Prepare to die, and suffer eternal damnation."

Everybody exchanged glances. There were a few snickers.

"Laugh all you want!" The paladin roared. "You shall not pa-"

Before he could finish, sword, fist, and battlestaff all slammed into him in the same moment as a torrent of black magic and long-range weaponry, with an overall effect similar to a snowman being set on fire.

"It is occasionally difficult to remain optimistic about the basic intelligence inherent to all men," Jean said wistfully.

"Gonna assume that means 'even I knew that was stupid,' pal," Big P grunted. "'Cause I did."

"Is there anybody else here who would like to get this over with?" Tiga bellowed. "Come on out, and we'll have you in the arms of your so-called God in ten seconds flat!"

In response, a pillar of gray fog rose around him, taking the shape of silent, screaming skulls as it raced upwards. As Tiga fell forward, completely unconscious, a priest in humble brown robes and a blue cloth headband bolted out of an alcove towards the barred door at the far end of the tunnel. His shaggy hair was a dark blue-black, and his face and body both so gaunt as to give him the appearance of a walking-or, in this case, running-corpse.

"_Manson!_" Nina screamed furiously, summoning ice magic so powerful it took physical shape, an elemental in the form of a wolf who leapt for the fleeing priest, jaws gaping and emanating frigid gas. Before it landed, however, Manson was able to slam the door behind him, and it smashed against the portal, dissolving into a sheet of ice two feet thick that covered the entire wall.

"Follow that asshole!" Ryu yelled, as Mick revived his leader while Deis swore under her breath and destroyed both ice and door with a quick fireball, revealing another staircase behind them. As they raced towards it, however, a swarm of bright green lights began appearing. In moments, they grew into sickly, hovering fireballs, each with two smaller ones orbiting it. As they flickered around, Ryu felt his head grow light, and his breath slowed.

"Evil spirits!" Don snarled. "They're draining our life, but this'll take care of 'em!" Muttering under his breath, he cast the same holy magic that Jean had used in Thieves' Tomb, but though the fireballs paled in the rainbow light, it faded and they did not. "What the hell?"

"Warded against holy magic!" Deis told him. "This guy's _good! _Power up the others instead!" She raised her staff, as did Jean his rapier and Spar its whip, and red light began glowing around Ryu, Katt and Sten. The Renegades did the same with Tiga, Goof and Gaston, as Ryu felt his strength return to him, and proceeded to hack the nearest spirit in half. Despite the improbability of bisecting a green fireball, it worked; the spirit dimmed, and then disappeared. He moved onto another, as did the others, and soon they had the room cleared.

"All right, let's..." He started to say, then stumbled, wooziness returning. "Huh?"

"Here." Bow healed him, as the others crumpled as well. "White magic all around, guys. That spell only boosted offensive strength, buddy. You _felt _better, but those things kept on leeching you."

"I hate shit like that," Gaston grumbled as Mick healed him.

"Who doesn't?" Sten quipped before growing serious again. "Come on, he's getting away!"

"Oh, no he's not." Ryu shook his head as he and the two Woren Clansmen raced down the stairs, their teams behind them. "Not this time."

They emerged into a place of horror. Barred cells lined both walls, some filled with prisoners, others with instruments of torture. Those that were recognizable were the _least_ horrifying; as hideous as the rack, the press, the iron maiden and so on were, at least Ryu knew what they did. Other devices were far more complex, bizarre and hideous, their jagged edges and strange barbs drawing the eye despite one's best efforts. Dried blood was everywhere, and the stench of rotten meat; obviously, cleaning their tools had not been a priority of the paladins present here.

What caught Ryu's attention, however, were the guards. Though they wore plate mail, they were clearly no paladins; the armor was floating in the air, disconnected pieces bobbing in formation, and a single glowing red eye filled each helmet.

"Warded!" Deis snapped, as the Renegades' offensive mages started to cast. "This is really starting to piss me off!"

"Take 'em apart the hard way, then!" Tiga roared, catching a sword in his bare hands as it descended, only to be slammed into the floor. Before it could finish him off, however, Ryu and Katt both fell upon it, and proceeded to rip it limb from limb while Spar immobilized the other with his whip, allowing Goof and Gaston to smash it easily. Wincing, the Woren Clansman got back up, bleeding from both arms and his chest. "Thanks, guys. Yo, Mick!"

"On it, boss!" Mick called out, healing him. "Looks like they were the only ones here."

"Help us!" A woman in one of the cells called out; all of the prisoners looked emaciated, unhealthy and unwashed. "Please, let us out, whoever you are!"

"We'll get you in a second!" Jasmine promised. "Soon as we deal with the man in charge!"

"No, please!" An old man begged. "If you leave us, the dark paladins will come back!"

"Shit!" Tiga thought it over for a moment, then glanced at Ryu. "Well? I don't see any switches. We'd have to do a search."

"Let's do it," Ryu said, meeting Nina's eyes. "Manson isn't going anywhere. We've got time."

"You sure?" Don asked skeptically. "Could have a secret way out down here he's running for."

"No." Deis shook her head. "Not him. Not now. Whatever he's up to, it's not trying to escape."

"What they said," Tiga agreed. "Start looking, folks. There's gotta be a secret way to open them around here somewhere."

"Thank you!" A young man sobbed. "Father Manson said he was going to take us to Evrai, but then he brought us down here instead!"

"The Father is insane," a nun agreed; despite her holy garb, she and another one looked in just as bad shape as the rest of the prisoners. "He's always been strange, but this is madness!"

"Found it," Sten grunted, pulling on a torch. It swung down like a lever, lowering the bars of the cell nearest to it, which was dark and empty... for a moment, until a horde of screeching giant spiders poured out, their flesh gray and rotting. Yelping, the Highlander scampered away, and the spiders swarmed towards everybody.

"Oh, come on!" Little P yelled. "Even the spiders are undead?"

"_This_, we can deal with!" Nina shouted, and the black mages all moved forward. Combining their wills, they summoned up flames from five spots each to form pyramids of roaring fire, interlocked with each other into a single titanic inferno that turned every last one of the monster to ash.

"Ah, I see!" Jean burst out, pulling on another torch and opening another cell. "They are all like this, yes?" Soon, all of the cells were open; the first one had been the only trap.

"You've saved us!" One woman cried, clutching another her age. "Who are you?"

"Exterminators," Katt quipped. "And this is a _bad _case."

"Then allow us to thank you properly," the other nun said sweetly, as her habit shimmered, and a spear suddenly appeared in her hands, plunging into Ryu's shoulder. "By giving your souls to God!"

"He will feel your hatred, and your despair!" The old man shouted, his own spear catching Tiga in the side, as the illusions covering them both vanished, revealing them as more paladins.

"Shit!" Ryu stumbled, as did Tiga. Before they could get back up, however, the rest of the group fell upon them, howling angrily, and things proceeded predictably from there.

"You all right?" Katt asked quickly once the paladins were dead.

"Heal me up, and I'll be fine," Tiga grunted, leaning against a wall; the brawler was sweating heavily all of a sudden, and what little skin was visible beneath his fur was starting to mottle. "Weird, though. Got a headache, all of a sudden."

"You too?" Ryu groaned, feeling himself start to sweat as well as his head began to pound. For some reason, he suddenly felt ravenously hungry. "Could go for a bite, too..."

"Aw, crap!" Rand yelled. "Zombification again! Must have been something on those spears!"

"No worries." Bow held up his hand, and as purifying light covered him, Ryu felt the effects fade away. "After that mess on Mt. Maori, I studied up. Made sure to learn a spell that could cure that, in case it happened again." Turning to Tiga, he repeated the treatment, then stumbled. "Burning through a lot of magic, though. Gonna have to take some Wise Fruit."

"On me, man." Max tossed him a couple of dried berries. "Me and Mick don't know that one."

"Owe ya one, Dogi," Tiga agreed, before glaring at the other nun, who shrank back. "Anybody else want to try anything?"

"Please, don't..." She whimpered. "I just wanted to worship St. Eva... I didn't... I never knew..." She sank down to her knees.

"Let it go," Ryu told Tiga shortly, and the other man nodded, stepping back. "All right, people, head on up! Nobody up top's going to hurt you now. Wait there, and we'll see what we can do to get you back to civilization once we're done here. Now get going!" Even as he said it, his eyes fell upon one of the prisoners, and he raised his hand, pointing at her. "All except you. You, hold on a second."

"Do I know you?" She asked, frowning, as the other prisoners rushed towards the stairs. She was the only one of them who didn't look abused; apparently she'd been hiding in the back of a cell at first. A pale young woman scantily clad in white, she wore scraps of light plate armor that seemed to serve mainly as decoration, and for the few scraps of cloth keeping her decent to attach to. Her hair was short and brown, the same color as her eyes, wide and innocent.

"No, but we might know you," Bow said, also picking up on what Ryu had noticed. "I don't suppose there's any chance the words 'Fusion Clan' mean anything?"

"Oh, it's you," she said flatly, crossing her arms over her chest, which prompted disappointed muttering from most of the _Renegades_. "You're the ones my cousins are living next door to, I take it?"

"That would be us, yes," Spar agreed, looking curious. "I must inquire. How exactly did one such as yourself get into this predicament?"

"I thought this would be a holy place," she snapped. "Duh. But of course, it turns out my granny was right about St. Eva. Just like she is about everything. I guess I'd better get back to her, but don't go getting any ideas. I'm not going to fuse with just anybody, and if they think they're getting anything more than that, they can forget it!"

"Uh." Tiga blinked; he'd been maintaining eye contact, but it had looked difficult. "Fuse?"

"Long story," Katt muttered. "I'll explain later."

"Wait, wait, wait." Bow held up a hand. "Let me get this straight. You _don't_ like doing that?"

"Ugh, no." She made a face. "What part of 'holy' don't you understand? I'm not interested in men _or _women, no matter how good they smell." She gave him a significant glance. "I'll fuse, if Granny tells me to, but it's not going to get personal."

"Holy shit," Katt whispered to Nina. "I think one of them is actually _sane_."

"That seems to be the case," Nina murmured back.

"Lady, you have no idea how much we are in agreement with you," Bow said fervently. "You keep it on that basis, and we are going to get along just fine."

"Speak for yourself," Sten muttered, and received a boot from Katt for his input. "Oof!"

"Glad to see some things never change," Rand commented, prompting a glare from Sten.

"Oh." The girl seemed nonplussed, but recovered quickly. "Well, good. My name's Seny, by the way. I'll see you back in town, I guess." She flickered, and then vanished as if she'd been a mirage.

"That must be some story," Tiga said after a moment. "We done here?"

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "Come on. Let's finish this." Proceeding down the hall, they opened the door there, only to be blown back by a burst of power as a pair of flaming horrors exploded out from it. Masses of living fire surrounding horned humanoid skulls, ribcages and spinal columns, they screamed from fanged mouths dripping ash and advanced. As the brawlers charged, each drew a floating hand back before lashing out at the air with a single finger extended, producing another wave of force that slammed everybody all the way back down the hall and into the wall.

"Let me guess," Don grunted. "Warded?"

"You're learning," Deis told him as crossbow bolts, daggers, darts and arrows flew through the air, nailing both monsters to the far wall by their bones; once the skeletal remnants had been removed from the flames, they went out instantly. Shaking themselves off, they all walked back over and proceeded down the stairs.

A vast cavern awaited them at the bottom; it looked to be at least a mile across, in any direction, even vertical. Both the top and the bottom were lost in total darkness. Ahead of them, a long stone bridge extended hundred of feet before splitting to the left and right, which both then turned again to go forward and form a square. At the center of the far side, the path led back to the center, where an island in the darkness rose from the depths. Dozens of massive stone statues, each twenty feet tall and carved to resemble a grim, robed figure in mourning, loomed on the island.

"Nowhere to run from here," Ryu noted before raising his voice. "All right, Manson! Get out here and face the music! Or would you prefer _Necromanson_?"

"Guessing that's his real name?" Tiga asked.

"That seems to be the case," Spar murmured.

"Who are you?" The old man's voice echoed around the chamber, though he remained unseen. "Why have you desecrated this holy place? You don't seem to be burglars... are you heretics, then, with an illogical hatred of our God?"

"He's gotta be hiding among those statues," Tiga said as they ran forward. "Just ignore him. We'll see how chatty he's feeling after we flush him out!"

"Am I making you angry?" Manson taunted them, his voice still calm. "I apologize, but you must know that your actions are unjustified. Why do you persist in your blasphemy against God?"

"Play innocent all you want, asshole," Katt shouted back. "You think we don't already know what you are? After what you did in..." She broke off suddenly, shooting a guilty glance towards Nina, before continuing. "After what we saw on the way down here?"

"You sound angry, young lady," Manson replied, and his voice began to take on a more obviously mocking tone. "Have we offended you with God's work here in Bando? I apologize. But you see, it is my sworn duty to supervise those who wish to travel to Evrai, and live within the holy city. That is the reason I have been placed here."

"We'd better keep him talking," Ryu said quietly, against his own better judgment. "Sounds like he might spill something about Evrai if we let him." He raised his voice then as they reached the juncture, and split up, the _Dragonkin_ going left and the _Renegades_ right. "Don't give us that crap! You expect us to believe that those poor saps in those cells were going anywhere?"

"Of course they will," Manson said, a hideous amusement entering his voice. "After all, they made the pilgrimage here, through the wasteland of Scande, did they not? Such diligence must be rewarded, and after all, God is nothing if not just. However, before their journey, they must become... prepared for what lies ahead of them."

"Oh yeah, everybody knows how educational a few hours in an iron maiden can be," Bow shot back. "Why, I'll bet we'll start seeing them in all the schools soon enough!"

"Oh, I'm not referring to their _bodies_," Manson explained. "Their _souls_ are what must be conditioned. You see, the soul of the ordinary person is unable to endure life in Evrai. The strain is simply too much for them to bear, and so they perish, and while their soul naturally becomes God's power... logically, there must be a better way, don't you think? It was this problem that Father Habaruku set me to solving, here in Bando, and I'm happy to report that I succeeded in my quest."

"You mean the magic field around Evrai?" Tiga asked, doing an excellent job of sounding confused. "Isn't that just to keep people from leaving, once you go in?"

"I assure you, that is only the most basic of its functions," Manson gloated. "When I saw it for the first time, it banished all doubt from my mind that Father Habaruku was the greatest magician who ever lived. All of Evrai, enclosed within the magic generated by its own very existence, is a _beacon_ for our God. It is a light in the darkness, beckoning him forth from the void beyond life, powered by the endless worship of those who live there. The more worship that can be generated by Evrai, the more powerful our God becomes, and the sooner he will appear in this world."

"Shit," Sten snarled. "_That's_ why he's breaking them, before he sends them to Evrai."

"Did you know that everybody has a limit?" Manson continued, as the group kept going along the bridges. "A point at which they simply cannot take any more, at which pain and suffering simply causes the sentient mind to shatter like glass? And did you know that in the highly religious, that phenomenon will often result in frenzied, repetitive, mindless prayer? With no sense of self, no comprehension of logical thought remaining, such dedicated worshipers are the ideal citizens of the holy city. Some of them have even lasted almost a year before giving up their souls as a final sacrifice!"

"Almost there," Ryu told his team as they rounded the second corner on the left side; several of them were actually trembling with anger at every word the priest spoke. "We'll make him regret-"

"Hold it!" Tiga yelled, and the _Renegades_ skidded to a halt, as did the _Dragonkin_ a moment later. "Something's coming out of there!" He was right; a low, hideous moaning was emerging from the darkness below the bridges, slowly growing louder.

"Of course, not everybody is a success," Manson explained, as everybody stared down into the pit. "Some of my students fail the test, so to speak, and simply become completely mindless husks. At that point, all I can do is cut my losses, and extract the souls... leaving the bodies behind for me to use for my own purposes. Come on up, children, and say hello to our guests! Necromanson, Necromanson, _Necromanson_!"

The creatures rising from the pit were dead; that much was obvious. They'd been dead for a long time. And yet, still they continued to climbed up the solid stone, half-skeletal fingers clawing at the brickwork and pulling themselves upward despite visible, rotting muscles. Empty eye sockets staring upward, hanging jaws rattling in hideous parodies of laughter, the corpses rose from both sides of both bridges, all along the length.

"Undead," Ryu muttered under his breath. "I _hate_ the undead."

"Looks like we're going to have to cut our way through!" Tiga yelled, as the crawling corpses began to reach for them. Drawing their weapons, the more physically-oriented members of both groups began hacking, slashing, jabbing and stabbing, while the offensive mages cast fire and holy magic.

Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that these were far more dangerous than normal undead. No matter what was done to them, every part of them continued to attack; severed hands crawled like spiders, heads pulled themselves along by their teeth and tongues, legs flailed around like animated clubs. Even headless, limbless torsos, if they'd managed to get up onto the bridge, kept heaving themselves forward, somehow sensing the living and attacking. Projectiles were useless; the corpses simply ignored anything that did not destroy their bodies outright.

"Shit, these guys just don't quit!" Katt snarled, impaling one through the gut on her battlestaff. Raising it into the air, she flung it off back into the abyss, but in that time two more had drawn closer, even as a severed hand began to clutch at her feet. "What's _wrong_ with these things?"

"Screw!" Deis snarled, raising her staff. Three massive, flaming hands erupted from the ground, arcing like a wave before breaking over a good half-dozen of the undead. Even as they burned, however, they continued to lurch forward, and everybody was forced to back away to avoid being set on fire themselves.

"This ain't working!" Rand yelled. "For every one of 'em we take down, two more crawl out of there from both sides!"

"They'll overrun us, at this rate!" Mick agreed. "They just keep coming!"

"If we get to the island, can you guys hold them off?" Ryu yelled at Tiga.

"Yeah, but how are we gonna..." Tiga started to snap, glancing over his shoulder as he tore a corpse in half with his bare hands, before his eyes widened as the light dawned. "Oh, yeah! Yeah, that'll do it! Sure you don't wanna save that for Manson, though?"

"I'll just have to scarf some Wise Fruit," Ryu replied, as the power rose within him, and he transformed into the drake of flame.

"Everybody, _hit the deck!_" Bow yelled, and both _Renegades_ and _Dragonkin _dove to the bridge as Ryu flew out over the island, turned, and let loose with all his firepower directly between the two groups where the greatest mass of the undead had gathered. The blast cleared the path, save for a few stray parts, and they quickly cleared those off as they ran down towards the junction, pursued by the undead behind them.

"Go on ahead!" Tiga yelled as Ryu landed, returning to his human form. The _Dragonkin_ kept running, joining him, while the _Renegades_ held their ground at the point where bridge met island. "We'll keep 'em off of you!"

"Thanks!" Ryu nodded at him, irritation at having to rely on him mixed with gratitude for the help, before turning to the statues. "All right, Necromanson! Get out here and get it over with!"

"I suppose I do owe that much, as thanks for taking out some of my trash," Manson replied, stepping out from around a pillar; though his face was calm, his features were so sunken he almost seemed to be grinning skeletally through his cheeks. "I've been so busy with my duties as a clergyman, I'm out of practice with my old specialties. It's taking me a while to get the knack back, so to speak, and those ones were quite useless."

"That is quite enough," Nina said coldly. "I advise you to transform while you can." Raising her hand, she brought down spears of lightning, all of which slammed into him from different angles above. "Not that it will do you much good in the end."

"So testy," Manson hissed as he writhed, smoking; despite his throes of agony, his voice was still calm. "I wonder, could I have possibly done something to offend you personally? Ah, yes, now I remember." He stood back up straight again, sunken eyes beginning to glow red. "I made a trip to Windia recently, during which I paid off an old debt. You see, in my youth when I was young and reckless, I did the royal family a great disservice. That injustice has troubled me ever since, and it did my heart good to finally absolve it. I must admit, I'm surprised you didn't recognize me, Mister Bateson, Miss Windia. I'm aware that a millennium is a long time, but I thought you would remember."

"A millennium ago?" Ryu repeated, thoughts racing despite his instinctual desire to ignore the banter; he'd read a couple of history books recently, about the adventures of his ancestors "That would be around the time of the Second Dragon War. Deis?"

"No idea," she told him, shaking her head. "It must have been from before I woke up."

"Before you woke up," Spar repeated, voice unusually cold. "An enemy of the house of Windia. I heard stories of such a one, when I was young, whose infamy spread even among my people. Manson, the mad magician, of the twin towers of Karma."

"Of _course_," Ryu snarled, bouncing his palm off of his forehead before glaring at the priest. "Hate to break it to you, but it doesn't work that way. We're not the ones who killed you a thousand years ago, and if you wanted revenge against them, you missed your chance while you were focusing on us. And now, we're going to kill you before you get another shot. You've lost your touch, magician."

"The _wizard _of Karma, if you please," Manson replied, his tone still gloating. "And when did I say anything about revenge? I was being honest when I spoke of my crimes against the royal family. When Father Habaruku came to me, as my pitiful remnants slowly regenerated from my duel with your ancestors, and spoke to me of God, I felt a great change come over my heart. I had never really believed in Ladon, but St. Eva's teachings touched my soul. Truly did I repent the evils of my past, and seek to redress the wrongs I did to the royal family."

"The wizard of Karma," Bow muttered. "I read about him once. Wasn't he some lunatic scientist who was trying to create the 'ultimate undead' with funding from the Dark Dragon Empire? Went so far as to use himself as a test subject?"

"That would be correct," Nina told him, voice growing even darker and colder than before. "A great deal of things begin to make sense now. My father's illness... Xeon poison, just like the king during the Second Dragon War."

"When I heard of the misfortunes that had befallen the royal family in this time, I knew that my chance to repent for my sins had come," Manson kept going. "Such a sad tale, of a young girl forced into exile because of a pathetic superstition. I knew in my heart that St. Eva had chosen me for this task. It was complicated, and took a great deal of effort, but in the end, my work paid off. You will be able to ascend the throne, in time, as your parents' heir, and prove the superstition that ruined your life to be false." His lips parted, and now he grinned openly. "Aren't you going to thank me?"

Screaming wordlessly, Nina struck with electricity once more. A few small bolts struck, before a gigantic pillar of lightning fully ten feet thick surged out of the darkness above and bore down on Manson like a charging bull. When it passed him, nothing remained but a charred black skeleton.

"Hey!" Tiga yelled, looking over from where he and the _Renegades_ were still holding off the undead. "I get that he pissed you off, but how are we supposed to interrogate him if he's wasted?"

"If only that were the case, _mon ami_," Jean said calmly, as Nina began breathing heavily. "Unfortunately, I doubt it. This form he takes is but an illusion; its destruction will not last."

"Hahahahaha..." Manson's skeleton laughed as it stood back up, muscle and organs and blood and flesh growing around it again in seconds. "I'm not quite sure which of you is stupider, actually. Against another Demon Lord, that might have sufficed. But I am different, for I was dead _before_ I sold my soul, and dead I remain. I am Necromanson, Demon Lord of Pestilence, and I am the ultimate anti-lifeform. I have no need for you, or your destiny; in time, I shall surpass even Habaruku and Barubary, and present our God with a world of the dead to worship him unto eternity!"

With a grotesque series of ripping and tearing noises, he began his transformation, but it was not his newly regenerated flesh that changed shape. Only his bones flexed and formed, shifting and expanding, bursting through his body like a rotten fruit and splattering blood and flesh. Only his veins and internal organs remained inside the bones, growing and expanding along with them as his skeleton continued to change, growing larger, until he was the size of a cart.

Moments later, he loomed over them, a skeletal dragon with a face halfway between the skulls of a human and a reptile, somehow bearing the most hideous traits of both. He hunched on his legs, both them and his arms now ending in claws, the latter of which grasped repeatedly, automatically, at the air. He'd sprouted the framework of wings, with ragged tatters of bleeding meat draped between them; more gore dripped from other bones as well. His back was covered with a leprous-looking purple growth, from which two spurs of bone emerged, and his organs pulsed within his ribcage.

"I see what you meant when you said Demon Lords were a step up," Tiga called to them weakly. "Glad I'm letting you guys do it."

"Yeah, this is pretty much going to suck," Katt called back to him, offhand, before turning back to Necromanson and twirling her staff. "For some people more than others."

"I must disagree!" Necromanson hissed, bleeding, empty eye sockets glowing with flashing red light that emanated from his ribcage as well. His jaws gaped open, and noxious brown gas poured out, clouds spreading over the group gathered around him.

"Not this shit again!" Ryu groaned. "What is it _this _time? Knockout gas? Poison?" Before anybody could answer him, a familiar sickly feeling came over him, and he glanced around in terror as everybody started to turn purple. "Aw, _no._"

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Bow demanded, coughing as he started to cast a cure. "Come on, Rand! We gotta get this cured before..." He fumbled in his pocket, then cursed. "Shit! My Wise Fruit!"

"Oh, _come on_," Nina snapped, doing the same.

"Huh?" Ryu blinked for a moment before realizing what they meant. Checking the pocket where he'd kept his own supply, he swore as well; it was missing. "Damn!"

"Fools!" Necromanson laughed. "You were so busy fighting off my children's attacks, you never noticed those who were more subtle when they grew close!" Leaning forward, he began slashing at them with his claws, which Ryu and Katt both blocked, knocking them flying back. "And your pitiful white mages will never cure all of you in time!"

"He's right," Deis groaned, leaning on her cane. "It's already setting in. We'll be mindless horrors in about half a minute."

"And even if we did cure everybody, it'd wipe out all our magic," Rand added, healing Katt. "All he'd have to do is do that again, and we'd be screwed."

"Seems to me like the decision's obvious, then, isn't it?" Sten said coldly, glancing at Spar; even the Grass Man had began transforming. "No time for being sentimental, or for arguing. We gotta keep who's the most important."

"The most useful," Spar agreed, snapping its whip. "As for us, should we lose consciousness, we will be no threat until we are healed. Coming, Jean?"

"I do not know quite what you are saying, but I will gladly sacrifice myself for my friends, and hope that it is only temporary!" The Prince stood next to them, and all three of them rushed Manson.

"Wait, hold on!" Ryu yelled, as Bow cured him.

"Sorry, boss!" Sten held the hilt of one of his knives between his teeth as he drew a third, and cast a triangular wave of fire over the Demon Lord. "Put me down for one count of insubordination!"

"Amusing!" Necromanson gloated, as the fire rushed over him. "Aaaaah, the pain! It's been so, so long since I felt that sensation!" His bones flaming, he leaned forward and met their desperate charge, clawing and biting as Sten and Jean assailed him with blades, and Spar with magic; the Grass Man's whip would be ineffective as well as flammable, but it was able to call up a head of ice that put out the fire and chilled the Demon Lord's bones with its breath.

"Shit!" Katt snarled, as Necromanson's jaws closed on Jean and thrashed him about before flinging him away to slam into a statue, headfirst. "There's got to be something we can do!"

"We can make him pay for this shit," Ryu growled, watching as Spar went down under the Demon Lord's claws, falling forward; fortunately, the injuries didn't look mortal, especially considering he wasn't even sure if the Grass Man _had_ internal organs. "Just a damn shame I can't give him a second dose of the Breath of Fire... aw, no! Look out!"

"Heh..." Sten chuckled, his voice dry and ghastly, as he suddenly stopped hacking at Necromanson with his knives and turned his head around, a skeletal leer now frozen on his features. His skin had darkened to a deeper purple, and his eyes gleamed, white and shiny. "Heh heh heh heh heh!" Twisting around, limbs bending unnaturally, he ran towards them, dropping his knives and flailing his arms around.

"I got 'im," Deis said, voice blank, as she raised her cane. Fog rose around Sten in a pillar, shaped like skulls, and he pitched forward, unconscious; despite its name, the Death spell only knocked its target out.

"And I've got him!" Nina shouted, triple hands of fire as broad as Rand's shoulders rising from the abyss behind her and arcing over them all to smite the Demon Lord.

"Talented, aren't you?" Necromanson chuckled, eyes flashing again, as he burned once more, the flames racing over his skeleton giving him an even more horrifying appearance. "Why don't you taste that one yourself, then, Sorceress!" A second, identical spell coalesced about Deis, but this time, when it faded away, she remain upright.

"Nice try!" She snarled scornfully as Ryu and Katt ran forward again. "Did you really think that would work on _me_?"

"I suppose I _should _have known better," Necromanson admitted, stalking forward to meet them with his claws; the skeletal limbs lashed out with unnatural speed and strength, forcing them both backwards. "I'll try somebody else, then!" The light in his eyes flickered a third time, and another Death spell coalesced, this time on Rand. Without a word, the big man pitched forward, out like a light.

"I'll get him back up!" Bow said, firing his crossbow between the Demon Lord's ribs. "Keep him off of me!"

"Right!" Katt snarled, getting back up and charging again, slamming the butt of her battlestaff down on one claw, and pinning it to the floor. "Ryu!"

"Gotcha!" Turning away from the left claw, Ryu brought his sword down on the right wrist in an overhead swing, lopping it off, then reeled as the hand he'd ignored clawed him across the back, cutting through his armor. He pitched forward, into Katt's arms, and she caught him easily.

"You okay?" She asked as she shoved him back onto his feet, then scowled. "Not again!"

"Huh?" Ryu blinked, than groaned as he realized what was happening to him. "This is happening _way_ too often to me today!"

"Allow me to share the pain, then!" Necromanson gloated, apparently unconcerned by the loss of his claw. A second time, he exhaled the brown gas, and everybody coughed and choked as they retreated, running backward towards the side of the island.

"Ryu first!" Deis shouted. "He got hit before the rest of us!"

"I got him!" Bow yelled back, magic covering Ryu and purged the infection. "I'm almost out of power, though!"

"Save it, then!" Rand told him, turning and glaring as a pair of bright red lights shone through the brown smoke. Necromanson, advancing inexorably, with nowhere left for them to retreat from him. "Katt..."

"Yeah, I know." She coughed before shooting Ryu a sickly grin. "Counting on you to finish the job. Don't let me down, huh?"

"Wait!" He yelled. "Don't do it!"

"There's still time!" Nina agreed. "There's another way!"

"No, there ain't." Rand shook his head as he ran forward, slowly but surely, Katt behind him. "He just keeps coming. If we wanna stop him, we gotta go all-out!" As the Demon Lord emerged from the gas, the big Farm Clansman raised both his massive hands and caught Necromanson's forearms in them, even as his remaining claw tore at his chest, leaving hideous wounds. As the bones started to snap, the Demon Lord's jaws closed around his shoulder, and he roared in pain. "Now! Get him!"

"On it!" Katt yelled, leaping over Rand and plunging her staff through the hideous purple growth over his back, between the ribs and into the organs. Necromanson arched his back, howling, even as Rand fell backwards and was still. Maintaining her balance, Katt continued to jab, deeper and deeper, until the Demon Lord's claw reached around and plucked her off before dashing her against a statue. She hit it hard, and slid down in a sad heap.

"_No!_" Ryu roared, fury overriding the logical part of his mind that told him he'd seen her take worse and survive. Charging forward, he met Necromanson's descending arm with his blade and sliced through it, only to realize that it had been a feint. The Demon Lord had used his already-maimed limb to distract him, and now his good claw ripped into him, flinging him backwards with rents across his chest and the zombie toxin in him once more.

"Damn it, Ryu!" Deis yelled. "We can't afford that..." Clutching her head, she seemed to stumble, despite not having any actual feet. "Shit. Almost out too." Staring at Rand's fallen form, she straightened her back. "Guess it's my turn, then."

"Don't..." Bow started to say, then bit his lip.

"It's okay," she said, winking. "Remember? We're professionals. Sometimes this is just how it goes." Standing between Necromanson and the other three as he approached, she raised her cane, and three hands of flame crushed him flat to the floor one more time. Even as he fell, however, his claw stretched out, and tore her down as well. When he rose again, she did not.

"Think we can take him out before he brings us down, too?" Ryu muttered to Nina as Bow healed him one more time.

"Maybe," she replied quietly. "I can cast my strongest spells perhaps twice more. That's it."

"It's more than I've got," Bow said disgustedly, watching the Demon Lord stalk closer. "I've got enough left to keep me on my feet, but one more zombie cure'll do it."

"Then we'll have to finish him off here and now," Ryu said quietly, tightening his grip on his sword; despite his still-present fury, responsibility kept his thoughts calm and cold. His team were systematically sacrificing himself for him, and no matter how angry he got, he wasn't going to waste that. "Bow. Distract him. Nina. Light him up. I'll go for him when you do. Do it again as soon as I move in so he doesn't have time to take me out."

"What?" Nina gasped. "But then you'll..."

"I'm a little better with fire than normal people," he told her. "It'll still hurt, but it won't kill me. We gotta do everything we can. Do it, Bow!"

"Right!" Bow raised his crossbow, only to pause, eyes wide, as something came blasting through the air to slam into Necromanson. The Demon Lord twisted to the side, flying through the air to crash into a statue. Where he'd been, Tiga stood, breathing heavily and teeth bared, a gash on his chest bleeding.

"Katt?" He asked tersely, and when Ryu pointed at her, his eyes narrowed. "Alive?"

"Barely," Nina told him. "And not for long, if we don't finish him off here and now. Which is easier said than done."

"No kidding." Tiga stumbled then, as he began to turn purple. "Shit, not again..."

"I should have known," Bow muttered, healing him and stumbling, leaning on his crossbow like it was a cane. "All right, I'm done. Hope your white mages have enough juice left to get us back on our feet once we're done here. Assuming we live."

"They know what they're doing," Tiga assured him, glancing at Ryu as Necromanson got up and turned back towards them. "We got a plan?"

"How do you feel about being set on fire?" Ryu shot back.

"Heh." Tiga smiled without a trace of humor. "Can't be worse than what you hit me with."

"Go!" Bow fired his crossbow, and as a bolt went through each eye socket, Nina summoned up the flaming hands. Ryu and Tiga dashed forward together, underneath them, and as they slammed Necromanson back and burning, they attacked as well. Even as he stumbled, though, Necromanson lashed out at Ryu with his claw, and Tiga with his jaws.

"Not quite good-" The Demon Lord started to gloat, only to break off in a scream of agony as Tiga caught his lower jaw in his hands and ripped it off entirely.

"Do it, Nina!" Ryu shouted, meeting the claw with his sword. Ducking under it, he twisted, bringing his sword with him, and cut the limb off at the shoulder even as it slashed at his back. Stumbling, he continued forward on sheer willpower nevertheless, as Tiga did the same, pressing the now-cringing Demon Lord back further and further with sword and claws. When the fire broke over them, the pain was unimaginable, but still Ryu kept going, hacking through ribs like they were branches and leaving the chest open for Tiga to rip into, gouging out bloody chunks of organs. Burning, screaming, the two of them continued their mindless attack, dragon and tiger together in vengeance.

Only when Necromanson's broken, burning body suddenly erupted in another fire as dark as night, jet-black flames engulfing him as they did all demons upon their death, did Ryu and Tiga stop and stand back. Joined by Nina and Bow, they watched coldly despite their own hideous burns, as the demonic necromancer entered his death throes.

"Ha ha ha ha..." Necromanson laughed as the black fires consumed his bones. "Indeed I am out of practice. I should have learned after the first time, instead of underestimating your strength, and Ladon's, once more. Truly have I been paid for my foolishness... truly are you the heirs of the two who once defeated me! But even your strength is nothing, compared to that of God! I go now into the abyss at last, for the final time, but I will not be alone! My death only heralds that of all the world, even without me! God's time is at hand!" He laughed once more, before collapsing into ash.

"What a freak," Big P commented, walking over, the rest of the _Renegades_ following him. "Just relax, guys. We'll take care of you, and get the others back on their feet."

"Wait," Ryu told him as he sank down to the floor, exhausted despite the healing Mick was giving him. "They're all zombified. If you get them back on their feet before we fix that, we'll just have to knock them back out again. We'll have to carry them..." He trailed off as Chip and Jasmine began pulling teardrop-shaped vials of water from their pockets, opening them and sprinkling them over the fallen. As soon as they were doused, the purple tint faded. "Water of life?"

"We might not be able to cure zombification magically, but that just means we know to carry alternatives," Max boasted, rousing Katt. "Hey, Chaun. Feeling better?"

"That depends," she groaned, holding her head as she got to her feet. "How's it looking?"

"We got him," Tiga told her. "Managed to wipe out all the undead, too. Eventually. Burnin' 'em did it. Looks like everybody's still alive, too; the only bad news is, we weren't able to grill him on Evrai."

"We didn't really have any choice in the matter," Ryu pointed out. "There was no way in hell we were going to take that guy alive."

"And trying to probably would have just gotten us killed." Tiga nodded. "I know a bad risk when I see one. Just means we'll have to figure out a plan b. We can do that."

"Works for me." Katt glanced at Nina, who'd been quiet ever since Necromanson's death, and now sat with her back to a pillar, her head drooping. "How are you feeling?"

"Numb," Nina told her, not looking up. "After all he did... I thought I'd feel better once I finally made him pay."

"If revenge feels _good_, it's not a good sign," Deis told her soberly, rising as well.

"What she said," Tiga agreed, eyes narrowed. "He's gone, at least. Won't be able to do that to anybody else, ever again. And from what I heard, it sounds like there was a _lot_ he'd done."

"Heard some of that, huh?" Ryu asked, a sinking feeling hitting him.

"Just a little." Tiga met his eyes calmly. "Got me thinking. But we can talk about that later. Right now, we need to concentrate on coming up with a plan to get into Evrai."

"Actually, something hit me while I was out," Sten said, and everybody jumped; the Highlander had slipped behind Tiga, and was leaning against the statue there with his arms folded. "Had an ida. This might not have been a waste of time from a practical standpoint after all. See, we've got a lot of dead paladins here, and they've got a pretty wide variety of armor. And not just them; there's spare clothing for priests and nuns, too."

"I see," Spar murmured. "If we are able to convincingly masquerade as clergymen, gaining entry to the Grand Cathedral undetected will be possible."

"I _like_ it." Tiga slowly grinned. "We don't really do the whole 'stealth' thing very often, but this one's _special_. What do you think, Bateson?"

"Works for me." Ryu nodded. "We'll have to study the teachings, though. Get our hands on some of their holy books. It'll be no good if we can't act the part convincingly."

"Knew there'd be a catch," Tiga muttered, shaking his head. "Looks like everybody's on their feet now. Let's head back up and start gathering up all the spare clothes we can find."

"Right." Ryu nodded, standing up despite his weariness. As the two groups started making their way back upstairs, he hung back, as did Katt. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied quietly. "Nina doesn't look good."

"I kind of screwed up there," Ryu admitted. "Haven't seen her much since..." He left it hanging for an awkward moment before continuing. "I'm gonna have to make that up to her."

"You'd better, or I'll kick you in the teeth," she half-joked. "Nina doesn't deserve that."

"I know." Ryu hung her head. "None of the guys do." Recalling something, he glanced at her again. "Bow said you said something to her. Something she didn't take well."

"Yeah, I..." Now it was her turn to trail off, biting her lip and looking away. "How about you, Ryu? Are you angry, about... about this?"

"More than I've ever been over anything else in my entire life, with the possible exception of Mina," Ryu told her bluntly. "And even that's a maybe."

"I was afraid of that." Katt sighed. "You don't hate Tiga, though, do you? He's being an idiot about all this, but... he's not a bad guy, you know? Not really."

"Yeah, I know," Ryu admitted, looking away. "I don't."

"Good." Katt put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head to see that she was smiling, a more gentle thing than her usual cheerful grin. "I kind of want to stay on good terms with them once all this is over. In the long term, you know? Once we're all past this. You know I'm not going to stay with them forever, right? I don't know how, just yet, but I'll find a way out of this. Just... give me a little time to figure something out. I'll come back to you. I promise."

"I know you will," Ryu murmured quietly. "I knew. But it's still nice to hear you say it. We'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes."  
"Thanks," she said softly, before her voice returned to normal. "Come on, we're falling behind. We'd better catch up fast, or things might get ugly when we do."

"Wouldn't that be a shame," Ryu replied dryly, rolling his eyes, but he still sped up his pace along with her as they left the basement, and all the nightmares that no longer inhabited it, behind.

* * *

It was midnight, but despite his better instincts, Tiga Lee found himself unable to sleep. The things he'd overheard in the battle that day still weighed heavily on his mind, driving him to pace around the _Renegades'_ meeting room, trying and failing to distract himself with the plans for the assault on Evrai coming all too soon. No matter how he tried to focus on business, however, he kept thinking back to the snippets of conversation between the Demon Lord and the _Dragonkin_ he'd overheard, and what they implied.

"Shit!" He swore under his breath, sitting down in his chair and steepling his hands before leaning his forehead against them, tail lashing. "This is a real mess. Huh?" He looked up as the door opened, relaxing as soon as he saw who it was; as always, just looking at her made him feel a little better, no matter how troubled he was. "Hey, Katt."

"Hey, Tiga," she replied, leaning in without making any moves to actually enter the room. She was still wearing her armor from the conflict earlier that day; normally, Tiga would have found that disappointing, but he was actually putting an active effort into trying not to act like a pervert, so it was for the best. "Can't sleep?"

"Too much to think about," he replied honestly. "Today was a big day."

"Just a little," she agreed, meeting his eyes. Looking back, he saw that her mood was different from both her habitual cheerfulness and her recent depression; it was calm, curious, and guarded. "A lot happened, down there."

"You can say that again," Tiga agreed fervently, hesitating a moment more before giving in and deciding to speak openly. "Can I ask you something, Katt?"

"Sure," she replied coolly, still carefully watching him. "What is it?"

"Just what the hell have we gotten ourselves into here?" He asked her seriously; that seemed to be the best way to put it. "I thought you guys were just another bunch of professionals, like us. Even when I found out Ryu was a Light Dragon, I didn't put two and two together. I must have taken too many head shots over the years. Him, and Nina, and Deis... it's _obvious_. What _is _this? What's going on? And what's _our _part in it?"

"You want the official story, or the real one?" She asked, the firelight from outside glinting in her eyes as she stood in the door, a girl he loved, but was increasingly beginning to realize he didn't truly know. He'd never seen her like this before, and he wondered if she even knew she was doing it, and if the rest of the _Dragonkin _ever did it too.

"Gimme the official one first," he said, on a hunch.

"All right." She shrugged. "Ryu's the next hero, just like... three? I think it's three before him. He and Nina are both descended from separate children of the heroes of the Second Dragon War, and probably the First, too... and whatever it was that happened before that, I don't know. The world needs saving again, and we're the lucky shmucks that got chosen. It's been about a thousand years or so since the last time, so hey, not really surprising. World was due for another round."

"I'm not sure what gets to me more," Tiga replied after a moment. "The fact that you can say it all so casually, with a straight face... or the fact that I _believe _it. So if that's the official story, what's the real deal?"

"Honestly?" Katt glanced away now, looking back out the door. "If we could get away with telling it all to go to hell, we would. We never asked for this, and we don't want it. But it looks like the only way we're getting out of it is to get it over with, so that's what we're doing. The sooner it's done, the sooner we can get back to our lives. And hey, we really are getting paid for it, so there's that, at least. We weren't lying about that."

"Didn't think you were." Tiga chuckled. "Still. Nice to hear you say it."

"I guess." Katt looked uncomfortable all of a sudden, the unnatural glint in her eyes leaving her. "When you get down to it, the way we see it, we _are_ just another bunch of pros. We've just got some clients most people don't, is all."

"I knew _that_ already," Tiga teased her, trying to figure out what he'd said to make her deflate so quickly. "Ever since Smith told me just what went down in Highland."

"Fair enough." She looked back out the door. "Crap, speaking of Smith, here she comes. Looks like she's looking for you. I'm gonna take off before I have to _talk _to her or something. See you tomorrow."

"Sleep well," he said quietly as she walked off, leaving the door open behind her. A moment later, Patty replaced her, looking curious.

"What's up with Chaun?" The thief asked directly, walking in. "She took out of here like her tail was on fire. I don't piss her off _that _much. At least I'm pretty sure I don't."

"I said something wrong," Tiga explained with a wince. "And the worst part is, I don't even know what it was."

"Smooth." She smirked for a moment, before dropping it. "So. You've got the plan all worked out with her people, then?"

"For the most part." Tiga nodded, staring down at the map. "We've still got a few details to get straightened out, but it's pretty much set. We attack Evrai a week from now." He shot her a slight grin. "You sure you don't want in on that? You missed all the fun today."

"Pass," she replied coolly. "I'll trust you boys to take care of it. After all, that's what I'm paying you for. I'm not going within a hundred miles of that place."

"Suit yourself." Tiga shrugged. "You're the client."  
"Glad you remember," she replied dryly, looking down at the map. "How's Claris doing? Any more word from her?"

"Not in the last few days," he told her, frowning slightly; for a moment, he worried about the implications of that, but then he shrugged it off, reminding himself just who they were talking about. "Probably just nothing to report. We can't send messages back, so she's got no idea that we're getting ready to make our move, is all."

"Are you sure that's all there is to it?" Patty asked skeptically. "What if she's in trouble?"

"She wouldn't be." Tiga shook his head confidently. "Not Claris. She's had my back ever since we were half your age, when we were growing up together, up in Namanda. I've never seen her screw up, not even once. I don't think she _can_."

"You're an optimist," Patty murmured, meeting his eyes; he'd never really noticed just how green hers were, since he'd been uninterested in her on a physical or a romantic basis since they'd first met. They were actually surprisingly pretty, or would be if she wore less makeup. "That's unusual, coming from a man in your line of work."

"What can I say?" Tiga shrugged. "I'm an exception to all sorts of rules. You should try it sometime. Optimism, I mean."

"No." Patty's eyes hardened, and she stared down at the map again. "I gave up on optimism when I was a _quarter_ of my age. And life hasn't done anything to change my mind since." Standing up, she turned away. "I'm going to go get drunk. Coming?"

"Might as well," Tiga conceded, shaking his head; either he was losing his touch at talking to girls, or his luck was just plain rotten tonight. Hopefully, if it was the latter, one night was all there would be to it; this was hardly the time to come down with a streak of misfortune. Standing as well, he glanced at Patty for a moment, and almost asked her if she knew anything about the _Dragonkin_'s secrets before deciding against it. He wasn't going to betray Katt's trust like that, no matter how much it bothered him. "Come on, let's go get a mug or ten."

"Best idea I've heard all day," she agreed, as they closed the door behind them.

_I AM YOUR SUPERBEAST _


	37. Chapter 34: The Grand Cathedral

_**Chapter 34: The Grand Cathedral **_

"No good," Ryu muttered to himself, sheathing his sword and shaking his head. "It's just not the same." After putting it off for several days, he'd gone up to the roof to try working out by himself, but without Katt, he just couldn't get into it. He'd considered asking one of the others, but after a moment's thought, had figured that the only one likely to agree would be Jean, which wouldn't do at all.

Tomorrow was the day when they were planning to assault Evrai, and as far as Ryu knew, everything was going according to schedule. They'd found enough holy books in Bando to pass around to everybody, and most of the week had been spent studying them. Some of them, like Nina and Spar, took naturally to it no matter how much they despised the faith, but others such as Rand and Jean were having more trouble with it and had still been struggling with their studies when Ryu had last checked. He'd memorized _most _of the book, himself; hopefully, that would be enough.

They'd brought back suits of full plate mail for all of the men, and nuns' habits for the women and Spar; in addition to the books, Bando had also contained a wide enough variety of sizes to fit everybody, even Rand. Despite that, nobody enjoyed wearing them around, and none of them were planning on keeping their new armor, no matter how durable it was; there was something that just felt unclean about their disguises, tainted in a way that could be felt but not seen, no matter how many times they washed them.

"Not going too well, huh, buddy?" Bow said by way of greeting, and Ryu turned to see him coming up the stairs, dressed casually without crossbow or armor. "I'd offer to stand in, but somehow I don't think that'd work."

"Yeah, no," Ryu replied, wincing at the thought of it. "Been keeping up your practice too?"

"Just got back from it." He nodded, an odd look coming over his face. "Turns out I can hit the five-thousand meter mark now. Bullseye, every time. I know you don't know shit about archery, but I'm _pretty _sure that's not supposed to be physically possible."

"Huh." Ryu raised an eyebrow. "I'd tell you that working on your quick-draw would be more useful, but I know you're just as good there. I wonder..." Drawing his sword again, he turned back towards the edge of the roof, and with a few quick cuts, sliced off a triangular portion of the knee-high stone edge as easily as if it were flesh. Raising the sword as the segment slid off and fell towards the town below, he examined the blade; it was completely unscratched or nicked. "Yeah, this is a little different."

"No kidding," Bow drawled. "Niro's gonna be pissed when he sees that. So, what, is this just because we're us?"

"That'd be my guess." Ryu nodded. "I suppose I never really noticed because it's been months since I fought anything that wouldn't have been way out of my league a year ago. Even working out up here was always with Katt. Maybe I got a little too used to have her around to spar with."

"If she's the same way, and I'm pretty sure she is, yeah, I can see why it'd be a pretty huge jump from just swinging it around the way you used to and going at it with her." Bow made a face. "You know they've still got some of those mammoth demons roaming around near Bando? Like M.C. Tusk? Been talking with a couple of the Renegades, and it seems she punched one of them out. Didn't even need her battlestaff. Punched out a _mammoth_."

"That's a yes, then." Ryu sighed. "Ladon, I miss her."

"We all do, buddy." Bow shook his head, sitting down on an undamaged area of the edge. "We all do. She's like a sister to me now, you know? Her and Nina both are. It's hard to believe we've only known each other for half a year."

"I know, right?" Ryu gave him a smirk. "Remember back when you felt like you didn't really fit in with the rest of them?"

"Ladon, don't remind me." Bow put a hand to his face. "I had to fight a demon with _Smith _as my backup. I didn't deserve that. _Nobody _deserves that."

"And you learned your lesson, didn't you?" Ryu chuckled. "Just be glad _she's _not a team player."

"I'd quit," Bow said flatly. "Unless you had a _damn _good reason."

"It'd have to be good enough for me, too, buddy, and I'm not sure that's possible," Ryu said, but he wasn't entirely sure how honest he was; despite how much she annoyed him, some part of him felt an inexplicable urge to try and look out for Patty whenever she would let him, which thankfully wasn't very often. For both reasons, he was glad to hear that she wouldn't be coming along for the storming of Evrai. "You can also look on the bright side in regards to her sitting this next one out, if you'd prefer."

"Think we're _all _taking that one as a stroke of good luck," he grunted. "Even Sten. And Jean, not that he'll admit it."

"Think they've been doing the same as us?" Ryu raised an eyebrow. "In terms of improving?"

"Saw what looked like knife marks on some of the targets I set up." Bow nodded. "Not _quite _five thousand meters, but still a lot further than throwing knives should be going. As for Jean... I don't know about his swordplay, but I did see him take a _statue_ the size of, well, himself to the head earlier today and shrug it off."

"I'd make a joke about that being the most durable part of his body, but this isn't really funny." Ryu shook his head slowly. "That sculptor friend of his, right? Salvatore? I think he's the only guy in town I haven't really talked too much since he moved in. I should remedy that one of these days; he seemed pretty decent, back in Simafort."

"He's an okay guy." Bow shrugged. "Bit high-strung, but most artists are like that." His face grew serious. "Speaking of the townspeople, though... you know we're gonna have to own up to what we're doing, buddy. We've been putting it off, but tomorrow's the big day, and it's anybody's guess what's going to happen, even if it all goes well. We can't risk any fallout they're not ready for."

"Yeah, I know." Ryu nodded, feeling even more dismal than before at the thought of how some of the more religious townspeople would likely react. "I already talked to Niro. He's spreading the word. Town meeting tomorrow after breakfast, before we meet the _Renegades_."

"You're really getting the hang of this whole 'leadership' thing, aren't you?" Bow joked. "Maybe you should be the mayor instead of Niro." Dodging Ryu's half-hearted jab, he chuckled, then sighed. "Yeah, okay. We'll just have to put the best spin on it that we can."

"That's the idea." Ryu glanced at him. "You told Silvia?"

"Yup." Bow shrugged. "She took it better than I thought, actually. Only thing is, she's still holding out hope that it's just a partial corruption rather than the whole faith being rotten to the core, though. I think she'll get over it; she just needs some time, you know?

"Yeah, that sounds like Silvia," Ryu said wryly, standing up. "Anyways, I'm gonna go see if I can find Nina. You staying up here for a while?"

"Yeah, it's a good night for it." Bow shifted around so that he was leaning on his back, arms crossed behind his head. "Nice and cool out."

"Says the man with fur," Ryu muttered. "Hey, you should test your durability like Jean. See if you can survive falling off."

"Go screw yourself." Bow flipped him the bird without looking.

"Nice talking with you too, buddy." Ryu waved as he headed back downstairs. As he'd said, his first stop was Nina's room, but the door was closed. Shrugging, he continued down to the third floor, only to pick up her voice coming from down at the end of the hall, where Jean's room was. After a moment of wrestling with his conscience, his curiosity got the better of him, and he quietly walked close enough to listen; neither Rand's nor Sten's doors were open, and his ears were good enough that he didn't need to get all that close to Jean's adjacent door.

"-it's not like he's been _avoiding _me or anything," she was saying. "He's just been depressed, and angry. More angry than depressed, but with Ryu, it's kind of hard to tell. He doesn't really do 'sad' all by itself. At all."

"I have noticed this, yes," Jean replied. "_Mademoiselle _Katt is the same way, as is _monsieur _Tiga if I am any judge. I must confess, it is beyond my understanding; while I am occasionally prone to melancholy, anger is not an emotion with which I have much experience. It simply does not come naturally to me."

"You're a rare sort of person, Jean," Nina told him warmly; the two of them had been childhood friends, due to diplomatic ties between their countries. "You're probably right about him and Katt, though. I worry about that sometimes, actually. They're so much more like each other than I and him are, after all."

"Ah, but opposites attract, do they not?" Jean pointed out. "You and _monsieur_ Ryu have just enough in common to understand each other, but are different enough to keep things interesting, yes? I mean no disrespect to _mademoiselle _Katt-she is as much like a sister to me as yourself now-but I would bet on you."

"Thank you," Nina said quietly. "I needed to hear that. I doubt it's going to be resolved any time soon, though. And right now, I don't think I'd want it to, anyways. I'm not sure I'd be able to take it. To be honest, maybe it's for the best that he's needed some time by himself." There was a short silence then, before Jean spoke again.

"I am not seeing the entire picture, am I, _mademoiselle _Nina?" He asked, gently but firmly. "Something else is amiss here. Something you have not told me yet."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you've picked up on that," she replied after another moment. "After all, I've always known that you were more intelligent than you let on most of the time." She sighed. "It was after Ryu and Tiga fought. When none of us were thinking clearly. Her least of all, of course."

"A bad time, for all of us, to be sure," Jean recalled, and Ryu drew a little closer; he already thought he knew what she was talking about, and he'd wanted to know for some time. "I recall now, she said something to you, very quietly, before we departed. I would have asked, but did not wish to intrude. What was it that she said that is troubling you so?"

"She said that I'd been wrong," Nina whispered, so quietly that Ryu was barely able to hear her. "That it looked like I was the one who won. When I wrote that, back in Windia, I never thought... I didn't want to... not like this..." She trailed off, and Ryu could tell without looking that Jean would be holding her, which helped him restrain the urge to go to her; as much as he knew that now wouldn't be the time, he still felt it. Instead, he forced himself to turn and walk away, as quietly as he'd come, and continue down to the second floor.

"-a pain in the ass, all right," Sten was saying, loudly enough to be clearly heard clearly from the far end of the hall, where the door to Spar's room was open. Again, Ryu's curiosity got the better of him, and he moved slightly closer, though not as much as had before; Sten was much more likely to notice him if he did. "You're just lucky you get to go as a nun."

"As much as I dislike identifying with a specific gender, I must agree with that assessment," Spar replied. "Plate mail and myself would not be a good mix."

"Nooooooooo," the Highlander drawled. "It's gonna be bad enough with me. Wonder if Deis knows any spells that would help take some of the weight off."

"I wouldn't advise asking her," Spar said dryly. "You might end up with a completely reversed sense of gravity."

"Not really sure what that means, but I'm going to assume it's bad." Sten snorted. "And Rand says he thinks you have no sense of humor. Yeah, okay, I'll tough it out. And hope we don't get in any fights before I ditch the suit."

"As I understand it, if everything goes entirely according to plan, that will not be a problem," Spar told him. "Of course, in all probability that will be completely irrelevant to actual reality."

"Yeah, I was about to say," Sten said, chuckling darkly. "You and me know better than to believe that nothing's going to go wrong. The world doesn't work that way."

"We do tend to have that in common, don't we?" Spar replied. "You, through enough cynicism to match the rest of our little family entirely, and I through logical and reasoning abilities far superior to my emotional capacity. Because of that, we tend to see things in ways the others do not, though sometimes I envy them that." It paused for a moment before continuing. "Have I said something wrong? I apologize if I have."

"No, no, it's fine," Sten assured it, his voice quieter now. "It's just... we really are, aren't we? A family, I mean."

"I admit to being inexperienced with such things," Spar told him. "Aside from Gandaroof, I have never had one. It is not a thing which is natural for my kind; even those others who were sprouted from it are not emotionally attached to me, or I to they. But from what I know of families, among other species... it seems that we have become one."

"No, you're right," Sten said, an odd tone coming into his voice. "This is what family feels like. I'd almost forgotten. But it is. You, and the rest of them... we're family now." After another moment, he spoke again, and now his voice was more familiar, but darker. "Of course, that just increases _our _responsibility. You and me, and Deis to a certain extent... now we're going to _have _to look at things in ways the rest of them don't. To _do _things they wouldn't, if it becomes necessary, _for _them."

"An unpleasant thought, but one I must agree with," Spar murmured. "I take it that you refer to the circumstances surrounding the absent member of our group?"

"Got it in one." Sten agreed. "It ain't right around here, without her, and it's not going to be until she comes back. Now, I like Lee, despite all this bullshit, and I'd prefer we stay on good terms with him and his after this is all straightened up. It's good business sense, if nothing else. And if Bow's right, and this all blows over eventually, everything will be fine. But if he's not, and Lee turns out to be the stubborn sort... well, that's when we just might have to unfortunately resort to an _accident_."

"You realize, of course, how the others will react should they hear of this," Spar said after a moment. "I do not believe that is quite conducive with their preferences."

"That's why we keep it between us," Sten explained. "Standards are all well and good, but keeping everybody together is more important. And if that means reverting to old habits, I'm willing to backslide for their sake."

As much as he wanted to walk in and call them on it, Ryu couldn't quite bring himself to; he disliked what they were considering, but he understood the meaning behind it, and that was a different story. All the same, he didn't want to hear any more, and so he went back down the hall, continuing down to the ground floor. The meeting room was dark and empty, but the door to the kitchen was open, and he could hear another conversation from in there.

"Yeah, the keg's finished off now," Deis was saying. "Think we should start on another one?"

"Not unless somebody else comes down here and wants some," Rand replied. "I'll be good with this one for the night."

"Spoilsport," she said dryly. "We're just getting started. Sobriety is overrated."

"And so are hangovers," he shot back. "Especially considering we have a big day tomorrow. Why do you think I'm setting a few things up here for Niro in the morning?"

"Because you're a nice guy," she shot back, voice deepening. "And a good cook, too. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that when I first met you."

"I don't exactly look the type, huh?" Rand chuckled easily. "Guess I inherited it from my mom. Hope she's okay when we find her tomorrow."

"She will be," Deis assured him. "We'll get her out of there. You can count on us."

"I know I can," he said warmly. "Thanks."

"Any time," she replied in the same tone as before. "Just let me know if there's anything _else _I can help you with, hmmm?"

"Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Rand told her. "See, I'm _pretty _sure you're just teasing me when you do that, but... why don't you go ahead and say so anyways."

"Sort of," Deis said after a moment. "I guess I should have seen this coming. I've kind of been pushing it. I do that a lot."

"Yeah, I noticed," Rand agreed wryly. "I'm not _complaining_. It's just that I _am _a guy, and even if I'm not dealing with as many hormones as the rest of them, that doesn't mean I'm not male, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Deis admitted. "And I've been leading you on. The thing is, under normal circumstances, I actually would be interested right back. You're my type, and my kind of life doesn't really lend to getting hung up on 'forever' and all that romantic bullshit. I've gone with something casual every time before now, and I've never regretted it. The problem is..." She sighed. "Turns out last time is still around, _this _time. That's never really happened to me, before, and it... complicates things. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but..."

"I understand," Rand assured her. "It's all right. That's why I asked. So we could get this straightened out before I started getting the wrong idea. Friends, then?"

"I think we're a little more than friends by now, don't you?" She asked, quietly but warmly. "Just not in _that _way, is all."

"Of course," he replied in the same tone. "Can't think of anybody I'd want more to help me keep the rest of these clowns out of trouble."

"That's a bad habit there, son," a voice behind Ryu said quietly, and it took every once of self-control he had to keep himself from jumping. Slowly, he turned to see Niro watching him with a frown upon his face. "I'd advise you try an' kick it."

"I know," he said after a moment. Walking over to the table, he sat down, and Niro took his own accustomed seat as well, opposite him. "A habit's exactly what it is. I've been trying to lose it ever since we moved in here, but every so often..." He shrugged. "They're hard to break. Especially this kind."

"Any particular reason you started it up?" Niro asked, his voice calm, though there was still disapproval in his eyes.

"Yeah." Ryu held up his Dragon's Tear. "It started with this. I just got used to seeing what people thought of me without knowing I was. Listening wasn't a very big step, after that. And then when I started living on the road..." He shrugged again. "Well, it was just smart. I know that it's not like that any more, though. Not around here."

"I was about to say." Niro nodded. "Seen you doin' it a couple times before, an' figured on keepin' my old mouth shut, since I ain't one to judge. But that right there was _real_ private, I'm guessin'."

"I know." Ryu sighed. "It won't happen again."

"Good." The old man smiled. "She'll be back, son. You don't get to be as old as I am livin' the kind o' life I used to without learnin' how to know people, and nothin' on this world or any other's gonna keep that little firebrand away from here for long, so long as she's still breathin'. Now go on upstairs an' get some sleep, huh? You got a long day ahead o' you tomorrow."

"All right, _grandpa,_" Ryu joked, but it wasn't entirely sarcastic; he hadn't spent as much time on the road with him as the others, but he trusted Niro just as much as any of them, all the same. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." Bumping fists with him as he walked past, he did as the old man had suggested and went up to his room. Taking a moment to look at it and think about how quickly it had become _home_, in a way even his and Bow's cheap room in Hometown had never been, he disrobed and climbed into bed.

"Family, huh?" He muttered to himself as he nodded off.

_ Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power..._

Despite the voice in the dark, Ryu slept fairly well, as much as he ever did. Breakfast was pleasant the next morning, and everybody cheerfully made small talk over it, all deliberately avoiding any mention of what would come later that day. If any of their outlooks had been changed by their conversations the previous night, none of them showed it, though Niro did shoot Ryu a stern glance when nobody else was looking.

Once they were done, they headed outside and waited on the rise before their house, by the statue of Ladon, as the townsfolk gathered a few at a time. It always slightly surprised Ryu just how many of them there were now, no matter how used he was to most of them individually; counting themselves, the total population would be nearing forty soon. Mrs. Rivab had remained home with her son, but everybody else was there, old and young, the first to move in along with the newest tenants, including Eichichi and Surfy.

"All right, looks like we're all here," Niro said once El, the Highlander chief of the town guard (which, so far, consisted entirely of himself) walked up. "Thanks for comin', everybody. Hate to bother you all-you're all busy, you got stuff to see to, we know-but this is important. Somethin's come up that you should all know about."

"Take it it's got something to do with a job you're on?" Eizen, one of the carpenters, asked bluntly; he was the only one of the three who was unmarried, but he'd brought his nephew, Lacquer, with him to do all of their painting.

"How'd you guess?" Bow smiled for a moment.

"Even I knew that, kid," Barose the mage snapped grumpily. An antisocial misanthrope, he was also incredibly skilled, and was dealing with the town's wards and defenses in exchange for his house. "And I've barely been here a couple of months."

"Speaking of that." Ryu glanced at him. "How much _do _you know about what we're doing? Same for you, El, Eichichi, Surfy. None of you were there for the meeting we had over at Duke Kilgore's summer place."

"No, but the other residents have been filling us in on the general knowledge," Surfy replied, raising an eyebrow. "I must confess, my first instinct was to be skeptical on the subject of demons, but if everybody else is accepting their existence as fact, then I will take it as such as well; I know how to spot a liar, and I haven't here."

"It's no lie," Watts, the local entertainer, told her with unusual grimness; the cheerful old man had journeyed with a traveling circus until his age had caught up to him. "My old ringmaster was one of them. I saw these fellas take him out with my own eyes, and there wasn't any other explanation."

"Niro usually keeps us up to date on how that's going," Hanz, an ex-Ranger who ran the general store, added. "Lately, though, he's been saying he can't really talk much. So we've been assuming that there's something new that's come up. Something big."

"That's an understatement, I'm afraid," Niro admitted. "'Fore we explain just what the deal is, I'm gonna ask you all not to speak a word o' this to no one, nowhere. Can't _make _you, but we're serious about askin'. This is one thing we _don't_ want getting out o' town limits an' onto the rumor mills. An' once you've all heard us out, if any o' ya feel like ya don't belong here any more, we'll understand, though we're hopin' it don't come to that."

"How bad _is _this?" Mrs. Haseco, the young wife of another carpenter, asked semi-jokingly; she and her husband had been among the first to move in after the group themselves, Granny and Sana.

"About as bad as it can get," Ryu said flatly. "I won't try and soften this. We've suspected, and as of last week, confirmed that demons have infiltrated the Church of St. Eva, in a major way."

There was a stunned silence for a moment, until the crowd exploded in frenzied chatter.

"All right, all right, settle down, all of ya!" Niro shouted. "We know, but let's not get out of control, huh? That ain't helpin' anybody! One at a time!" Slowly, order started to restore itself.

"Are you sure?" Kay, the town doctor, asked quietly once everybody else had settled down. A quiet, pretty young woman of great skill, she'd been raised by the church alongside their friend, the paladin Ray Braddoc. "Isn't there some possibility that you could be mistaken?"

"We hoped there was, for a long time," Bow lied, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, that's not on the table any more. Last week, we discovered that Bando, in the Wasteland of Scande, was completely subverted. We found nearly a dozen demons there, and their leader, Father Manson, was actually the Demon Lord Necromanson. They've got paladins, clergymen, and even nuns. It's a bad scene."

"I can confirm that," Seny added, scowling. "I was a prisoner there, and I wasn't the only one. They even went so far as to hide demons among us in case somebody freed us. The entire basement was one huge torture cellar and crypt."

"It'll be all right, Kay," Baretta, a young woman whose wiry build belied her trade as a smith, assured the doctor as she started to tremble. "They're not saying the entire faith is corrupt, right?"

"No, we're not," Nina agreed, giving her a grateful look; they'd been friends since they were children, though they'd only reunited recently. "In fact, that's one of our top priorities right now. Determining exactly how far the infection has spread."

"At the moment, we're fairly certain that it's mostly concentrated at the heart of the faith," Ryu picked that up. "So all of the clergymen and women you've known in other cities and towns are likely completely uninvolved. With luck, we'll be able to make this as clinical a cut as possible. Take out the rot, and let the rest rebuild in time. The only problem is the question of just how much we're going to have to remove." That was a lie, but it would be easier to explain the destruction of Evrai after the fact rather than admit they were planning on it.

"We've teamed up with another group," Sten said, and his voice held the same no-nonsense tone of command it had when he was a General in Highland. "The _Renegades_, out of Carmen. Today, we're going to infiltrate Evrai, and find out just what we're going to have to do there to take care of this. Hopefully, it won't be too bad, but this needs to be stopped, no matter what. That's why Niro said that, at the beginning. In a worst-case scenario, we'll be making an entirely different name for ourselves, and..." He paused for a moment, then glanced at Jean.

"Should that happen, we would not want anybody who is not implicit to be blamed for what we did, however reluctantly," the Prince explained. "You are all our friends, but this is not your responsibility, and it is not your duty. You should not have to be involved."

"Screw that," Azusa said boldly. "You know we trust you guys. If you gotta do what you gotta do, then that's what you gotta do, I say!"

"And if anybody shows up here talking shit about it, we'll pitch 'em right back out the way they came!" Maclean added.

"What they said!" Granny agreed sharply. "Nobody talks shit about you folks but us, and _nobody _does that to my granddaughter and gets away with it! Right, girls?" All five of her granddaughters nodded firmly.

"We've been with you since we started building this place back up on day one," Mr. Haseco said firmly. "And even before that... you saved my son's life, back in Capitan, and mine as well. Hell, even without that... we still owe you more than we'll ever be able to repay, Niro, all three of us. And our families, too."

"We're with you, 'til the day we die, bosses," Lacquer, a normally somewhat high-strung young man, promised levelly.

"There's no power on heaven or earth that's gonna keep us from doing everything we can for you, little Nina, and that goes for your friends as well," Baretta's uncle Lemington, a burly old man who'd taught her the trade, growled. "We'll have to make sure we've got some new gear for you by the time you get back. I've got a feeling you'll need it."

"And I'll have to order some _special_ supplies," Hanz added. "Your word's good enough for me, Ryu, Bow. Always has been."

"The First Bank of Prima takes no part," Surfy said levelly. "But should anything untoward happen... we pay our debts."

"I don't like you brats, but I don't like anybody," Barose growled. "And you gave me a house. When you get back, all of you who know your way around magic can come see me, and I'll show you a few _special_ tricks."

"You gave me one too," Eichichi nodded. "And more. I was going to tell you about what I'd found, but I guess that should wait until you get back, too."

"This town's all I've got, now," Watts murmured, scratching his head. "I'm not going anywhere, as long as you'll have me."

"I trust my prince," Salvatore declared, twirling a false mustache. "And I trust his friends."

"Defending this place is my job," El said, his high-pitched voice just as resolute. "If this is what you guys say is right, then it's what's right."

"Thanks, guys," Bow said quietly, as everybody looked at Kay, who'd remained silent.

"You are all good men, and women," she whispered after a moment. "Though everything I know protests against this... my heart says to trust you. I will pray to St. Eva that you are successful, and that you restore the faith to what it should be... and..." She took a deep breath. "I believe... that should there be no other choice... St. Eva would rather have the faith be lost to the world than have it become a perversion of Infinity. Do what you must. I will remain here." She met Ryu's eyes, but couldn't quite smile. "And I'll see you all after you return, no matter how marginal your injuries are."

"What makes you so certain they're _going _to be injured?" Seso asked her.

"Because I _know _them," Kay replied wryly. "And no matter how frighteningly competent they are, these people could break a bone looking for a lost pet."

"That actually happened once," Ryu joked. "Thanks, Kay. All right, people, those of you who are going to fuse, do so. After that, let's put on our nice new clothes and head over to meet up with Katt, Lee, and the rest of those maniacs. It's time we got this over with." The meeting broke up, the townspeople drifting apart, and Sten, Jean, Rand and Nina all went next door. As he turned away, for a moment, Ryu almost thought he saw the Statue of Ladon smile, but when he looked directly at it it was as immobile as ever.

Once everybody had finished fusing, they went back into their houses and dressed in their disguises. The paladin's suit of full plate mail was bulkier and heavier than the incomplete set Ryu was used to, but not unbearably so. Once they were all dressed, Jean warped them all to a valley on the island of Evrai, a mile south of the city. He and Chip had come there the other day, and marked a point where they would all meet up. It only took them a couple minutes to find it, and then only a few more before the Renegades appeared as well, and Katt along with them.

"Hey," she said, more warmly than she had the last time, though she still looked more reticent than normal; despite her slightly feral features, she wore her nun's habit surprisingly well.

"Yo," Nina replied calmly, causing everybody to blink. "What? Did I say it wrong?"

"Never mind," Ryu told her, smiling slightly, before glancing at Tiga; like the rest of the Renegades save for Katt and Jasmine, he was clad in paladin's plate. "Everybody ready for this?"

"And willing," Tiga agreed, smirking. "Smith says give 'em hell, and bring back a souvenir."

"And by souvenir, she means a head," Little P chuckled. "Preferably several."

"Why am I not surprised?" Deis rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "That's Smith, all right."

"Any word from Claris yet?" Bow asked.

"None." Katt frowned, looking worried. "And I don't like that one bit. I mean, I know she's good, but..."

"She's not just good," Tiga told her. "She's the best. Hell, she might even be better than me. I've never seen her screw up, not even once, and we've worked together all my life. I don't know why she's gone quiet, but hey, easy to find out. Let's go see how she's doing, huh?"

"I think we can all work with that," Ryu agreed; despite his own concerns, he had to admit that Tiga had a point from what he'd seen of Claris. "How many bombs did you get?"

"Two dozen," Chip said, patting a bag that he was carrying over his shoulder. "We set these babies at the right places, there won't be enough left of that cathedral to make a broom closet out of. Only trick is gonna be figuring out where to put them."

"Seeing as how I somehow doubt there'll be a map lying around, we'll just have to play that by ear." Sten shrugged. "Good news is, we're all good at improvising. Just watch your ass; you're the only one of us who knows what you're doing with those things. Demolition never was my specialty."

"The man know what he's doing," Tiga assured him, before glancing at Ryu. "You guys have been here before, so you wanna take the lead?"

"All right." Ryu lowered his visor, and the rest of the men followed suit. "Claris' place is pretty easy to find. Let's head on over."

Evrai was just as bright and beautiful as it had been before. The illusions had been fully restored, and everybody seemed happy and cheerful, shouting greetings to them as they walked past. It took every bit of self control Ryu had to wave back; no matter how it looked now, he knew the truth, and it made the city of lies sickening to his senses. Everything he saw and heard only made it worse, and he guessed that the rest of his group felt the same, though all of them were silent.

"This place gives me the creeps," Big P muttered under his breath before being shushed by Tiga.

"This is the place," Deis told them as they approached Claris' house. "Let's just hope we don't get held up this time. The way we're dressed, she might fire first and ask questions never."

"By the looks of this, I'd say that that's not what we should be worrying about right now," Jasmine said quietly; the door was hanging open, and the numerous locks were visibly broken. "Crap."

"Keep calm," Rand told Tiga. "Blowing our cover won't help anybody."

"I know," the Woren Clansman growled as they all walked inside. "Search the house. We need to find out what happened here."

The entire residence was completely totaled, the once-nice furnishings now fit for the scrapheap. Even when he'd been living in a shitty apartment with Bow a year back, Ryu would have turned up his nose at the prospect of just about anything he saw. Furniture was splintered, windows shattered, rugs and tapestries bore bloodstains... even the religious statues had all been toppled. Whatever had happened to Claris, she clearly hadn't gone down without a fight. In the end, it was Katt who found the note, hidden in a waterproof seal inside the toilet's septic tank with Tiga's name on it.

_They're on to me. A paladin named Gabriel has been practically stalking me, and after I refused his advances for the twentieth time, he started to grow suspicious. It's my own fault; I got sloppy since the soulless ones don't notice anything. If I stop sending word, and I'm not here when you arrive, it means they've come for me. I'll try not to be taken alive, but if I am, don't do anything stupid. It's not just you and me any more. We're responsible for everybody now, not just each other. Do what you have to do. I'm sorry I blew it, now of all times, when it matters more than ever before. I lo _

"Looks like they started knocking before she could finish it," Bow guessed as they passed it around. "Not good."

"Are you okay?" Katt asked Tiga quietly; the Woren Clansman's fists were slowly opening and closing.

"No," he admitted. "No, I'm not. Claris... she's been my best friend as far back as I can remember. Ever since we ran away from Namanda together. I never even thought about what it'd be like without her around. She can't be dead. She... she just _can't_."  
"We don't know for sure, boss," Goof pointed out. "Maybe they just hauled her up to the Grand Cathedral. We can go looking for her once we get in."

"Could be she'll be in the same place they're keeping Rand's mom," Deis agreed. "We can bust them out together."

"Yeah." Tiga slowly nodded, crumpling the note up. "Yeah, okay. Stick to the plan it is. We should probably get out of here, then. Maybe we can ask one of the poor schmucks on the way over if they know what happened."

"Not a good idea, man," Ryu told him, shaking his head. "Could be the demons have plants among them, just in case something like this happens."

"Yeah." Tiga slowly nodded. "Yeah, okay. It's just... _dammit!_" Snarling suddenly, he whirled and demolished an entire wall with one punch. As everybody stepped back, he stood still for a moment, breathing heavily, before nodding sharply. "All right. Let's get in there, then."

Leaving the house, they proceeded through Evrai towards the massive stairs before the Grand Cathedral in a straight line and began the climb. In full plate mail, it was more difficult than Ryu had expected, especially since he had to put an effort into not showing the strain; an actual paladin would have made the climb many times before. He could only imagine how Jean and Bow were feeling, though he didn't dare turn his head to look.

"Brothers," one of the paladins at the door hailed them as they approached the top. "Sisters. Welcome back to the heart of the world. Where have you returned from?"

"Bando," Ryu replied, raising his visor; they'd decided earlier that that would be the safest answer if the question arose. "We bear news for Father Habaruku, from Father Manson."

"So many of you, simply to deliver a message?" Another paladin asked, sounding suspicious. "Surely one or two of you would have sufficed."

"Unfortunately, this is no ordinary message," Ryu told him, doing his best to sound grim. "Bando was attacked by armed heretics yesterday."

"No!" The first paladin blurted out, raising his own visor; he was middle-aged and stout, with large eyes and heavy jowls. "Is Father Manson..."

"Unharmed, thanks be to God," Tiga told him. "We managed to drive them off, but several of them were able to escape. All of us were witnesses to the attack, and so Father Manson ordered us to come tell Father Habaruku what we saw, so that he may decide how the faith will pursue this matter."

"Then you must see him immediately, as soon as mass is over," the first paladin said fiercely. "The protection of the faithful from violent heretics is our foremost responsibility."

"I agree, brother," the second one said, still sounding skeptical. "Let us proceed with the formalities with all haste, then, so that these brothers and sisters may attend."

"Yes, of course," the first paladin agreed, lowering his visor again. "Ahem. Brother..." He paused. "Forgive me, have we met?"

"I don't think so, brother," Ryu admitted. "I only took my vows a few months ago, and I have not yet met all of our order."

"So young, and you lead this group?" The second one said, voice warmer now. "You must be talented, brother. May I ask who it was who oversaw your vows?"

"Brother Braddoc," Ryu replied calmly. "It was he who first convinced me to enter the order."

"Oh, Ray?" The first paladin chuckled. "We should have known. He's brought in more paladins save for anybody but Father Manson himself. Well then, would you care to start us off, brother?"

"Of course," Ryu said calmly, hiding his panic; he'd studied the holy book, but he'd hoped there would at least be some sort of prompt as to what he was supposed to do. Desperate, he seized upon the first thing that came to mind, and recited the start of a random hymn. "St. Eva, and his children..."

"Will endure beyond time and space," the first paladin replied, nodding to him and glancing at Tiga expectantly as he and his partner took hold of a handle each and swung the massive double doors open. Taking that as his cue, Ryu walked inside as Tiga stepped forward.

"The voices of our prayers..." the Woren Clansman said as Ryu entered the Grand Cathedral.

He'd expected to enter the place of worship immediately, or at least a lobby, but neither was what awaited him. Inside the doors was a massive, dark room that appeared to stretch all the way to the roof. The huge front of the grand cathedral seemed to be for appearances only; beyond it was another wall, this one much more sturdy-looking, constructed of dark brick. There were no windows, and more stairs led up to the single grim door, though thankfully not nearly as many.

Stepping to one side, Ryu patiently waited while the rest of the group went through the rite of entry, joining him and Tiga one by one. They'd alternated _Renegades _and _Dragonkin _for the most part, though all of the women had been at the back. As a general rule, Ryu's group managed to get their lines right without any trouble, but several of the _Renegades _sounded somewhat uncertain. Fortunately, the actual paladins seemed not to notice, and a few minutes later they closed the doors behind Katt, leaving them alone in the entrance chamber.

"_Oui_!" Jean whispered jubilantly. "So far, so good, yes?"

"Close, though!" Don muttered, turning his head towards Ryu. "Why'd you choose such a hard one, Bateson? I almost screwed it up!"

"My bad," Ryu admitted. "I panicked. Just went for a verse without thinking about which one."

"Hey, we're in, right?" Katt said, clapping them both on the shoulder. "That's what counts. Let's get on up there, huh?"

"What she said." Tiga nodded, starting up the stairs, and the others followed him. "What worries me is what they said about mass. Think somebody'll be giving a sermon?"

"If there is, we'll have to sit through it," Ryu said quietly. "Chances are it'll be the Archpriest. This Habaruku asshole. Can't help anybody if we blow our cover."

"Yeah, yeah," Tiga muttered, but he didn't argue further as they reached the door and walked on into the nave. This, at least, was about what Ryu had expected; it was similar to those of other churches, but on a far grander scale, looking to be nearly a mile square. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of pews were filled with the bustling congregation, all chatting eagerly about the upcoming sermon; there was only one left open, in the back, but it looked wide enough for all of them. Without a word, they all slipped in and sat down quietly, and were thankfully ignored by the citizens.

"Let's just hope this one wasn't being saved for somebody else, or we're in trouble," Max commented quietly.

"Shhhh!" Goof hushed him. "Come on, kid."

"Nah, dad, remember?" The younger man shook his head. "These schmucks won't even care what we're talking about. Claris said so. We just have to keep our voices down so no paladins hear us. Any of them in here? Or any other guards"

"There appear to be a pair of archers, but that's all," Nina murmured; up in the back wall, there was a single door to the far left of the altar and statue of St. Eva, and a pair of reptilian Kimoto Clansmen were flanking it, grim and silent. "I don't see any others."

"How much do you guys know about Habaruku, anyways?" Sten asked. "Not much gets out of Evrai about him. Just that he's the head of the church. We can pretty much conclude from that that he's a demon lord, but that's all we've got."

"And here I thought you guys always did the research," Mick joked. "Lucky for us, we did. Get this. He's not just the current head, he's the _only _one. As in, ever. The guy's the _founder_. The story goes that St. Eva gave him eternal life in order to bring his message to the world. Of course, we know the real reason. He's been around for centuries, and apparently his magical talent is ridiculously powerful."

"I can testify to that," Deis growled, looking irritable. "I can feel him already, even though he's not here yet. He's good, maybe almost as good as me, but it's the most disgusting power I've ever seen. Makes my skin crawl."

"Ditto," Bow agreed, and Nina and Spar both nodded as well.

"If you guys say so." Don shrugged. "Oh yeah, and apparently he only actually puts in an appearance about once a week. Maybe paladins and churchmen see him more often, but nobody else."

"Just our luck we'd show right in time for it," Big P muttered.

"All I care about is when he's finally going to get here," Tiga said flatly.

"All rise!" One of the paladins called out on cue, and the room went silent. "All rise for the Archpriest, and founder of the faith! Father Habaruku!" Everybody stood, including both teams, as the door slowly opened.

"God is great," the old man in the doorway said slowly, his high, rasping voice ringing through the nave. "God is good." He was short and ugly, dressed in rich robes, purple over green and both trimmed with gold, one gnarled hand resting on a simple wooden cane. His beard and mustache were both long and wild, a dirty yellow, though his massive head was completely bald. His nose was large as well, red and warty, and his eyes normal, though the irises were black... until Ryu looked directly at them, and recoiled automatically from the sheer malevolence within. "God shall reign eternally."

"Who is he?" Deis hissed to herself. "I know I've met him before, but in a different shape and form and name. Where?"

"Welcome once more, faithful ones, to the heart of St. Eva," Habaruku continued as he began making his way towards the altar and pulpit; it was obvious from his pace that the cane wasn't just for show. "As always, your presence here fills our God's heart with joy, even as you fill this nave with your bodies. Thank you for your devotion, my beloved friends. Through your prayers, we draw ever closer to the day when St. Eva's love covers all of the world, and every living creature shall be one with God. Praise be to God."

"Praise be to God," everybody else echoed, including both teams.

"Here, in eternally bright Evrai, where the sun always shines and spring lasts forever, there is nothing but that which is beautiful," Habaruku continued. "All that is ugly, all that is bleak, all that is unpleasant and distasteful and sacrilegious, simply does not exist upon this island of Evrai. One day, and this day may be very soon indeed, all of this world will be like Evrai, and all men and women and even the creatures of the wild will enjoy God's blessing. Even the most savage of monsters will be pacified by God's touch. May God be with them."

"May God be with them," the congregation repeated again.

"And now, faithful ones, I shall speak to you of our God's heart and mind, so that you may know his wish and his will." Finally reaching the pulpit, Habaruku turned to face them, raising his arms so that his hands were level with his eyes, spread wide. "I have spoken to you of many things before. Of love, of faith, of dedication, of sacrifice. I have spoken to you on nature and on truth, on morality and on family, on life and on death. I have spoken of magic, of science, of history and of art. I have spoken to you of good and of evil. But today, I will speak to you not of that which is beloved by God, but that which is _despised_ by God. Today, my friends... I will speak to you of _blasphemy_."

"Not good," Bow murmured as the congregation began muttering angrily.

"Remain calm," Spar told him. "We must remain congruent with the plan, as long as is possible."

"Heresy is a complicated subject, as we all know," Habaruku said, calm and reasonable, as the grumbling died down. "According to St. Eva's teachings, men must choose to accept his blessing of their own free will, rather than out of guilt or compulsion, so that their belief will be true. Because of this, we must tolerate the existence of those who refuse St. Eva's love, out of foolishness or stubbornness, no matter how hideous such may be to our eyes and the eyes of our God. Unbelievers are to be pitied rather than hated, for they may never know what a glorious thing St. Eva's hand is."

"I can't believe I ever bought into this crap," Mick whispered, disgusted.

"Most of them aren't this obvious about it," Katt pointed out. "That's the thing about the holy books. They're open to inte... inter... something."

"Interpretation?" Nina suggested, causing her to make a face.

"La... I mean, god, I hope not," she muttered. "I mean, I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to that sort of thing, but you gotta draw the line somewhere, you know?"

"I don't think that word means what you think it means," Spar said after a long moment. "At all."

"However, while most heretics are simply sad and misguided, there are others of a more... dangerous nature," Habaruku continued, the statue of St. Eva looming behind him. "Those who do more than simply turn away from our faith, and our God. Those who turn _against_ us, and with hatred in their hearts, devote themselves tirelessly to our destruction, and the destruction of everything that we stand for. There are words for such wretched souls, who do the work of the demons of Infinity, are there not?"

"Sinner!" One deep-voice man shouted.

"Blasphemer!" An old woman screeched.

"Abomination!" Another man suggested.

"All accurate words, for the most hideous of heretics," Habaruky agreed, his own voice still calm and peaceful despite how it carried throughout the room. "For you see, faithful ones, I regret to inform you that one such heretic has infiltrated this most holy of places, and dared to live among us while plotting treachery and deceit. Yes, one of our own number is a heretic terrorist, who entered Evrai without the permission of God or his servants, in order to learn the holy city's secrets, so that she would be able to use them to bring about our destruction!"

"Oh, crap!" Katt hissed, as the crowd erupted in angry yelling. "You don't think..."

"Don't freak out!" Tiga whispered, staring straight at Habaruku. "Act natural, or else he'll realize something's up with us!"

"Does anybody else feel weird, all of a sudden?" Little P groaned, putting a hand to his helmet. "Kind of groggy... and my head hurts, too..."

"You too, son?" Big P asked, and the other _Renegades _began muttering agreement.

"I feel fine, _mon amis_," Jean said with a shrug.

"Yeah, same here," Sten agreed, as did the rest of the _Dragonkin_. Tiga said nothing, too busy staring at Habaruku.

"St. Eva spoke to me, and led me to where the heretic lurked, her poisonous fangs hidden carefully and waiting for the moment to strike," Habaruku was saying, voice carrying over the crowd's roars. "Brother Gabriel led a delegation of paladins to apprehend her, and they succeeded, though not without cost. Seven brave knights of God sacrificed their lives in the process of capturing her. They gave their lives freely, in the service of God, and to protect you from her murderous plans."

"Seven?" Sten whistled. "Damn."

"I _knew _she was badass," Katt muttered. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"I should have been here," Tiga growled. "I shouldn't have let her go all by herself without backup! What's wrong with me?"

"And now, behold!" Habaruku exulted, raising the index finger of his free hand up in the air. "Behold the heretic! Behold the viper in the garden of God, the infection in God's heart! Behold the evil one!" The room went dark, as a beam of light shone straight down from far above, a golden pillar directly behind Habaruku.

And from above, inside the pillar of light, Claris descended, battered and bloody with her legs dangling and arms spread as if bound by invisible chains.

"No," Tiga murmured, staring at her, as the crowd's anger and clamor doubled.

"Shit!" Ryu hissed as his head began to throb, a dull ache that threatened to drown out all his other senses. "Okay, now I feel it!"

"Feel nothing!" Bow whimpered. "_Look _at it!" In the air around and above them, a gray mist was coalescing, appearing as if given shape and form by the anger of the worshipers. But unlike a normal mist, it was not slow and placid; instead, it raced around the room as if blown by fierce winds, though none were present. And then, slowly, it began to take the shape of human faces, screaming in mindless agony.

"Hurts..." Mick whimpered. "It hurts..."

"Fight it!" Deis snapped. "It's a raging soulstorm! If you give in, you'll become one of _them_!"

"Trying," Jasmine grunted. "But... so angry... so sad..."

"This woman, Claris Parcia, was one of us!" Habaruku shouted as a bright blue bubble of magic appeared around her, crackling with golden power inside. She flinched, hissing quietly, as smoke began to rise from everywhere the bubble or the energy touched her. "She lived among us, befriended us, came with us to worship! We shared our lives, our loves, our secrets with her! And the entire time, she was doing the work of Infinity, seeking a way to kill St. Eva himself! But as you can see, such vile dreams are baseless and hopeless, for all men are powerless before God, whether good or evil!"

"God shall reign eternally!" The congregation shouted back, sounding more like spectators at a sporting event than worshipers now.

"And now, true believers, faithful sons and daughters of God, I ask you," Habaruku said calmly, almost gently. "God has led me to this false friend of ours, but he has left her fate to us, who act as his voice and his hands in this mortal world. I ask you, my devoted ones, what shall be done with this wretch? Shall we show pity on her, and attempt to turn her from her path of lies, so that she might have another chance to discover the truth of St. Eva's love? Or have her sins already forever closed that door to her? My brothers and sisters, I leave it in your hands."

"Kill her!" A woman screamed.

"Kill her!" A thousand voice agreed. "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill..." Big P whispered, voice blank and empty. "Kill... kill..."

"Kill..." The other _Renegades _agreed. "Kill... kill..."

"What are you guys _saying_?" Tiga hissed, finally breaking his stare to turn on them, wide-eyed. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"_Ladon_," Ryu hissed; he felt it too, the overwhelming hatred generated by the congregation that was threatening to swallow up his entire consciousness. For a moment, he was almost tempted to give in to it, to let himself become one with the empty numbness that would forever end all of his own woes and sufferings. But then his gaze fell upon Katt, and Nina, and Bow, and all the others, and he redoubled his efforts. "This is insane!"

"Fight it," Spar whispered. "It can be fought. It can be overcome."

"What do we do?" Katt was asking Tiga. "They're going to kill Claris! And the rest of the guys, they're..." She left it hanging, unable to actually say it.

"Shit..." Tiga's head swept back and forth, from one of his men to another. "Shit!"

"Kill!" The crowd continued to rage. "Kill! Kill!"

"My brothers and sisters, I understand your anger," Habaruku said, spreading his hands, his face still placid despite the loudness of his voice. "After all, such heresy is the greatest and most unforgivable of sins. But we must not allow ourselves to be moved by blind hatred. Ours is the path of love, not hate, even for such a sinner as this. St. Eva judges, but he also forgives. Perhaps even this miserable wretch may still repent her evil deeds. What say you, my people? Shall we give her one last chance, here and now... and judge for ourselves whether she can be saved?"

"Judgment!" Another man shouted, deep and dark. "Judgment!"

"Kill!" Others continued to shout, but more began to echo the first one, and soon the two words were both being screamed, almost as if in argument. "Judgment! Kill! Judgment! Kill! Judgment! Kill!"

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Nina murmured darkly.

"Because you're smart?" Sten replied.

"We must do something!" Jean begged. "This agony... it must cease if only we take action, yes?"

"We would never be able to make it," Spar told him bluntly. "The crowd would pull us under and rip us to shreds, and even if they didn't, they'd make us sitting ducks for Habaruku's magic. Somehow, I doubt he would be concerned with the possibility of casualties among his own flock."

"What's worse, I doubt _they'd_ care either." Rand snorted. "Probably figure themselves as martyrs or something. Still... argh, this _hurts!_ Namanda, Namanda, Namanda, Namanda..."

"Judgment!" The majority of the crowd was shouting now, though a few were still calling for death. "Judgment! Judgment!"

"Then it shall be judgment," Habaruku agreed, hands still spread. "I shall give this heretic one final chance, and teach her the ways of St. Eva. Perhaps she can still be saved, should she open her heart to our God." Turning around, he glanced up at Claris. "We'll start slow and simple, young lady. After all, our God is merciful. Now tell me, is Claris Parcia your real name? Where are you from? Do you have any friends?"

Claris' head hung, and she said nothing.

"Oh?" Habaruku murmured after a moment, as the bubble shrunk slightly, and more smoke rose from her fists and feet, as the smell of burning flesh filled the nave. "Have you lost your voice suddenly? You had quite the vocabulary when the paladins came for you, I've heard. Well, that's quite all right. I'll answer for you. Indeed, your name is Claris Parcia... second-in-command of the mercenary group known as the _Renegades_, and lifelong friend of their commander, Tiga Lee!"

"What?" Claris blurted, head snapping up. "How did you know that?"

"Ah, there we go." Habaruku smiled, a gentle expression on ugly features, as long as one didn't look at his eyes. "Your voice works after all, but it seems you're having some difficulties with your hearing. I am God's chosen one, the embodiment of his will on this mortal earth, and he has granted me his power. I know your thoughts, Miss Parcia, your hopes and dreams and despairs. Shall I tell the people more of your true nature, or would you like to?"

Claris glared down at him, but remained silent again, even when the bubble tightened again, and she thrashed against her invisible restraints.

"Very well then." Turning to the congregation, Habaruku closed his eyes, that same gentle smile remaining. "Your friends and allies, the _Renegades_... you and they were hired to destroy us, were you not? Promised zenny, more than you had ever dreamed of, in exchange for our deaths. It wasn't personal, was it? Just business. And yet, that does not absolve you of sin, for even if you hold no hatred for us, you are still a murderer, are you not? One who planned to murder all of us, here in Evrai?"

"He's got us!" Tiga groaned. "He knew all along!"

"Don't give up!" Katt urged him. "Keep fighting it!"

"You try to close your heart to me, Claris, but it is futile." Opening his eyes again, Habaruku turned back to her. "The more you try to hide your thoughts, the more you secretly wish to give in, to speak the truth, and end this suffering. To accept our God, and put this horrible time behind you, along with your old life, and all of your hidden sorrows. Your life in... Cotland, isn't it? That canyon, in southern Carmen? Although that's only recent... you used to live on the Island of Guntz, did you not?"

Biting her lip, Claris stared at him with hatred in her eyes, but she still remained silent.

"Such ugly places to live," Habaruku murmured. "You've always lived in such places, haven't you? You never enjoyed it... no, you wished for a better life, in Sima perhaps, or Auria. Nicer places, where you could buy pretty dresses, and go to dances, instead of creeping on rooftops and lounging in taverns. But that was what the job required, and so you resigned yourself to it, never whispering a word of your dreams to the others. Even Tiga, your oldest, closest friend... or is it more than that?"

"Stop it..." Claris hissed, before shrieking as the bubble burned her. "_Get out of my mind!_"

"What?" Tiga whispered.

"I can't do that, Claris." Habaruku wagged his finger at her. "In order to save you, to redeem your heart, you must confess your sins and your secrets before St. Eva. And if you will not, then I shall do it for you, for I am a kindly man, and I pray for your salvation. Now then... where were we? Ah yes, Tiga Lee, your constant companion for as long as you can remember. Even when you were children, adopted by the Namandian monks together, he was more than just a friend to you, wasn't he? But you never told him... that was the one thing you could never bring yourself to admit."

"Bastard!" Katt snarled quietly.

"We'll make him scream for this," Ryu promised her, fighting his own urge to do something, _anything_, almost as overpowering as the insane pressure of the soulstorm. "But we can't do that if we get killed here. Dammit, isn't there _anything_ we can do?"

"His dream was to start his own band of mercenaries, and you went along with it, putting your own wishes aside to help him achieve his," Habaruku continued. "You turned your heart to ice, and became the perfect second-in-command. Calm, competent, logical and efficient. You watched his back, for all those years... watched him with all those girls, always wishing it was you in his arms instead of them. But you knew he would never look at you the way he did at all of them. You were something else to him... but did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way about you?"

"I'll kill you," Claris whispered, before screaming as the bubble shrunk another time. "_Aaaah!_ I don't care how long it takes, I don't care what happens to me afterwards! Kill me now, Habaruku, or I swear I'll rip your damned tongue out and choke you with it!"

"Kill!" The crowd began to chant again, and now all the _Renegades_ save Tiga were chanting with them, just as mindlessly. "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Tiga Lee, so brash, so boisterous," Habaruku said, his voice still carrying over the crowd. "He fell in love ten times a year, and never once considered that maybe that wasn't what love was at all. That maybe love was how he felt about the one woman he could never get up the nerve to ask, the one girl who he forced himself not to treat like all the rest, because she was too important to him to risk that. Over time, he might even have forgotten, at least consciously... but deep down inside, he'd still feel the same, even if he didn't know it himself, wouldn't he?"

Tiga made an agonized mewling noise.

"Oh, no no no no no," Jean said slowly, staring at him. "This cannot be."

"No," Ryu whispered, meeting Katt's horrified gaze. "No, this isn't what I wanted..."

"Wouldn't it be nice?" Habaruku met Claris' eyes again. "If Tiga realized, just in time, and came to save you? You saved him from his own folly so many times. What if now, the one time you were the one to make the mistake, he would save you in turn, and realize how he really felt?" Closing his eyes, he shook his head. "A pity that that will never happen. After all, you know better. To Tiga, you're a subordinate, a friend, his trusted partner... but nothing more. And you're both professionals, aren't you? Why would he put himself, and all the rest of your _Renegades_, at risk to save one woman?"

"Tiga will come one day," Claris replied, cold and calm. "Not now. But he'll come, and he'll kill you for this, Habaruku. He'll tear you limb from limb. No matter where you run, no matter where you hide... one day, he'll find you."

"Such faith in your leader," Habaruku murmured. "You truly believe him to be invincible, don't you? Just as he believed you to be infallible. A pity that you couldn't live up to his expectations. I wonder, if he were here now..." He turned to sweep the crowd with his gaze. "What would he think, to see you like this? Would he hate you, for disappointing him so... or would that dream of yours become reality, and would he come to save you, knowing he was throwing his own life away by doing so? Tell me, Claris, which do you fear more? His hate, or his love?"

"What do we do?" Katt whimpered, looking sick. "Ryu? Tiga?"

"Katt," Tiga said slowly. "I think I get what you said now. That night. About you and me... not being in love. That that wasn't what love is." He shook his head slowly. "I was always such a damned idiot... and look what's happened because of that. Shit. I'm sorry, Katt, Ryu... all of you. For everything." He turned to look at Deis, raising a hand spread towards the _Renegades_. "Are they... gone?"

"Not yet," Deis told him grimly. "But there's no turning back now. If we just leave them like this..."

"Then there's only one way to save them now." Tiga took a deep breath. "Yeah. Okay. I get what you mean."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bow yelped. "You're not saying what I think you are!"

"He is." Sten slowly nodded. "Look, Tiga. I'll do it, okay? It shouldn't have to be you."

"Thanks, Sten." Tiga shook his had again. "But I was the idiot who got them into this. I should be the one who gets them out of it." Standing up, he stepped back over the bench, and behind the mindlessly chanting _Renegades_. "I'm sorry, guys."

And then, two by two, he broke their necks with his mailed hands, saving Max and Little P for last so that their fathers wouldn't have to see them die.

"Tiga," Katt and Ryu whispered together.

"You know it's a trap," Bow said, staring Tiga in the eye. "You know what's gonna happen, if you go up there. You're good, but you're not _that _good. No one is."

"Yeah, I know." Tiga raised his visor and gave them one last, sad smile. "Sorry, but I can't let her do this alone. Looks like this is my last screwup. It's all up to you guys, now. Stay quiet, and wait it out, then make him pay when it's all over. I'll see you next time." Walking to the center aisle, he proceeded up it, slowly and calmly, ignoring the ranting crowd that didn't even see him. As he walked, he began shedding his paladin's armor, piece by piece, until he stood in his normal garb, fists clenched at his side. "All right, asshole. Hold it right there!"

"Well, well!" Habaruku turned around to meet his eyes, unsurprised. "You must be Tiga Lee. How delightful! Have you come to join us, and confess your sins, so that you might be redeemed, and accepted into God's love?"

"Confess my sins?" Tiga laughed, short and sharp and bitter. "Yeah, sure, why not. I got lots of 'em. I drink too much, I eat too much, I sleep too much, I smoke too much. I've been violent, and I've liked it, and I'm a shameless womanizer, too. I kill for zenny, and I'm not too picky about who. I've lied, and stolen, and blackmailed, and threatened." He raised his eyes to meet Claris'. "But the worst of all... was that I was a coward. Too much of a coward to admit, even to myself, how I really felt about the one person who's always been with me, my whole life."

"You fool," Claris whispered, eyes brimming with tears that didn't quite fall. "You shouldn't have come. I wanted you to live."

"Ah, true love," Habaruku exulted, voice warm and caring. "It's such a wonderful thing."

"What's wonderful about this?" Tiga snarled, glaring at him again. "Is this what you call God's love? Torturing helpless women? You piece of shit!" He leapt over the altar, claws spread and teeth bared, only to slam against a wall of shimmering silver light as it suddenly appeared between him and the Archpriest.

"Ladon, _no_," Deis hissed, staring at the spell. "That's Sara's Silver Wall."

"What?" Nina blurted out, eyes widening as well. "Nobody's been able to cast that successfully in a thousand years!"

"What's wonderful is the depth of your devotion to each other," Habaruku explained as Tiga fell back, howling in pain as the front of his body sizzled and smoked where he'd touched the barrier. "But she is not the only one you are loyal to, is she? Tell me, Tiga, did you come alone? Ah, of course not... those corpses down there are the rest of your team, aren't they? How cruel of you, to kill those who trusted you more than anyone else in the world. They came from all over the world, from lives as dismal as your own, to follow you to glory... and this is how you repay them? Truly, you _are_ a sinner."

"Yeah, I'm a sinner all right," Tiga growled. Flipping back to his feet, he charged the barrier again, but this time instead of falling back, he forced himself forward, pressing against it with all his strength even as the sizzling silver light seared his fur and flesh. "I'm such a bad guy, I'm gonna kill the Archpriest of St. Eva!"

"Oh, but you can't kill me, Tiga Lee," Habaruku corrected him, wagging his finger again as he watched Tiga advance, one agonized step at a time, flesh burning and fur falling off. "I wonder, though... perhaps you still have more friends, hidden among our congregation. If so, watch closely, all of you, and behold the fate of the unrepentant." He turned his back on the Woren Clansman, and gazed up at Claris once more. "And yet, sinners though you are, I find myself moved by the depths of your devotion. Even if St. Eva will not show you mercy, I cannot bring myself to refuse it to you."

"He... he was able to make it up the aisle, yes?" Jean said quietly, eyes filled with horror. "Surely, if we all charged together..."

"Habaruku let him come," Sten told him flatly. "If we went for it, he'd turn the crowd on us, and kill us while they held us down. We've got no choice but to do what he told us to. He knew this would happen. He's counting on us to avenge them."

"After all this..." Katt murmured, staring at Tiga's doomed charge, as the Woren Clansman continued to advance, even as fur and skin together continued to melt away. "Everything that happened... _this _is how it ends? _Why_?"

"Perhaps God will relent after all, and allow your souls to join his side, unrepentant sinners though you may be," Habaruku said as he raised his hand again, and the sphere containing Claris began to rise back towards the ceiling once more. "Or perhaps he will not, and you will be cast into the void beyond existence. But whatever your fate may be, you will face it together... in death as you were in life. Go."

Roaring mindlessly, Tiga broke through the barrier, every inch of his body covered in horrendous burns, blood streaming from every orifice on his face. Somehow managing to leap into the air on the ruined wreckage of his legs, he lunged at Habaruku, casting a crescent of bright red energy before him and following it with claws and teeth that were only still attached to him by shreds of flesh and muscle.

And then the very air itself around him exploded a thousand times at once, vaporizing the crescent and sending Tiga's broken body skidding across the floor next to Habaruku and past him, arms and legs all twisted and broken, his tail completely severed to fall to the ground behind him.

As the crowd fell silent, before anybody could take another breath, Claris plummeted from above and smashed against the tile on the Archpriest's other side in a spray of blood, bouncing once before lying still.

"Ladies and gentlemen, behold the power of God," Habaruku said, voice-echoing in the now silent room, as he returned to the pulpit. "Both judgment and mercy, in the same breath. Let us pray for their souls, so that they might find God's light in death, though they could not in life. For Tiga Lee, and for Claris Parcia."

"Claris..." Tiga whispered, crawling behind Habaruku towards her limp body.

A moment before he reached her, even as he reached out his shattered hand to grasp her dead one, Habaruku raised his finger one more time, and a pillar of lightning ten feet wide consumed them both before they could touch.

"God is great," the Archpriest of St. Eva said, spreading his hands and bowing to the congregation. "God is good. God shall reign eternally. This concludes today's prayers. Go now, and remember, God is always with you." Turning, he made his way back to the door, leaning on his cane. His Kimoto Clansmen bodyguardss went with him, and once they were gone, the congregation began to break up as well. Ignoring the corpses of the _Renegades_, they left the room in one mass, talking and laughing amongst themselves as if the service had been completely ordinary.

Only when they were alone in the room did the nine men and women of the _Dragonkin_ stand up, eyes burning.

"Let's go," Ryu said quietly, and the other eight all nodded, as they walked up the center aisle, shedding their disguises as they went.

Following Habaruku.

* * *

Ray Braddoc, paladin of St. Eva, stared silently at the blood on his sword, and realized that he was now irreversibly damned.

Despite everything he'd seen of his younger brother's corruption, he'd still held out hope that Gabriel could be saved, taught the error of his ways, turned from the path Father Manson had set him on. But then he'd heard the younger paladin telling a few of his cronies what he was planning to do to the infiltrator he'd caught, before Father Habaruku dealt with her, and he'd known that he'd been wrong, and that Gabriel was beyond saving now.

It hadn't been easy to convince him to come back to his cell with Ray; he'd been determined to pay the woman-Claris, her name was-a visit before the sermon. In the end, though, Ray had convinced him to come, and as soon as they were alone, he'd drawn his sword and ended it with one quick chop to the neck. Leaving the body on the floor where it had fallen, and the head in the corner it had rolled into, he'd sat down on his cot and gazed on the evidence of his handiwork for how long he didn't know. Hours, at least. The sermon was almost certainly over.

For some reason, he didn't feel anywhere near as horrified or desperate as he'd always thought he would, should this day ever come. There was no agony, or regret, or sorrow. More than anything else, he just felt numb, completely free of either positive or negative emotion. It was odd, but at the moment, he couldn't help but think of it as one final blessing from God for all his years of service. Numbness was far preferable to the alternative.

"Was it ever possible for it to come to anything but this, Ray?" He asked himself, tilting his sword this way and that, his reflection bending in it. "Could I have avoided this path, if only I'd chosen differently?" Privately, he doubted it; he'd known that he would have to do what he would later today for months, ever since he'd realized who and what Ryu Bateson was. His own secret, the only one he hadn't shared with the _Dragonkin_, demanded it, and fate was an enforcer one couldn't simply turn away.

And yet, he had to wonder if his confidence in that certainty was nothing more than an excuse, a rationalization he was clinging to in order to help him explain his decisions. He'd never been a coward, or so he hoped, but he'd clung to duty and honor and fate, and shied away from what he'd really wanted to do. He'd remained in the service of the Church of St. Eva, even though he'd wished for something else for the first time in his life, and he'd missed his opportunity. Now, it was too late. His hands were tied, and there was nothing more he could do.

All the same, as he sat there in the dark cell with the bleeding corpse, he allowed himself to imagine what it would have been like for a moment. To imagine himself as one of the _Dragonkin_, if he'd asked to join up months ago, back before everything went wrong between them. They'd fought together against the demon Augus, and the monstrous terrapin queen Creon in the well beneath the capital city of Capitan, and he'd done everything he could to help them in their search for demons. He'd kept the secret of Ryu's heritage, though he hadn't told them of his own.

They'd have said yes if he had asked, he knew. For a time, they'd considered him practically one of their own anyways. He'd stayed in an unoccupied room in their home building, rather than being given an empty house for a night, and he'd sent his and Gabriel's adopted sister, Kay, to live in their town as the local doctor. He'd never met the Grass Man until later, and he'd believed Deis to simply be an old drinking buddy of Ryu's and Bow's, but he considered the rest of them to be his closest friends in the world now... and Nina something more than that, though he knew she didn't return that sentiment.

And then Gabriel had abducted Rand Marks' mother, Daisy, on the orders of Father Manson, and everything they'd built between them over all those months came tumbling down on all of their heads. He'd done what he had to, given them as much benefit of the doubt as he possibly could, more than any other paladin in the service would have. And yet, he could still remember the glares of mistrust and suspicion they'd given him as he'd left them standing in Daisy's field, hauling Gabriel back to Evrai with him. What was worse, he couldn't even blame them.

Their paths were crossed now, Ray knew, and today was the day when that conflict would express itself through violence. Never again would they look upon him as a friend, or even an ally, and the knowledge that he'd done his duty was cold comfort compared to that.

Raising his head from his blade, Ray stared at the tiny statue of St. Eva on the single shelf in his cell, and finally admitted to himself the real reason for his spiritual numbness. For the first time in his life, he _doubted _what he'd always believed. He doubted his own father, the Archpriest of St. Eva himself. He doubted Father Manson, who he'd never liked but always trusted. He doubted the paladins, the order he'd dedicated his life and soul too. And worst of all, he doubted even St. Eva himself, and though he knew that for blasphemy, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Father Habaruku told me that I was a credit to my Clan," he murmured, eyes still locked on the statue. "That I was wise in turning from their false God to the only true one. That perhaps, someday, if I was ever able to reunite with them, I might be able to convert them as well. But if what he told me was a lie, if I can't trust him, then..." It was distressing, even to think about. Father Habaruku had never been affectionate, but he'd raised the three orphans he'd taken in dutifully, and had never looked upon Ray without pride in his devotion.

"If everything I believe is a lie..." He murmured, before turning to his tiny writing desk. Walking over to it and sitting down, he began composing a letter to the only person left in the world who he knew he could still trust, and who trusted him unconditionally in return. Kay, his and Gabriel's adopted sister, though she'd had stronger feelings for him than that for some time, feelings he'd had to gently rebuff due to his vows. If today was the day he was to fulfill his destiny, then at least he would say goodbye to her, and explain why. That much he owed her, even if he couldn't give her more.

It took him the better part of an hour to finish the letter, and he struggled with the final sentence for almost ten minutes before finally writing it down and signing it. Sealing the envelope, he murmured a brief chant, and in a flash of magic it disappeared, on its way to her home. That was something else he'd always been proud of; his Clan were naturally unskilled at magic, but he'd studied twice as hard as the other paladins, and his skill with both white and black magic was equivalent to his swordplay. Not that he'd be using any of those today; this was the time for truths to be revealed.

"If everything I believe is a lie, then I have nothing now," Ray repeated, finishing the train of thought this time. "Only Kay, and she has her own life to lead. I made my choice, in regards to my friends, and I cannot unmake it now. The Church of St. Eva is, as it always was, my only place. I _must _do my duty. I have to, or I have nothing. I _am _nothing."

Father Habaruku had already told him just what the Church of St. Eva would require of him today, and though the thought had caused his heart to freeze and his blood to go cold, he'd known deep down inside that the dread wasn't strong enough to keep him from doing it, if he had to. For a moment, he'd almost hoped that Father Habaruku had been wrong, but that was nothing more than a silly fantasy. Being incorrect was something that happened to other men, men who had not been touched by God, and Father Habaruku had never been wrong in Ray's entire lifetime.

"Brrrotherrr Rrray?" A familiar voice said from the other side of the door, accompanied by a knock. It was Sinestre, one of Father Habaruku's twin bodyguards; he and Dexter had worked with Ray before, and they knew each other well, though he wouldn't call them friends. From what he knew of them, he doubted they had any; there were many paladins whose life was their work, but the Kimoto twins literally seemed to have no other thoughts but for their position. "The Arrrchprrriest says it is time. The serrrmon has concluded."

"Very well, Sinistre," Ray replied, staring at his own violet eyes in the sword's reflection for a moment more before wiping it on a rag he kept in his room for maintaining blade and armor. Standing, he set his helmet down over his head, sheathed his sword, and walked to the door. He opened it to meet the Kimoto Clansman, walking through without giving him a chance to look inside and see Gabriel's copse, and walked out. "As my father says, it's time."

"And you arrre rrready?" The bodyguard asked keenly.

"No," Ray admitted. "But I'm going anyways."

_ARE YOU AND I SO ALIKE _


	38. Chapter 35: The Holy Man

_**Chapter 35: The Holy Man **_

He was right there behind the first doorway, sitting behind a desk writing, his twin bodyguards standing at either side of him.

"_Habaruku!_" Katt screamed furiously, kicking the door down and charging him faster than lightning.

"Yes, child?" The old man raised his head to look at her, smiled kindly, and summoned the same barrier he'd used against Tiga before him even as his guards reached for their quivers. Katt skidded to a halt just in time to avoid crashing into it, swearing, but Habaruku kept talking as if he hadn't heard. "Is there something I can help you and your friends with, Miss Chaun?"

"You can start by dropping that little wall of yours," Sten suggested, voice darkly whimsical. "I hope you don't think it's all you'll need to protect you."

"Oh, but this _is _a spectacularly well-designed spell, General Legacy," Habaruku said, wagging a finger at him. "A work of art, though it still required a bit of polish. Sara, the Light Dragon who became the Silver Priestess of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit, crafted it once she became the last to join their ranks, signaling to them that their destiny would soon be fulfilled. As skilled as she was once her mind was opened to the uses of pain and suffering, however, she made it just a little too thin, too easy to break through. This model takes more power, but it's worth it, wouldn't you say?"

"It's very nice." Nina crossed her arms, surveying the barrier with distaste. "And how long did you plan on keeping it up? Your personal supply of magic is hardly inexhaustible. Should you run, you will not be able to maintain it from any distance. And those two hired bows of yours _might _take us almost an entire minute, if you're lucky."

"I'm afraid Sinestre and Dexter are both far more competent than you seem to give them credit for, Princess Windia," Habaruku murmured, as the two bodyguards remained impassive. "But that's not _quite_ what I had in mind, no. So eager to leap to violence. I haven't even said much to you yet." He sighed heavily. "It keeps happening. No matter how friendly I am to people, no matter how I try to help them, my presence alone always seems to stir conflict and hatred and violence. I suppose that's why I was named Demon Lord of War. Personally, I don't think it's very fitting. Do you?"

"Well, I suppose I should be glad you're not doing the usual 'I am blah, and I have blahed' thing," Ryu conceded, meeting his eyes. "But the 'kindly old man' act is getting old. Give us a break, will you?"

"Act?" Habaruku sighed again. "You see? As I was saying. I've known you all for such a long time, but this is the first time _you've _met _me_, and yet you already despise me. What was it that I did, to earn such hatred?" He paused theatrically. "Ah, of course. Mister Lee and Miss Parcia, and all of their number. You were friends with them, weren't you? Or perhaps more than friends?" He smiled at Katt, who snarled another curse. "And yet you did nothing to help them. You didn't even raise a finger. You _let _them die, and when you think about that, it's almost as bad as killing them yourselves, isn't it?"

"You _dare_-" Rand started to growl.

"Easy." Deis put a hand on his arm, putting a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "All of you. He told you already what his style is, as clear as day. Don't fall for it, no matter _what _he says. It's familiar, too. I just can't think of where from. Why?"

"Is it revenge that motivates you, then?" Habaruku continued, looking from one of them to another in turn. "For the _Renegades_? If so, I beseech you, my children, put such dark thoughts aside, for to devote yourself to another so is against the teachings of St. Eva. Think only of God, and how you may best serve him, as I do."

"Yeah, because we're going to listen to you?" Bow snorted.

"And why not?" Habaruku's dark eyes glittered with malice. "Have I not done you all enough good throughout the course of your lives for you to consider my words? I worked so hard, on your behalf, each and every one of you."

"Ah, how wonderful," Spar said dryly. "And here I was, thinking that your friend Barubary was our only... what's the word... stalker? Yes, I think that's it. It seems as though we are unreasonably attractive to those of a demonic persuasion. I suppose I should be flattered, but I can't quite muster up anything more than vague disgust. My sincerest apologies."

"I prefer to think of myself as more of a guardian angel, young one," Habaruku replied, chuckling. "One with interest in bringing you all together, so that you might find happiness with each other. It wasn't as easy as you would expect, providing the perfect circumstances for so many coincidental meetings without actually interacting with any of you. After all, we must obey the rules, must we not, Miss Deis?" He turned his smile to her. "I certainly wouldn't want your father to become angry with me."

"Her _what_?" Ryu and Bow both yelped.

"Later," she told them, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, okay," Ryu agreed, filing it away for future reference before glaring at Habaruku again. "Let me guess your next line. You were the one behind what Aruhameral did to my hometown. It's either you or Barubary, and somehow, I can't see him as the type to hold a grudge like Aruhameral said whoever sicced him on my father did. Which leaves you. Was that supposed to shock me?"

"Oh, that was far from the first thing I did to bring you all together, or the last," Habaruku told him. "But yes, I had... history with Ganer Bateson. It was he who crippled me, you know, on the day when I opened the doors to Infinity so that my brethren might join me in this world. He and your mother, fighting together against Barubary and I... ah, I remember it as if it were only yesterday."

"That a fact." Ryu smiled coldly, controlling his anger despite its new flare. "Shame he didn't finish you off, but I'm proud of him, all the same."

"As a son should be!" Habaruku nodded approvingly. "He was a dutiful father, both in the familial and in the religious senses, wasn't he? Even after what he did to me, he still remained loyal to St. Eva, with no idea whatsoever of just who I was. I wonder if he would have stayed his hand, had he known? Ah, but that's all in the past now." He met Ryu's eyes. "And despite our past, I still respected him enough to find a new way for him to serve our mutual God, afterward. I do hope he appreciated it."

Katt and Rand each had to grab one of Ryu's arms to hold him back from the wall of energy, and still he struggled against their massive strength, spitting curses.

"Easy, buddy," Bow told him, sneering. "This guy's so full of shit it's coming out his ears. Don't even bother paying attention to what he's saying."

"How unkind of you, Mr. Dogi." Habaruku turned his gaze to him. "I have always strove to be absolutely honest about who and what I am, in keeping with St. Eva's teachings. Unfortunately, not everybody has kept to that path. Your parents... such a pity it was, that we were forced to hang them for their sins. And yours, Miss Chaun. It was quite troublesome to persuade them to follow the laws of your people, despite their faith in those laws, and in St. Eva. And then, after they finally did, the accident that befell them so soon... how sad, is it not?"

"You..." Jean said, trembling with a cold, tranquil rage that seemed wholly unnatural coming from him-his rare flashes of anger had always been boiling hot-as both Bow and Katt's breathing became slow, loud and deep. "You have been doing these things to us? For all of our lives?"

"How else was I to help you?" Habaruku spread his hands. "I knew of your grand destiny, my children, and I knew that you would need to be strong to fulfill it. And so I did my part to ensure that you _would _be strong. You had to be, simply in order to survive, most of you, did you not? What better way to prepare you for what lay ahead of you? I'm rather proud of you all, you know. To slay not one, but all four of my greatest underlings... that's really quite impressive. It makes all of my hard work on your behalf worthwhile, and for that, you have my most sincere thanks."

"That why you kidnapped my mother?" Rand snorted. "Because you couldn't think of any other way to screw with me? Pretty sad, and a little late, don't you think? Kind of ruins that whole 'for your own good' bullshit of yours, since it didn't do anything for me."

"Nonsense, Mr. Marks!" Habaruku wagged his finger again. "Your mother's abduction motivated you, did it not? Increased your desire to learn more magic, to explore the full depths of your potential for healing, in order to recover her. Just as your father's death motivated her to raise you sternly, so that you would grow up strong, after he proved too weak to survive that unfortunate winter illness. She did it all for love of you, you know. She told me so herself, when Brother Gabriel brought her here. I wonder, though, did she ever tell _you_?"  
"I'm beginning to see how this is going," Nina murmured coldly, as Rand's hands started opening and closing slowly. "You prompted Necromanson to do his mischief in Windia, yes? And before that, that time when I was young, when that superstitious servant cut off my wings, prompting my parents to exile me and falsify my death... you as well, yes?"

"Oh yes, but those were both simply accompaniments to my earlier work," Habaruku explained happily. "Unlike these others, I knew when and where you would be born many centuries in advance, so it was easy to get an early start. Men _are _superstitious, are they not? So much so that they'll even believe that a thing as simple and silly as the color of one's wings foretells doom and despair. And look at you now. I can _feel _the power rising from you. You know, every one of your ancestors has been a magician of creation and healing. You're the first one trained in the arts of destruction instead. Isn't _that_ interesting?"

"Goonheim." Sten flipped a knife idly, leaning against a wall. "You bought our services and sent me in there just to get us all killed, right? So that I'd flip out and run. And you had Shupukay right there, to prompt me. I always wondered about that. I know what she was doing, now, but somehow, deliberately setting up a losing fight didn't seem like it was her style."

"Dear, dear Shupukay," Habaruku said, black eyes misting over in recollection. "So obsessed with conquest. It was that trait of hers that made her so appealing to us, a millennium and a half ago. Did you know that she was once much like you, Prince Tapeta? Naive and optimistic, in a world full of wonder. But when those dreams were shattered by war... well, hate becomes love much easier than you would think. Such beautiful blue eyes, turned from joy to hatred... tragic, is it not?"

"I wouldn't know," Spar told him clinically. "I doubt I'm truly capable of either. If you're going to insist on going through this, I might as well ask what you did to me, then. I'm rather curious. I do hope Gandaroof's ailment and my captivity at the hands of M.C. Tusk aren't the extent of it. I'd be horribly disappointed if you didn't do _something_ yourself."

"Oh, I knew you'd be a problem case, young one," Habaruku acknowledged, inclining his head slightly. "Beings with such limited emotions are so _difficult_ to motivate. In the end, all I could do to help you grow up strong was ensure that you would not have many of your own kind to help you do so. I forget how many Grass Men there were in the world before I did, but I'm sure there were many more than there are now."

"I see." Spar slowly nodded, face still blank. "That would do it, yes."

"I'm afraid you were equally difficult, Prince Tapeta," Habaruku continued to ramble on, taking a Wise Fruit from a dish on his desk and popping it into his mouth, chewing it without so much as wincing. "Until Kuwadora got down to work, the most I could do was remove your mother from the picture. Not your father, though; it would have ruined everything, had you actually been forced to ascend the throne. But for fear of that ascension to shape the course of your life... that worked out much better. And then, of course, there was Deis."

"Screw it!" Ryu snarled; everybody but the Sorceress and Spar were shaking now. "I've had enough of this! I'm going to-" He cut off as Deis laid a hand on his arm, staring at Habaruku with just as much calm, quiet loathing as he was regarding them.

"_I know you_," she whispered, dark and ominous.

"Eh?" For a moment, Habaruku's smile flickered, but then it returned. "Well, of course you do. You're very skilled at what you do, aren't you? You've done your research. Unless, of course, you left it up to the _Renegades_, but that wouldn't be very fair to them, now would it?"

"I should have known you from the moment I saw you," she continued, ignoring him, and everybody else turned their heads to look at her. "Of all the bastards I've seen, in all my years on this world, I've never met anybody quite like you. I suppose it's natural, really, that after all the nations of the world finally realized what you were and spread the word to kill you on sight, you would run to my sister's service. It was the only refuge left for you, and I'm sure she was impressed by your history. And so, for three thousand years, you've continued to pollute the world with your very existence."

"Three _thousand _years?" Ryu murmured, mind racing. "That's beyond even recorded history. That was the time where lost technology originated from." In an instant, all the dots connected. "A thousand years before the First Dragon War. He was involved with my original ancestor, wasn't he? The first Ryu of all."

"Indeed he was," Deis agreed, drawing herself up to a greater height on her tail than normal as Habaruku watched her, no longer smiling. "No man who was ever born, or who ever will, has earned death more than you, and yet... Yuna, of the Fou Empire, _you still live_."

"Three thousand years," Habaruku murmured. "Has it truly been so long, Deis? Or would you prefer Ershin? If that was really you... I'll admit, I'm still somewhat unsure as to how the mechanics of that actually worked. Regardless, it looks like you've endured the years much better than I have." He smiled again, but now it was sharp, reflecting the malice in his eyes. "You were the one I was finally forced to concede on. I simply had to hope for the best, and it seems that my hopes were fulfilled. They all think of you as _family_ now, don't they? Do you feel the same?"

"So, even you were scared of her, huh?" Rand said calmly as Deis' skin paled, but her face remained contemptuous. "Good to know."

"Fear of anything is against the teachings of St. Eva, young man," Habaruku advised him. "Put aside your false Namandian faith and walk the path of the only true God, I implore you. It is a difficult road, but it is well worth it. In truth, the reason I could not help Deis was simple. After all, what more could I do to her that she had not already done herself?" He met her eyes again. "Tell me, did you still love your sister, when you killed her?"

"That's all of us, then," Bow said bluntly. "You done? Or do you have a message for Niro, too? He's not here, but we'll be sure to bring it to him. Otherwise, how about we move this along, huh? As entertaining as all this is, we don't really have all day. If you were expecting me to stay pissed off, too bad, so sad. I'm over it. That was a long time ago, and like you just said, I've got a new family now."

"What he said." Katt slowly nodded. "But hey, we still appreciate all you've done for us. Why not drop that barrier and let us show you just how much, huh?"

"In detail," Nina added.

"Your gratitude is unnecessary, but you have my thanks in return, regardless," Habaruku told them blithely, smile growing gentle once more. "I do what I do for the benefit of others, and for the betterment of the world, rather than for any personal gain. And I am glad that you have found a family, truly. In my youth, I was foolish enough to consider such things unnecessary, but now that I am old, I have discovered a joy unlike any other in my sons, both of which have pleased me... though my daughter was somewhat disappointing. Still, I love her, as I do all mankind, even sinners such as you."

"Love." Ryu snorted, trying to put his father out of his mind, though the thought kept creeping in no matter how many times he told himself that Bow was right, and that he was long dead. "Is that what you call it?"

"Oh, but it is true," Habaruku assured him. "St. Eva commands us to love our fellow men, you see, and so I obey, as I do all of his teachings. Such a great heart our God has... but even God's kindness has its limits. Any who threaten the life of the Archpriest, the hand of God in this world, are beyond redemption. For those damned souls, our God has only one thing. Judgment. And there are those who deliver that punishment in this world. Those such as my two sons of who I am so proud." He turned his head to the staircase in the corner, and casually spoke five words that turned Ryu's mind to stone.

"Would you come down here, Ray?"

"Oh, _no_," Jean blurted, as Ray Braddoc descended the stairs.

"Yes, father?" He asked, turning his head to calmly look them over. The paladin wore his blue-enameled plate mail, but his helmet was tucked under his arm, allowing his long strawberry blonde hair to fall down his back, and his sword remained sheathed at his waist. Unlike every time they'd ever met before, though, none of his usual warmth was in his violet eyes, his attractive features as cold and unyielding as stone. "Are these people bothering you?"

He'd fought by their side many times before. Ryu, Katt and Rand had slain their first demon with his help, Augus Conte of Coursair; without him, they'd have been the ones in the dirt. He'd fought by their side again in Capitan, after Nina and Sten had joined up, helping them save the capital from the infestation of monstrous creons. He'd kept the secret of Ryu's ancestry, worked tirelessly to help them root out the demonic conspiracy, and been there when they'd convened with royalty and rangers at Duke Kilgore's summer home. They would have asked him to join, if he'd said yes.

And now he stood before them, St. Eva's justice, and all Ryu could think of was their fight the last time they'd met, when Ray had warned them never to raise a hand against the church again.

"These poor sinners have passed the point of redemption, Ray," Habaruku told him, shaking his head sadly. "They came here with others, intending to destroy Evrai and murder everybody within it, including the two of us. And then, when their friends were caught and confronted, they stood by and watched as they died, without lifting a finger to help them. Though our God forgives, he also judges, and it is judgment that is needed now."

"Don't listen to him, Ray," Bow urged him. "You heard us talking before, right? You were right up there. You've got to have been listening. You _know _what he is."

"I am a paladin, of the Church of St. Eva," Ray replied calmly, slowly turning his head to meet Bow's eyes. "My duty is to the Church. All who seek to harm the Church, or its people, are my enemies, and it is my duty to become God's wrath in this world and turn it upon them. That is all that is necessary."

"Now, now, Ray." Habaruku wagged his finger. "You don't need to pretend with us. I already know all about your friendship with these people. I know what affection you hold for them, despite their sins. But Ray..." He closed his eyes and sighed sympathetically. "Duty comes before even friendship. When you refused to defend Gabriel against them, St. Eva saw. You will not make that mistake again, will you?"

"No, father," Ray said quietly, turning to him and dropping to one knee. "I will not."

"A good boy," Habaruku murmured, looking upon him with hatred as he stood up and walked over to him, cane clacking on the floor. Putting his hand on Ray's forehead, he continued. "St. Eva, praise this young man, who has dedicated his life to your service. Grant him your strength, your swiftness, your immortality, and your wisdom, so that none may defeat him."

"What do we do?" Katt hissed to Ryu. "We can't fight Ray! Can we?"

"We may have to," Nina replied, eyes cold and narrowed in thought. "If so, we'll have to be careful not to permanently injure him. I suppose we'll have to bring him with us, as well. We can't have him going down with the city, once we manage to come up with another way to destroy it."

"Somebody else can do it," Rand grunted; he'd never really forgiven Ray for not taking their part when his mother had been abducted. "I'm not lugging him around."

"Rise, Ray Braddoc, son of St. Eva, and prove yourself worthy of the name paladin," Habaruku finished his benediction. "Show mercy to those who can still be saved, and none to those beyond salvation. Those are the vows you took, and this is the life you chose. The sword of God. As you can plainly hear, no words will sway them from their path of sin. Do what you know is right, Ray. Follow your heart, and it will lead you on the golden path of God, to his side forever. You are the only one I trust with this task, my son. Make me proud."

"I will, father," Ray promised, standing up again, as Habaruku began climbing the stairs, and Sinistre and Dexter turned to follow him.

"So that's it, then?" Ryu asked him once he was alone on the other side of the barrier, folding his arms. "Is that really how this is going to go, Ray?"

"That's up to you, Ryu." Ray crossed his own. "You are my friends, and so I will give you one more chance. Leave. Turn around, walk away, and I will say that you are all dead. Leave Evrai, and never return."

"We can't do that, Ray," Sten said calmly. "We've already lost friends. A bunch of them. Good people. Maybe not your sort of people, but good people, all the same. They didn't deserve what happened back there, in front of all those zombies." He made a short, disgusted noise. "You're smarter than this. I _know _you are. You can't be blind to what this city truly is. _Open your eyes, _Ray."

"My eyes are open," Ray replied. "And yet, I am trying not to believe what they tell me. That you are all heretics, blasphemers, terrorists. The worst kind of sinners. Prove me wrong. Walk away. Now."

"Like Sten said." Bow cocked his crossbow. "We can't do that."

"Then you will die," Ray said simply. "Or I will. One of the two. I am not so presumptuous as to assume myself invincible, but so long as I draw breath, not a one of you shall put a foot upon those stairs. You may be my friends, but all the same, you shall not pass."

"Then we shall have to take care of that," Nina murmured, meeting his eyes, as cold as ice. "Momentarily, of course. None of us actually _want _you dead, even Rand, and some of us are even somewhat inclined in the opposite direction. But Habaruku dies. That's non-negotiable. Past you or through you, it's all the same to us."

"Then it seems we've reached the point of conflict." Ray drew his sword as the barrier vanished. "You ask me to stand aside, while you kill the only father I have ever known? Even for you, Nina, and you, Ryu... no. I will not."

"Last chance, Ray," Katt warned him, cracking her knuckles, as they began to draw closer, all around him in a semicircle. "I'm not gonna lie and say I never thought about what it'd be like to go a round with you, because I do that with everybody. But not like this. This won't even be fun. And yeah, you're good, good enough that I'd be grinning like an idiot if it was you and me just for the hell of it, even though I'd probably lose. But nine on one? You're not _that _good, and you know it."

"We agree on one thing, then." Ray nodded, still impassive. "There is no joy to be had here, and there should not be. There is only duty... that, and truth." He looked from one of them to another. "You have accepted your destiny, have you not? All of you. When I saw your true form in Farmtown, Deis, my suspicions were confirmed. And now you are here... and you claim that the god you would slay is St. Eva. _My _god."

"Ray..." Ryu struggled with it for a moment, desperate despite everything to find some way to avoid what was about to happen. "It's not like that."

"But it is." Ray met his eyes. "Your destiny is to overthrow a God, as your ancestor did before you, and his before him, and his before him. Even Myria, whom men claim was a Goddess, was slain. I cannot allow you to do the same." For a moment, he wavered, but then his face grew hard again. "Whether St. Eva is good or evil... I have sworn my vows, and taken up my sword in their service. I am a servant of St. Eva, and I have chosen my path, as you have chosen yours. There is nothing more to say."

"It seems not," Ryu agreed, drawing his own sword and tensing himself to spring, only to pause as Ray opened his hand and let his sword drop to the floor. "Huh?"

"When first we met, I felt a strange sense of connection with you, Ryu," Ray continued, violet eyes seeming almost to glow now, as the room grew just a little darker. "Somehow, I knew we would become great friends, or mortal enemies. Soon, it became apparent that it would be the former, and I was glad of that. Until I discovered your heritage, and began to suspect the worst. In that moment, I knew that this day would come, but still I hoped that I was wrong, that my fears would prove unfounded. And yet, it is here. It's time, Ryu."

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Deis was muttering, staring at him, her own green eyes wide. "I should have known! How did I miss that? I forgot all about that part!"

"Wait, what?" Bow yelped. "This is the destiny bullshit? That doesn't make sense! Ray's not one of us, right? And he's sure as hell not a demon, either! Isn't it just supposed to be us and them?"

"No," Nina whispered, staring at Ray as well. "No, there's always one on the other side. One who's special. One who's always from the same Clan, no matter who the rest of the enemy are."

"Many times, I asked myself, why did I exist?" Ray murmured, almost seeming to be talking to himself now, as he turned his sword hand upward, staring at his mailed palm. "For what reason did I survive in a world in which my people did not, alone and abandoned? How was such a thing even possible? To that, I still do not know... but at least I know why. It was all for this day." He slowly clenched his fist. "_This _is the reason for my existence."

"How, indeed?" Spar's face was calm, but its eyes were focused on Ray. "As you said, they are gone... and yet you stand here before us."

"Uh, guys?" Katt looked around, baffled. "Mind filling in the cementhead on what exactly it is that I'm missing?"

"I would also like to know," Jean agreed. "It seems to be of monumental importance, but I must confess, I do not grasp the meaning of these words."

"Blonde hair," Ryu said quietly, meeting Ray's eyes as he remembered the books he'd read about his ancestors. About the two Dragon Wars that had engulfed the world in chaos millennia ago, and about the enemies they'd faced on both occasions, the brethren to his own Clan that had become pawns of Myria not once but twice. Like the Light Dragons, like _him_, identical to humans in their normal forms, but with a giveaway that was universal save for one example of mutation in all history. "Purple eyes. He's a Dark Dragon."

"Indeed." Ray slowly nodded. "And whenever a hero named Ryu rises from the Light Dragons... there will always be a champion of the Dark Dragons to oppose him."

"So what?" Ryu yelled, anger and desperation mixing within him. "Like we ever actually gave a crap about this destiny bullshit? Hell no! We're just going along with it because it's the only way out! That doesn't mean we have to do everything it tells us to like good little lizards! Don't do this, Ray! Don't do this to yourself! Don't do this to us!"

"You _dare _say that to _me_?" Ray roared back, inflamed, and everybody drew back; they'd never seen Ray truly furious before. Even when angry, he'd always been calm and cold, but all of that was gone now. His teeth were bared, and his eyes blazed with violet fire, almost like lit purple coals. "Here? Now? You suggest that there is any other way? When you charge into my only home, intend to kill my father, and destroy my god? _With_ _the blade of my ancestor's brother in your hand_?"

"I..." Ryu faltered. "What?" He stared at the sword he'd fished out from the ocean. "Who... your ancestor's brother?"

"You didn't even know?" Ray calmed down slightly, but his eyes still burned, and now his face was contemptuous, as he glanced at Deis. "And you didn't tell him, Sorceress of Wisdon?" Before she could reply, he turned back to Ryu. "Know this, my friend. The sword you bear was made for Jade, the Gold Lord, Commander of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit. It was made for him, at Zog's command, on the day they came of age together. Such was the emperor's trust in him, that he named the sword _Empire_."

"They took it from him," Ryu muttered, still stunned, still staring at the sword. He knew of Jade, of course; any student of history did. The Gold Lord was his official title, but in his time, he'd been more commonly called the Ice Lord, though never in his presence. Emotionless and cruel, callous and cold, he'd sent everybody he supposedly cared for to their deaths one after another before finally being slain himself once he'd released the Goddess of Lies... and yet, for some reason they'd never told the rest of the world, the heroes who had slain him had felt pity, rather than hatred, for his memory. "After his death. His sword, and the personal items of all the rest."

"Cort's monocle, the ruby one, the only thing he'd kept from his hometown. Mote's hood, that masked his age, that kept others from knowing he was only a child. Cerl's cloak, the only thing her father left her, the Dark Dragon general who caused her Clan to despise her. Zog's crown, forged from blood and steel and mad dreams of glory restored. Sara's pendant, the sign of her devotion to Ladon, whether she served the Light Dragons or the Dark. Goda's hammer, the only means he had ever known to protect those who he loved. And Jade's sword. They took them, and they threw them into the sea."

"Jade." Ray slowly nodded. "The most detestable and the most pitiable man in the world. The man driven so mad by the knowledge of his own destiny, by the awareness that he would send the Tiamat Unit to their destined deaths and do nothing to stop them, that he asked a _child-_Mote, the Red Dreamer-to alter his mind and erase all morality so that he could. The sworn brother and closest friend of Emperor Zog, who took his sister for queen, and trusted only the two of them until the day he died. Them, and his daughter, whose son married the daughter of two who slew both Zog and Jade."

"That _hair_," Deis murmured. "I should have known."

"Yes, it is rather different, isn't it?" Ray took a strand of his strawberry-blonde locks between two mailed fingers. "The red comes from Zog's line, the first Dark Dragon ever to be born with that color, who passed it to his descendents. It has faded over time, but a trace remains of him. As it does of others in my ancestry... though not as strongly as in you, Ryu." He glanced from one of them to another. "Know this, my friends, before you face me. My blood has not been weakened, as Ryu's has. Though there is a trace of Wing, of course, since then, my ancestors have all been Dark Dragons."

"Aw, _shit_," Bow muttered, as the room grew darker, and colder.

"My fate is sealed," Ray whispered. "I have no choice. And yet, I will not go gently into that good night. Come, my friends. Though I detest the thought of harming you, you are the only ones I would trust with this duty. Prove to me that I am not wrong. Here and now... _this is my power_."

And as they stared, with eyes wide, he transformed.

Rearing to his full height, he stretched his arms and _turned _outward, growing twice as tall as before as his body deformed, claws and scales and fangs and wings covering him. A dragon, scaled and pebbled grayish-purple, with a blunt snout over a tangle of wicked fangs, his eyes reptilian and bright. A fringe of horns circled his skull like a lion's mane, two of them sweeping backwards, twice as long as the rest, and more horns ran down his spine in a ridge. His wings were massive, and his thorned tail lashed the floor as he towered over them all.

"This is your destiny," Ray Braddoc, the only man they'd ever truly considered asking to join their number who had not, growled through more curved fangs than were natural to any beast, turning his head sideways to glare at them through one blazing violet eye. Even when crouched on all four claws, his back loomed higher than Rand's head, and his tail thrashed even higher, curiously bend _inward_ along its length with thorns lining the underside. And then he roared, and blazing bright magical _power_ exploded forward from him, washing over them all like an incoming tide. "_This is my destiny!_"

"Crap!" Katt swore as the energy storm slammed them back against the wall, burning into them like Habaruku's barrier had to Tiga. "What do we do?"

"Damn it all!" Ryu yelled as the storm dissipated. Landing back on his feet, he charged, blade in hand. "We've got no choice! Take him down!"

"What he said!" Bow agreed, taking aim and firing both bolts. "Sorry, Ray!"

"Not good enough!" Ray snarled, turning his head away, and the shots bounced off of his scales instead of sinking into his eye. A thrown knife from Sten was just as ineffective. As Ryu and Katt reached him, Jean and Spar behind them, he raised one massive claw and sent both of them flying back to slam into their friends. "None of that will avail you anything!"

"Then perhaps this will be more to your tastes," Nina replied, raising a hand, and the room grew cold as a wolf made of solid, living ice appeared by her side. Barking, its breath a frigid haze, it leaped at Ray, and behind it, Deis sent a sizzling pillar of lightning ten feet wide that scorched both floor and ceiling as it raged towards the Dark Dragon.

"Useless!" Ray roared again, and both spells were dissolved in the storm of energy he breathed, smashing them all against the wall again. "I am a Dark Dragon ascendant! Spells and weapons and strength are all futile!"

"Oh, yeah?" Rand growled; he'd tried to shield Spar and Nina with his body from the second assault, but had ended up practically crushing them when he'd sandwiched them against the wall. Running forward, he crouched and dived, curling up into an armored ball inside the curved plates on his back. "Let's see how futile this is!"

"Entirely!" Rearing back on his hind legs, Ray caught the ball in his foreclaws before it could run him down, and forced it to a halt. And then he began to squeeze, and Rand howled in pain as his scaled muscles flexed.

"Let _go _of him!" Katt snarled, leaping at him with battlestaff raised, only for Ray to almost casually slap her out of the air. Rolling Rand away like a bowling ball, hitting Jean, the Dark Dragon turned to catch Ryu's sword.

"Stop wasting time!" The paladin bellowed, lifting it up into the air, and Ryu with it. "You know what you have to do, to end this! I've shown you my power, and now it's your turn! Let me see the strength of the Light Dragons with my own eyes!"

"Forget it!" Ryu snapped, kicking at his head and missing. "I'm not playing this game with you, Ray!"

"Oh, you will," Ray told him, throwing him at Bow. They went down together, and as they struggled to rise, another storm of energy smashed them back and burned into them. "The only question is, how much will I have to brutalize your friends before you do?"

"We are your friends as well, _monsieur _Ray!" Jean implored him. "Please, stop this madness!"

"You were," Ray corrected him, turning his head to glare at them sideways once more. "But now, our crossed paths lead in opposite directions. So be it. I will do what I must! The choice is yours, Ryu! Show me your power, or they will continue to pay the price!" Another blast of energy swallowed up Sten's three hands of flame and Rand's earthquake, and when it faded, more than half of the group were slumped or staggering, unable to rise back to their feet again.

"He's too much..." Bow wheezed, as sparkling light washed over Nina and Spar, who were looking the most thrashed; the latter's arms were both bent in directions they shouldn't, and Nina was clutching her ribs and whimpering. "Healing can't keep up..."

"Spar, Bow, Rand, just focus on that!" Ryu snapped. "Leave the offense to the rest of us! Just keep us all alive!"

"They won't be able to," Ray warned him, as he, Katt, Jean and Sten all ran forward this time. Another mighty backhand sent them all crashing away, and the Dark Dragon growled, eyeing them. "All you're doing is wasting time and endangering them further. You know what you have to do, Ryu. Do it, or they will pay the price! Nina, Katt, Bow, Sten, Deis, Jean, Rand, Spar! I'll kill them all, and you'll watch them die because you did nothing to stop me!"

"Fine," Ryu hissed, temper finally breaking. Without another word, he transformed as well, becoming a drake of flame. For once, Ray took the attack, standing his ground as the fireball washed over him. Ryu landed, his magic spent, but remained standing; though he still felt exhausted, it wasn't as crippling as it once was.

And Ray loomed, scales only slightly charred, eyes as bright as ever.

"Is that all you have, Ryu?" He roared, and the energy storm crushed them all again. "Is that it? Is that the limit of your strength? Then you are lost! I won't hold back! This is everything I have!"

"No," Ryu croaked, without realizing what he actually meant for a moment, until he did. Something inside him was stirring, reacting to Ray's constant assault, waking up a little more with every surge of power from the Dark Dragon's maw. It felt like it had when he'd first awakened to his heritage as a Light Dragon, first transformed, but it was different as well. It felt deeper, more personal, more about _who _he was rather than _what_.

_"The third stage is the one that's personal,"_ Martin's voice, his ancestor under an assumed name, still alive despite all logic, came back to him. _"And the dragon you become then will be given shape and form out of your own heart and soul. What you are at the end of it all, when nothing is left but yourself. You'll need to find another Dragon Clansman to draw that one out for you; doing it this way only works once per person." _

"Last chance, Ryu," Ray warned him, lowering his head to eye him once more. "One of them will die, this time. You're the only one who can stop it."

"Ray," Ryu replied, just as calmly and quietly, as he pulled a few Wise Fruit from his pack and ate them. Combined with his injuries, the taste of the berries almost put him on his knees, but he managed to stay standing. "I'm sorry."

And then, as Ray breathed blazing death, he transformed.

Bigger and bigger, he rose on two legs, as his skin thickened. Along with scales, armored plates grew, thick and heavy over arms and legs, wings and torso, head and tail. They were a deep purple, save for those on his chest and stomach, which were the same golden color as the membranes of his wings, layered almost like a bird's feathers. Said wings were topped with clawed, pawlike growths of purple armor, though he couldn't move them independently of the wings.

His feet had three claws, and his hands four, all gold as well. His tail was long and thick and twisting, lined with red spikes on both sides, and tipped with a curving crimson blade four feet long. More red spikes decorated his shoulders, and the sides and tops of his head, spaced around three longer, backswept horns of the same color among frill-lake layers of plates. Though his head was long, atop a short but serpentine neck, his face was as blunt as a hammer, with no real snout and teeth extending from his facial plate. It was hard to tell, but he guessed that he had to be at least twenty feet tall.

"Holy _shit_," he heard Bow whisper as he stood between them and Ray, and the powerstorm raged against and around him, but did not push him back.

Opening his own mouth wide, he roared his fury in a voice that shook the building, and returned the favor in kind.

He inhaled, first, power pouring in from all around him and gathering inside his maw. And then he breathed out, and his breath brought with it complete destruction. Blue-white blasts of light flew and fell like raindrops, thousands of them all at once, obliterating everything they touched. Ray took the brunt of most of the assault, buckling and digging all four claws into the stone floor, but the floor itself was shattered into gravel everywhere the light touched, as were the ceiling and all the walls before Ryu, collapsing in an even louder cacophony than Ryu's roar.

"Ryu..." Ray hissed as his purple scales _peeled _away like sand, leaving bloody red ruination behind. Claws and horns and spikes all shattered, and he fell to the floor, a ravaged wreckage of a dragon. As Ryu's attack faded, and he reverted to human form, Ray looked at him and smiled through splintered fangs, one remaining eye glittering. "You did it. I knew you could."

And then in a flash of light, he was back in his human form as well, lying on his back in his plate armor, blood seeping from every joint in it.

"Ray, you..." Ryu started to say, before breaking off as his vision swam, and the floor rose up to meet him, followed by darkness.

_More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Easy there, buddy," Bow said as he snapped back awake after only a moment and immediately stuggled to rise, only to fail; his wounds and his exhaustion bore him down like a lead straightjacket, pinning him to the ruined floor. "Just let me-huh?" He looked up, surprised, as healing light poured down on all nine of them, completely restoring them all. "That you, Rand? Man, even _I'm_ having trouble learning _that_ spell."

"Wasn't me." Rand shook his head. "I can do a group heal, but not a complete one."

"Nor I," Spar added. "Which means..." It turned to look at Ray, as did they all.

"An apology, of sorts," the dying paladin murmured, blood trickling from his mouth. "Forgive me, my friends, for harming you. Please believe me when I promise that my threats of killing were all lies, bluffs to force Ryu to the brink so that he would awaken. I never truly would have been able to go through with that."

"Then all of this was a setup?" Sten asked as they slowly walked forward, gathering around him on all sides. "That was your plan all along? To awaken the chief's final form?"

"It was necessary," Ray explained. "To awaken the Breath of Fire in its next stage, now that Ladon cannot do so personally in this day and age. Father Habaruku called up spirits of the past, ghosts and shades of my own kind, in order for me to do so. And so I knew, that if I forced Ryu's hand..." He started to cough.

"Relax," Spar told him, its voice unusually sharp. "We can heal you, as you did us."

"No," Ray told it between coughs, before stopping. "No. You will need every bit of your magical power for what lies ahead of you, further in this cathedral. And it is already too late for me. I am beyond your power, or mine, or anybody's, to save now. By rights I should have already died, but I still have more to say before I leave you."

"Dammit, Ray..." Katt whispered, though no tears fell from her eyes. "Why did you have to go and do something so stupid?"

"Because," Ray told her. "Because it was my destiny, yes... but also because Ryu will need that strength. You saw for yourselves. The second stage is not enough. I'm guessing it has not been for some time. To overcome my..." He hesitated for a moment. "To overcome those demons who you still must face, you will _need _this power. The power of the dragon. As strong as I was in my own final form, Ryu, you are now stronger still. With such loyal friends behind you, nothing in this world can stand against you now. You may..." He took a deep breath. "You may even be able to slay St. Eva himself, as your ancestor did Myria. No... not St. Eva. _Evans_, the God of the demons. That is his true name."

"That's no reason to throw your life away!" Nina blurted out; unlike Katt, she was openly crying, face red and wet. "Damn you, Ray Braddoc! Why?"

"My path would have ended today, by another's hand if not by yours," Ray told her, shaking his head. "I am a paladin no longer. I have broken my vows, in the most sinful way possible. My brother is dead. Gabriel. I murdered him before coming to meet you, once I finally realized that his soul was truly lost. I can only hope that he finds peace in death." He coughed again, long and harsh, and everybody waited for him to finish. "And yet, despite all that I know... I have served St. Eva all my life, as long as I remember. This was the only way that I could continue to serve him without betraying you."

"A deed that heroes can only dream of, _mon ami_," Jean told him, tears leaking from his eyes as well. "You will be remembered as such. As a hero. I swear it to you, your story will never be forgotten. I shall write your song myself, and it will be my finest masterpiece, even if it should take me all of my life to complete."

"Thank you." Ray smiled, despite the obvious pain he was in. "But please... don't tell Kay what I did. That I killed our brother. And don't tell her that I died raising my hand against you."

"We'll tell her the truth," Ryu said firmly. "We'll tell her that you died by our side, as one of us. That you gave your life for the world."

"Thank you," Ray whispered. "It is more than I deserve. Tell me truthfully, my friends. Are the words I heard on the day when Ryu awakened truly those of Ladon? Is the Dragon God real, and is he good, and kind, and just? Is Ladon everything that I always believed St. Eva was?"

"Ladon..." Ryu struggled with it for a moment, desire to be honest wrestling with some of the things he'd heard about the Dragon God's history. "Ladon tries. Yeah, he's real, and he's a God, but he's not perfect, any more than any of us are. But even if he screws up sometimes, he keeps on trying. His intentions are good, and even if some of his actions aren't, he's honest about it when he does screw up. And what he really wants... is just to let the world be, so people can live their lives without Gods or demons or anybody else screwing us all over."

"Then I will dedicate this final act of mine to the God of my people, rather than of my life, and hope that the day will come that he returns to this world," Ray said, voice starting to fade. "The God of the Dark Dragons, and the Light. A God that is worthy of devotion, who will return that devotion in turn. No... rather, I will hope that _you_ will bring Ladon back to this world, Ryu." He coughed a third time, chunks of flesh in his spittle along with his blood now, and when he spoke again his voice was barely audible. "A moment more, a few more words, and then I will cease distracting you."

"It's okay," Deis told him, eyes quiet and sad, causing Ryu to wonder just how many times she'd seen this before. "We're listening."

"Deis." Ray smiled again. "Do you remember that night we danced, at Duke Kilgore's vacation home? I knew there was more to you than met the eye then, but I had no idea this was your secret. I always thought you were nothing more than a myth, but I danced with you, with the Sorceress of Wisdon. Thank you for that, and for everything else. Spar, I'm sorry I never got to know you under better circumstances. The first time we met was an unpleasant one. I would have liked to."

"As would I," Spar replied, face and voice as calm as ever.

"Jean," Ray continued. "I wish more people were like you. The world would be a brighter place. Never become anything else but what you are. Sten, my church has used you and your people badly. I knew this already, but refused to accept it until now. I'm sorry for everything they've done, and hope it will come to an end."

"It's not your fault," Sten said gruffly, his hands only shaking a little. "You didn't send us there. You weren't involved. You never made any call like that. It's not on you. You're a good man, Ray. A good soldier. It was good fighting with you."

"And with you, my friend." Ray nodded stiffly. "And you, Katt. I don't know what has happened lately, to cause such turmoil in your eyes, but I wish I could have been there to help you with it. I can only hope that you find happiness once more, enough to overcome your sorrow. Rand... you, I have wronged most of all. Your mother is in a cell on the fifth floor, directly above us. I do not think she was harmed before I returned to Evrai, and ever since I have ensured that nothing was done to her. She's alive and well, and waiting for you."

"Thanks," Rand replied quietly, arms folded; it was the first thing he'd said since the fight had ended. For a moment, it looked like he was done, but then he spoke again. "Sorry about all that shit I said, back in Carmen. I might have been right about St. Eva, but I was wrong about you, Ray. You're okay." He smiled slightly, sadly. "For a paladin, anyways."

"And you are tolerable as well, for a Namandian," Ray joked weakly, before coughing up more blood and bits. "Bow. You are a better man than you give yourself credit for. All of you are, but you most of all. Silvia is devoted to you. Be good to her, and live your lives together, happily. Ryu..." He hesitated. "I wish things could have been different. I wish I could have done this by your side, rather than against you."

"So do I, man," Ryu said quietly, lowering a fist to bump against Ray's limp knuckles. "We all do. We'd have taken you on board, if we thought you'd say yes."

"Perhaps I should have," Ray agreed. "Give Niro my regards, my thanks, and my apologies, as well." And then his eyes turned to the last of them. "Nina. From the moment we met, I was captivated by you, and yet I knew that you would never return my feelings. Now I know the reason I reacted so strongly. The blood of our shared ancestor, and of the recurring factor that binds you and Ryu together. And yet, despite knowing that, I still love you, Nina Windia. Please don't look unkindly upon me because of that."

"How could I?" She whispered, leaning forward to kiss him once, softly, gently. "I can't love you back, Ray, not like that... but sometimes I wished I could."

"It's enough." Ray smiled one last time, closing his eyes. "This is enough. My duty is fulfilled, and now I can rest. Thank you, my friends... and goodbye."

And then his breathing stopped, and his eyes remained shut, though his smile remained.

"We need to get going," Sten said after a few more moments. "This room is trashed, and that was loud enough to wake them up all the way up in Windia. I'm surprised the paladins haven't come barging in already, but we should keep moving, before our luck runs out. If we get pinned down in this room, there's only one way it's gonna end."

"Yeah," Ryu agreed. "Yeah, okay." For a moment, he was tempted to leave the _Empire _with Ray, but then he decided that the paladin would prefer if he continued to use it against their mutual enemies. Instead, he picked the paladin's own sword up and placed it in his hand, then turned towards the stairs, his team behind him. "Let's find Habaruku."

* * *

"You know, this is really unnecessary," Ryu complained. "Not to mention, it's putting us both at risk when more of them find us."

"So I'll put you down when that happens," Rand Marks replied, unmoved, as he continued down the hall of the Grand Cathedral, carrying his fearless leader over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes; he'd seen Ryu pass out for a moment from sheer exhaustion, twice now, just like the others, and he wasn't going to let him exert himself until he'd had as long as they could manage to get his strength back. "No big deal. How're you feeling?"

"Fine," Ryu growled. "Enough to walk, anyways. Are you going to make me _order _you to put me down?"

"Depends," Rand retorted. "Are _you_ going to make _me _commit insubordination?"

"Not necessary," Bow told him, sighting down his crossbow and firing as a door down the hall burst open. The well-dressed servant, innocuous save for the ugly throwing knives he held in both hands, keeled over with a bolt through each eye. The paladin following him out tripped over his corpse, leaving an opening that Katt, Sten and Jean took full advantage of. "As duly appointed second-in-command of this gang of lugs, I hereby judge that our glorious commander is in no state to perform his duties, and relieve him of them until he is capable of walking a straight line."

"Am I a lug?" Spar asked Nina quietly. "I don't think I'm a lug."

"I believe he was speaking metaphorically," she replied dryly. "At least, I hope so. I'm not quite sure I could deal with the possibility of lughood. Lugness? Lugability?"

"I kind of like it, myself." Katt smirked, dusting off her knuckles as she stepped over the mangled heap of metal and meat, and they continued onward. "I could get a sign for my door. 'Katt Chaun, professional lug.' All fancy and everything." Despite their usual joking, everybody knew that none of them meant it; their voices were all just a little too edgy, their eyes completely unamused. It was habit, and nothing more. Nobody was going to actually smile for real until after they dealt with Habaruku, and maybe not even then.

Rand had never known what it was like to truly _hate _somebody, with all his heart and soul, even when his mother had been kidnapped. Anger was one thing; he felt anger as much as anybody else, though he'd put a lot of work into being careful to control it. But he'd never truly _wanted _another person dead. He'd been willing to kill, ever since he followed Ryu home, but only when necessary, and he'd always regretted it. Willingness to kill and _desire_ to kill were two very different things, and it was something he'd resigned himself to never being able to understand. Until he'd met Habaruku.

"I'm pretty sure being able to pronounce, 'professional' disqualifies you from being a lug, actually," Sten told her, sheathing his knives again and joining her as they raced down the hallway.

"Good point." She made a face. "How long have I been doing that? I'd have thought I'd have noticed."

"You sure he's this way?" Rand asked before anybody else could comment on that; it was a good idea to maintain a sense of when that was going to get out of hand, and know when to cut it off for everybody's good. "We're not checking any of these rooms."

"Positive," Bow assured him, glancing at Katt, who nodded. "We can smell the bastard, even from down here, and I can sense his magic, too."

"Which me and Nina can, as well," Deis added. "He's still up ahead. If there's a staircase at the end of this hall... ah, perfect." Rounding a corner, they continued up the stair they found there, to the fifth floor. "He should be right... _you!_" Snarling curses, she summoned up a massive blast of lightning from the ceiling towards Habaruku where he sat, behind _another _desk that had apparently been carried out into the middle of the hallway, going over _more _paperwork.

"I do have a name, you know, Deis," Habaruku told her mildly, without looking up, as the lightning struck. He made no sound, of pain or otherwise, as it obliterated him, leaving only a scorch mark... and Habaruku, standing a good ten feet back from where he'd been sitting, between his Kimoto bodyguards, who were as impassive as ever. "Two of them, in fact, although I'd prefer it if you used my current one. I haven't heard the other in so long, it would be... strange."

"Get-oh, _come on!_" Katt shrieked as the silver wall of magic appeared between them once more as well. "Are you going to just keep stopping, dropping that thing, and running as far as you can before it comes down over and over again all day?"

"He can't," Nina assured her, eyes cold. "A Wise Fruit overdose will prove fatal eventually, even to demons. Some of them succumbed to it during the First Dragon War. Let him play his games all he wants, so long as we keep his trail. Eventually, he'll have to stand and fight, and the longer he does this, the worse he makes it for himself when he does."

"It seems Ray's friendship with you was more important to him than his vows," Habaruku said dryly, ignoring both of them. "A pity. I had such high hopes for him, after Aruhameral snatched him up on their way to Gate, all those years ago. I raised that boy as my own son, taught him morality and faith and magic... and in time, of his heritage, and the power that was his by right. But in the end... it seems he was entirely useless. A waste of my time." He shook his head, eyes closed. "But I still love him, as a son, and as a fellow worshiper of St. Eva. May he remain by God's side forever."

"Was that all you wanted?" Rand asked calmly, forcing his rage under control; he knew what would happen if he tried to break through that barrier, and so he didn't, but visualizing the Archpriest's head splattering like a melon beneath his fists... "Would you mind moving it along? We don't have all day, you know."

"Was there something you wanted from me?" Habaruku threw the question back, smiling once more. "By all means, my children, ask. As the voice of God in this world, it is my duty to serve."

"A good assisted suicide would be nice, if you're offering," Sten said in the same tone. "If that's too much, though, you could always just cut the bullshit, drop that barrier, and we can all have a good old-fashioned throwdown. That's what it's going to come to anyways, right? Everybody knows it. Why not save us all some time?"

"Is it a dramatic showdown that you desire, then?" Habaruku asked. "Ah, the glory, the drama, the excitement! How could I say no? Very well then, if a fight is what you desire, I shall be glad to oblige." He turned away and began making his way down the hall, his bodyguards flanking him. "Up on the roof, I think. I built it specifically for such purposes. I think you'll agree, once you see it. Do try not to take all day this time."

"I'm not sure quite which is worse," Spar said clinically as the Demon Lord and his goons departed. "The fact that he's so insultingly obvious about how every action of his is specifically meant to provoke us, or the fact that he's so good at it that it's working despite our knowledge of the previous fact."

"I just want to rip his face off and make him eat it," Katt muttered, watching the wall of silver light and tapping her foot. "Along with other parts I can think of. How long are we going to be waiting here, huh?"

"Anybody got a deck of cards?" Sten snarked. "Some dice, maybe?" Katt kicked him.

"Heretics!" A paladin called from down the stairs behind them. "Pray to God for salvation and forgiveness while you can!"

"There you go," Rand told her. "Something to keep you busy."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." She glanced around. "Anybody else?"

"I could stand to let a little more stress off, I suppose," Nina agreed, and Sten and Jean both nodded as well.

"We'll start searching the cells for Rand's mom," Ryu said, watching them go. "If he'll let me down, anyways."

"Tell you what." Rand walked back over to the corner of the hall, by the stairs, and set him down on the floor, propping his back up against a wall. "You can help if you can stand up by yourself. Sound fair?"

"That all?" Ryu smiled weakly, placing his hands on the floor. "Come on, give me something that's more of a challenge." It took three tries, but on the third he was back on his feet, swaying unsteadily. "Yeah. Getting better."

"If you say so, buddy." Bow gave him a look, but chose not to comment. "All right, let's start looking in the ones on that-"

"What's all the noise?" A familiar voice roared from the first cell on the right on the other side of the wall, and Rand's heart jumped for a moment as the pile of furs in the corner stirred, revealing a scowling face. "Bad enough that you lunatics are doing this, but can't you let me get some..." She trailed off as she saw who they were, standing up and walking over to the bars, her eyes wide.

Daisy Marks had never been a beautiful woman, but his earliest memories of her had been filled with enough joy and laughter to make up for it; it was easy to see why Rand's father had fallen for her, despite how massively muscular she was, more than any woman he'd ever seen even among his own Clan. Widowhood had turned her smiles to scowls, however, and her face was hard and angry, despite how her bun of deep red curls remained untouched by gray or white even in her fifties. She wore men's clothing, tan breeches and a purple cotton shirt, with heavy boots, though they'd taken her riding crop.

He'd never thought he'd be so happy to see the woman who'd made ten years of his life a living hell.

"Mrs. Marks," Bow said, walking as close to the barrier as he could without touching it. "We apologize profusely for the wait. Just a moment more, and as soon as this spell collapses, we'll get you out of there."

"Mr. Dogi, isn't it?" She replied after a moment, her usual scowl reappearing. "Well, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Is my shiftless son still with you, then?" Her eyes fell upon Rand then, at the back of the hall, and narrowed considerably. "There you are! What are you doing here, you idiot? Don't you know where this is?"

"Yeah, I do, mom," Rand muttered, looking down at his feet. No matter how many times he'd promised himself he was going to stand up to her, call her out on everything she'd done to him, whenever he actually stood in her presence his nerve always left him. It had taken him every ounce of will and frustration in his body just to walk away, to leave home and never look back, without even telling her he was going. "That's why we're here. We were going to blow the place sky-high, but..." He glanced at Ryu and grimaced. "That ended up not working out."

"Then why are you still here?" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "I thought you were some sort of pro now! Can't you figure out what to do when a plan's botched?"

"Two reasons, Mrs. Marks," Spar explained, polite as ever; Rand remembered that she'd seemed to like the Grass Man, at least as much as she ever liked _anybody_, which wasn't much. "First, even if we are no longer able to demolish the Grand Cathedral, we can at least rid the earth of the Archpriest's contamination. We'll be continuing our hunt for him momentarily, once we've freed you."

"Hmph." Daisy crossed her arms. "Well, I can't argue that one. Suppose I'll just have to hope you're good enough to pull it off. What's the other reason?"

"You, mom," Rand told her, a hint of accusation entering his voice now. "We came here to save you. We weren't going to leave without doing that, any of us." There was no response to that, and when he looked up, her face was blank, almost wooden.

"Bull," she shot back eventually. "Tell me another one."

"It's true, Mrs. Marks," Deis assured her. "Locating you was our top priority, planning this, even above dealing with the Archpriest. It still is. Rand is..." She struggled with it for a moment, and Rand looked away. "Very important. To all of us."

"Even if he was, which I _guess _I'll give the benefit of the doubt for the moment, why would that matter?" She glared at Rand. "Didn't you already make your opinion on _that_ clear when you walked out on me?"

"No, I..." Rand made a face. "I mean, yes, I... dammit, mom." He hung his head. "I couldn't take it any more. I just couldn't. I'm sorry." After a moment, he raised his head again and met her eyes. "But you're still my mom. I never said anything about that."

"You never had the nerve to," she snapped. "But you were thinking it."

"No." He shook his head as the magical barrier finally went down. The others were all looking at him and Daisy, sympathy etched upon their features; he couldn't force himself to meet their eyes. "That was the one thing I never thought. No matter how bad it got, no matter what you did... you were always my mom."

"All right, we got..." Katt was saying as she and the others came back up. "Oh, hey, you found her! How are we going to get her out of there?"

"That does seem to be the operative question," Sten agreed, walking over to examine the bars closely. "Guntz steel, just like in Highland. I'll have to pick the lock."

"You don't have time for that!" Daisy barked, as if the previous topic of discussion had never happened. "Rand, get over here!"

"Even I can't pull those out of there, mom," he told her, though he walked over. "They're too strong."

"Are you a coward, or a wimp?" She yelled. "Because I didn't raise either! If you can't pull 'em out, knock 'em down! You telling me these things are gonna stand up to you with a running start if you put your weight behind it? I don't think so!"

"She's got a point," Katt agreed. "Even _I _wouldn't be able to stop that. You'd flatten me."

"But..." Rand started to protest, then sighed. "Yeah, okay. I'll try." Bracing himself for a painful rebound, he stepped back from the cell to the opposite one, squared his shoulders, and charged. As he ran, he dived forward and curled up, the curved armored plates all along his back forming a ball. He rolled onward, picking up speed, and then with an impact that rattled his skeleton, slammed to a halt. Uncurling, he shook his head to clear the stars.

"You see?" He groaned. "I told you it..." He trailed off as he saw the bars; they were lying flat on the cell's floor, deep scars carved in the stone ceiling above from the sockets, as well as in the floor below where they'd come out the other way.

"I was the one who told _you_, knucklehead!" Daisy growled; she'd raised her hand and caught the bar that would have hit her in the head, apparently ignoring those that had bounced off of her arms and shoulders. "Your brain might be made of rock, but so's the rest of you! That's the problem with you! You always underestimate yourself! Not just your strength, everything else! If you'd just get up more nerve, nothing would be able to stop you!" She glared at the others. "You all make sure he remembers that, all right? He's your responsibility now!"

"We will," Ryu promised, somehow managing to keep a straight face. "We'd offer to escort you out of the city, but-"

"You?" She snorted. "You look dead on your feet! _And _you've got business to see to, don't you? You're all as softhearted as my idiot son, and softheaded, too! Just tell me the way out of here! I'll mug a nun on the way down for a disguise!"

"Head down the halls until you're on the first floor," Sten told her. "Staircase at the end of each one. Pretty routine. You'll come out in the nave; just head out through the front, and then keep going to actually get out of the church."

"You won't be able to leave the city normally, though," Bow told her. "Ask a townsperson where to find Brightways; they're all soulless drones, so they won't ask why a nun would need to know. The house with the busted door's what you're looking for. Down in the basement, behind a cabinet, there's some caves leading out of the city." He paused. "I'd say to watch out for the monsters, but somehow, I doubt you'll have much trouble."

"All right," she said levelly. "I can do that. Suppose I'll figure out some way to signal a ship or something."

"That won't be necessary," Nina told her quietly. "Just set a signal fire, around sunset, and we'll pick you up. We plan on riding the Great Bird out of here, and..." She took a deep breath. "I think she'd like meeting you. Meeting Rand's mother."

"All right," Daisy agreed after a long, silent moment, scrutinizing her face. "I'll take you up on that much." She walked out of the cell and past them, back down the hall. "Now get going! Don't you have a hit to take care of?" Without waiting for a response, she stomped down the stairs.

"Wow," Sten muttered. "Just... wow."

"That's what you said the first time we met her," Bow pointed out.

"My opinion remains unchanged," he shot back.

"Can't argue _that_ one."  
"Come on," Ryu said, walking forward, almost managing to pass for normal. "She's got a point. Habaruku's waiting for us. Let's try not to disappoint him, huh?"

"Unanimously agreed." Jean nodded, an unusual coldness in his eyes, as they formed up around their leader and continued up to the next floor. The hallway on the sixth level was identical to those on the three below the prison level; it stretched for what seemed to be the entire length of the building before turning right, and then again, and then again. Only after the final turn were things different; there were no doors in the walls for that last stretch, the walls bare and empty even of torches.

"I don't like the looks of this," Sten muttered, surveying it. "We didn't see anybody on this whole floor, either."

"I'll take a look," Nina offered, flying forward; with her wings, she had no need to risk setting off traps by stepping on cobblestones. She reached the stairs without an issue, and turned to look back at them. "Who's next?"

"Let me try something," Katt offered, running forward. Vaulting off her battlestaff, she leaped across the hall and landed next to Nina without touching ten feet of floor. "All right!"

"Shame we can't all do that," Sten quipped.

"I could throw you," Rand offered.

"Pass."

"Let's go, then," Ryu said, nodding. "But be careful." Clustered together, they began walking forward, careful to step only on as many bricks as necessary. As they neared the other side, Rand almost thought that they were being too paranoid, that there was no trap, and that soon they'd finally be able to get their hands on Habaruku.

And then the brick beneath his foot sunk in, and as the walls to either side came bearing down on them, he realized in an instant what he would have to do.

"Go!" He roared as the others spun, slamming them all with his huge arms and shoving them forward, out of the way. As they tumbled, he continued the motion, moving his arms to his sides and his palms out. Even then, it was almost too late; the walls slammed together on both sides of him, with enough force that he was sure he was dead. And yet, after a moment, he realized he still felt the strain of holding them back, more painful than anything he'd ever felt before.

"Rand!" Katt yelled, running forward.

"Don't!" He shouted, and she halted, eyes wide. "Don't any of you come in here! I don't know how long I can hold this!" It _burned_, every muscle in his arms and chest and back all screaming at him, and he had to fight the urge to bend down on one knee; if he did, it would all be over.

"That's _why _I'm coming back!" She protested. "I'll help you!" Before he could think up a reply, she was there next to him, shoving against the wall on the right. For the first time since he'd met her, Rand saw her full strength; her slender, iron-hard muscles stood out all over her body like cables, almost to the point of deforming her, as she dug her boots in hard enough to scrape into the floor, and pressed against the wall.

It didn't move, not even an inch.

"Come on, guys!" Bow urged the others.

"Don't," Rand told him. "You can't get past me. There isn't room." He'd almost made it to the end of the hall before springing the trap; there was room for Katt between him and the edges, but nobody else. "Shit! I really blew it this time!"

"Don't be stupid," Katt growled between gritted teeth. "This wasn't your fault. We'll get you out of this, and then..." She screamed, wild and feral, before falling to her knees as the strain on Rand's muscles grew even worse. "No!"

"I'll take care of it!" Deis offered, raising her staff. "Come on, Nina, get the other side!"

"Don't," the Princess told her, shaking her head. "Even if we were able to destroy the walls, the rubble would simply fall on him and crush him."

"Give me some more Wise Fruit," Ryu said, crossing his arms. "I can do one more transformation if I force myself."

"Don't," Rand repeated. "You'd wipe it out, yeah, but you'd kill me, too. That new trick of yours is something awesome, all right, but precision aim ain't how it works." He grunted, somehow managing to keep his arms locked. "Katt, get back over there."

"No!" She blurted, scrambling back to her feet and staring at him in horror. "I know what you're going to say, and you can forget it! We're not leaving you here, Rand!"

"What she said," Bow agreed. "We'll figure something out, just give us a minute!"

"I don't have a minute," Rand told them, shaking his head. "It's killing me, just holding it like this. Feels like I'm in a vise. Think it's tightening more, too." He grunted again. "You guys... get Habaruku for me, okay?"

"Forget it!" The Woren girl turned to the wall again.

"Don't!" He bellowed once more, louder than he'd ever spoken to her before, and she shrank away from him, surprise and hurt mixed in her eyes. Seeing that was almost enough to weaken him, but he forced himself to keep both his voice and his muscles steady. "Don't be stupid. You think I want any of you to die here, too? You think I want that to be the last thing I think? That I got you killed?"

"No," Jean pleaded, voice soft. "No, _mon ami,_ but... I beg you, do not do this."

"Wasn't my idea." Rand told him, sweating. "But I'm stuck with it all the same. There's no way out. All there is to it. Looks like this is as far as I go." He chuckled bitterly. "We're really on a roll, aren't we? One of those days, I guess."

"That ain't funny, man," Sten told him, hands shaking slightly, and Rand realized he was probably remembering all the other friends he'd watched die. "This isn't a joking matter. Stop it. Stop it right this instant, soldier."

"Gotta laugh, right?" Rand almost shrugged, but managed to catch himself in time. "Beats crying. That's how we always did it, isn't it? Look, guys. We're pros. I knew the risks, when I joined up, and I did it anyways. Not because I thought I'd be any good at it, like the rest of you. I joined because of you guys. Because I wanted to stick around with you. I felt like I'd found something I'd been looking for all my life, you know? With you guys. And I did." He smiled, despite the pain he was in. "I don't regret it. Not a moment of it. We had some good times, didn't we? Thanks. For everything."

"Rand," Deis whispered, eyes locked on his.

"Go on," he told her, told all of them. "Get going. The rest is up to you guys. I'm counting on you to make that bastard pay. For Ray, for Tiga, for Claris, for all the Renegades. For all the people he's sacrificed to their God. And for me. Call it a last request, huh?"

"Listen to yourself, Rand!" Ryu yelled again, his exhaustion apparently overcome by sheer force of will. "You're talking nonsense!"

"What he said!" Bow agreed. "We can-"

"_Go!_" He roared again, and this time they all shrank back a little, even Ryu; Nina looked traumatized, and the guilt of that hit Rand like a hammer, but still he managed to continue to yell, just like his mother always had. "Get going! What are you waiting for? We all know this is a done deal! You're wasting time, and Habaruku might be getting away! You really think he's going to wait around for you forever? _Get moving!_"

"But Rand..." Katt whimpered, her tail limp and lifeless, her ears flat and her eyes filled with pain. "We can't..."

"Please," he whispered, his anger leaving him as quickly as it had come, and he closed his eyes. "Please, just go. I don't..." He choked on it for a moment before continuing. "I don't want you guys to see me die. Please. Don't."

When he opened his eyes again, they were gone, and he was alone.

"Heh." He chuckled under his breath. "Figures the one time I act like her..." For a moment, he considered just giving in and getting it over with, but then he realized that wasn't what he was going to do. It wasn't what any of the others would do, and that meant that he wouldn't, either. No matter how painful it was, no matter how long it took, no matter how slow it would be... he wouldn't stop fighting, not even for an instant, even if it was hopeless.

And then another voice echoed through the hall, and it took every inch of restraint in his body not to tense up in shock.

"What the hell is this?" Daisy shouted from behind him. "You got stuck in a trap? _Now, _of all times? Unbelievable! This isn't the time to screw around, you moron!"

"Don't come any closer, mom!" Rand yelled, trying to get his head to turn around enough to look behind him. "I don't know how far back it goes, I can't see! Whatever you do, don't step in here too!"

"You're just lucky I can't clobber you right now for that one, idiot!" Daisy bellowed. "I tell you what to do, not the other way around, and don't you forget it! Not that you ever listen! And look at you now, because of that! You can't even move a few steps forward? Pitiful!"

"It's too much," Rand growled. "Taking everything I have just to hold it like this. If I move at all, it'll crush me. It's going to do that anyways, but not as long as I can hold it back. Not going down without a fight. You taught me that much."

"Guess I did, didn't I?" She admitted grudgingly. "Heard you, down below. Figured out how to yell, too, didn't you? Let me guess, your team wanted to stay here and get themselves killed with you, until you told them what's what. Not bad, for a dimwit. Well, I'm here now. Figures even when you finally start to make a man of yourself, you still need me to save you. Come on, let's go. On three, all right?"

"Mom-" Rand tried to say.

"Shut up!" She barked. "Ready? One, two, three!" He heard her grunt, behind him, and for a moment he almost felt the pressure weaken, just a little... but then it returned, and he heard her breathing heavily behind him.

"Sorry," he told her quietly. "I'm all out of strength. I don't have anything left."

"Always apologizing," she muttered angrily behind him. "Always looking away. That's the problem with you, moron. You never learned how to stand up for yourself. No matter how many times I beat you down, even when you got back up again, you never fought back. Just ran off." After a moment, she continued. "Tell me about them. About these people you've found."

"Mom, I can't..." Rand groaned.

"Tell me," she said, and her voice was quiet and soft, enough so that he almost thought the pain was causing him to hear things. "I want to know what you've made of your life."

"They're..." Rand grasped for words. "They're a bunch of roughnecks and rebels. Street kids, orphans, outcasts and exiles. Punks, really, the lot of them. Ryu, he's our boss. Ryu Bateson. Him and Bow Dogi, they lost their families when they were brats. Grew up on their own, together. Grew up hard, and bad, and learned how to kill if they had to... but not if they didn't, and they take care of their own. They took me in. Let me join up, after I helped Ryu out, even though I had no idea what I was doing in this line of work. Gave me a room, a job... and a team."

"Huh." Daisy said after a moment. "And the rest?"

"Sten's had a hard life," Rand went on. "He was a general, until the war got to him, like it did to old man Merlo. But because it did... he picked up morals, and standards. He's trying to be a better person than he was before. Nina's just as bad. She's a princess, but they had to exile her, for her own safety, or else some stupid cult would have killed her because of the color of her wings. And she wasn't tough, like most of us, so it broke her... but I think she's finally putting herself back together."

"What about that snake sorceress?" Daisy asked archly. "I saw the way you two were looking at each other, back in Farmtown."

"Deis?" Rand chuckled; he was glad they'd gotten that straightened out, between them, before coming to Evrai. "Nah. I wish, but... she might be taken. I think. Not really sure. Still, I'm just glad to have somebody else who's an actual adult on the team. Her and Spar, the Grass Man. It's a good guy, even if it's all logic, all the time. We're the first friends it's ever had, you know? Niro doesn't count as an adult; that's our clerk, you haven't met him. Crazy old geezer, but I like him. Jean..." He chuckled again. "Is Jean. I don't know how else to say it, with him."

"And that loudmouthed catgirl?" Daisy pressed.

"Katt..." Rand thought back to when they'd first met, in the cabin on the Windia-Nanai border where travelers stayed for the night, for a price. A hotblooded, violent brat, too reckless for her own good... and too friendly, as well. "She's immature, noisy, impulsive, and thickheaded... but nothing ever gets her down for long. She's the most optimistic person I've ever met. She's like a daughter to me. They're all like kids to me. All except the ones who are older than I am."

"Then you'd better make sure they turn out okay," she told him, her voice firm and hard again now. "Better than you did, moron. You hear me? You be a better father than I was a mother, to all of them. Don't just let them walk all over you, the way I bet you usually do. Tell them what they need to hear, when they need to hear it, like you just did earlier. But don't forget who you are, either. That stupid soft heart of yours... that's what they like about you, isn't it?"

"Mom," Rand growled, frustrated again. "I'm not going to be able to do any of that. Why can't you just listen to me, just this once?"

"I _am _listening," she told him harshly. "The way you never did, no matter how much I yelled, you moron. You never learned to listen to your mother, that's what's wrong with you. I did everything I could to teach you how to be a man, after..." She paused for a moment, silent, before continuing. "Anyways, I gave up hope on that when you ran off, but it looks like these friends of yours know something I don't. Whatever it is, it's good for you. Stay with them. And Rand..." She lowered her voice. "You're a good man. All right? There. I said it. Will you remember that? And one thing more?"

"Yeah," Rand admitted, too tired to argue any more. "All right. I promise. What?"

"I love you, son," she whispered, and then as the light dawned, she slammed into him from behind, knocking him forward and out of the trap.

As he fell on his hands and knees, he heard a colossal crash from behind him that shook the entire building.

Slowly rising back to his feet, he turned to stare at the two walls, closed so tight against each other that not even an ant would be able to get through.

"Mom?" He whispered, as the walls leaked red.

_BE A SIMPLE KIND OF MAN _


	39. Chapter 36: The Forsaken Man

_**Chapter 36: The Forsaken Man **_

They all heard it, when the trap finally closed, shaking the building.

"Rand," Katt said, hand over her eyes and teeth bared in a feral snarl. They'd gone up to the next floor, as he'd told them, but then they'd stopped. He'd been right to not want them to watch him die, but neither were they going to leave him behind until it was done.

"It is..." Jean whispered, taking a deep breath before continuing. "It is not certain. Perhaps, he may have found a way. We can not know, not until we see..."

"Don't," Sten cut him off, more sharply than usual. "You don't want to see. And he wouldn't want you to. There's only one thing we can do for him now."

"Habaruku," Nina said, hands shaking and eyes empty.

Before anybody could say another word, they heard familiar, heavy footsteps on the stairs, and everybody's eyes widened in sudden disbelief and hope. Turning, they watched, holding their breath... and Rand appeared.

"Ha." Deis was the first to smile, regaining her usual cocky attitude in a moment. "_Knew _you wouldn't go out that easily, you big..." She trailed off, as they all saw just how pale and shaken he was. "What happened? How did you do it?"

"Mom," Rand murmured, sitting down against a wall and putting his head in his hands. By the looks of him, it had taken every shred of willpower he possessed just to get up the stairs. "She came after me, and she... she..."

"Oh, Rand." Katt started to walk towards him, then hesitated, visibly unsure what to do or say.

"Dude," Bow agreed. "I'd... I... there's no words, but..."

Deis didn't even bother with words. She simply slid over, crouched down, and took his head in her arms. That seemed to reach Katt, as well, ans she sat down on his other side, putting one hand on his shoulder and the other on his arm.

"Damn it," Ryu whispered under his breath, his hope and joy turning to ash that he could practically _taste. _"Damn it all." Nobody else spoke more after that, as minutes ticked by, until Rand finally raised his head.

"Enough," he said, and his voice held both despair and wrath, in a way that had never been his before. "I can grieve later. Right now, we need to get him. Tiga, Claris, Ray, and now... now..." His voice broke for a moment before he recovered. "It's not going to stop. _He's _not going to stop. He'll keep doing this unless _we _stop _him _first. I didn't think there was anything even more important than personal, but there is. _Him_."

"For the sake of not only us, but for the entire world," Spar agreed, fingers caressing the handle of its whip. "Habaruku has evaded death for far, far too long. We must rectify this error, and we must do so immediately."

"Before he gets anybody else." Bow cocked his crossbow.

"The usual rules are off." Ryu stood; he'd rested long enough that he at least felt like he could still fight, even if just _thinking _about transforming again was enough to make his head swim. "We do what we have to, to bring him _down_. He doesn't live to see tomorrow's sunrise, and that's all there is to it. Let's go."

There were several more floors between the sixth, where they had waited, and the rooftop where Habaruku was fleeing to. Like the previous ones, the main halls turned three times either to the left or to the right, in the shape of a square that went all around the outer level. At any time, doors would burst open, revealing animated sentries made from tiny, but fierce enchanted statues or knife-wielding assassins clad as civilians or churchmen. The paladins continued to come as well, marching down the hall in full plate, armored and armed with spear and sword and magic as well.

Ryu and his team ripped them all limb from limb without a moment's hesitation as they continued their advance to the top.

Hours later, a trail of corpses behind them stretching through the Grand Cathedral from top to bottom, every last one of them was exhausted from fighting and casting and running. And yet, they still kept going, all as one, moving on fury alone. A rage so strong that they charged and fought and killed just as strongly as they had at the beginning, so pervasive that nobody even suggested the thought of resting or retreating. Nothing else mattered, not any more. Nothing but the kill.

And that was how they emerged on the roof, hundreds of feet above the island below, miles above the sea they could see in all directions from their height, as the noon sun blazed down on them from above. The last floor had led them to the inside of a tower, which they'd scaled, circular stairs winding their way around and up. At its top, they came out atop a massive bridge that led across the building below, and further beyond over a chasm, to reach the outer wall they'd first passed through around the fortress.

Habaruku was waiting for them at the far end of the bridge, his twin bodyguards still with him. There was _another _desk. There was _more _paperwork.

"Wait," Ryu said tersely, as several of the others tensed up; as much as he wanted to simply charge and tear into him, he knew better by now. Turning his attention to the Archpriest, he sneered. "Well, big man? Gonna waste everybody's time some more with that cute little spell of yours? Or can we finally get down to business?"

"In truth, I had hoped it wouldn't come to this." Habaruku sighed dramatically, stopping his writing and looking up. "But you're remarkably persistent, aren't you? I don't suppose there's any chance you'd agree to just end this peacefully, and leave without any further fuss? There is still time to walk away and return to your lives."

"Not," Bow said emphatically. "Gonna. _Happen. _Even if we believed a word that comes out of your mouth, there's no way in hell you're walking away from this one. You'd better hope you really _do _have God on your side, _buddy_. You're going to need all the help you can get."

"Very well, then." Habaruku waved a hand, and the shimmering silver wall appeared once more, prompting disgusted groans and curses from most of the group. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic. If it's a fight you desire, then you shall have one, as I promised before." Standing up, he beckoned his twin bodyguards as he turned around, and they stepped forward together. "Sinistre. Dexter."

"Oh, _come on!_" Katt screamed. "You run like a cockroach all day, and now you're going to make your goons do your fighting for you? All this power you have, and you're too afraid to even _use _it directly?"

"I'm afraid the time is not right for me to directly engage you," Habaruku told her, looking over his shoulder, as the Kimoto Clansmen kneeled before him. "But a duel was promised, nonetheless, and a duel you shall have." Turning back to his bodyguards, he raised a hand in benediction, and started repeating the same prayer he'd said over Ray. This time, though, as he spoke, sparkling light washed over them both, red at first.

"St. Eva, praise these twins, who have dedicated their lives to your service. Grant them your strength," Habaruku said, and the color of the light turned to gold. "Your swiftness..." Again it changed, to green. "Your immortality..." One more change, now to blue. "And your wisdom, so that none may defeat them."

"He's pumping them up, isn't he?" Ryu sighed.

"Big time." Bow grimaced. "Unless those bows are just for show, this promises to be marginally unpleasant."

"Rise, Sinistre, Dexter, sons of St. Eva," Habaruku told them, and they stood, faces as blank as before and tongues flickering. "Defend the faith, as you have for many years now, and fight in my place against these unholy ones who wish to do me harm."

"Yes, Fatherrr Habarrruku," both twins said in unison as they drew arrows from the quivers on their backs, hands moving almost too fast to be seen, notched them against their bows, and fired in less than a second.

"Get behind me!" Rand yelled, turning around so that his back was to the archers and hunkering down so that he was shielded by his back plates. Everybody dived for cover, arrows flickering past them; fortunately, Rand was huge enough that they could all fit, even Jean. The big man winced as more shafts clanged off of his shell, but didn't budge. "Ow. Okay, those sting, but they're not getting through."

"Thanks, Rand," Katt told him. "We'd be screwed here, without you. On the other hand, I'm totally useless. Even I'm not dumb enough to try crossing that bridge while they're still alive."

"Same here," Ryu grunted. "Unless I forced another transformation."

"Don't," Nina advised him. "That would finish you for today. Save it for Habaruku, and let us take this one." Her eyes narrowed in concentration, and from the far side of the bridge came the crash of thunder and the crackle of electricity.

"Did it work?" Katt climbed onto one of Rand's shoulders and poked her head over the top of the shell, only to fall back quickly as two arrows shot past, followed by two more. "Ack!"

"That would be a negative," Spar murmured. "I suppose with their increased speed and agility, they were able to dodge it."

"Looked like it." Katt nodded. "Big ol' blast mark where one of 'em used to be standing, but he was just standing back, away from it."

"Incoming, _mon amis!_" Jean gestured skyward with his rapier, and they saw that arrows were starting to rain down, arcing over Rand's shell. Before they could hit, however, Deis raised her cane and summoned a small tornado that caught all the shafts before bearing down towards the twin bodyguards.

"They'll probably dodge that, too," she said, before snapping at Katt. "_Don't _look! We'd better get our plan going before they start shooting again. If they can dodge _lightning, _we're only going to be able to nail them with something even faster, and there's only one thing we've got that is, at this range." She glanced at Bow, who nodded grimly and cocked his crossbow.

"The trick is going to be getting a shot off without being nailed myself," he said, glancing in the direction of the enemies. "Just one spell probably wouldn't do it; I don't want to bet they can't run and shoot at the same time."

"Two, then?" Nina asked, glancing at Deis, who nodded sharply. The two sorceresses both closed their eyes, and a moment later, there was a sudden wave of heat from their left offset by cold air from the right.

"Just to be on the safe side!" Sten suddenly frontflipped onto Rand's back. "Go!"

"Idiot!" Bow yelled, but he poked his head and crossbow off to the left, aimed, and fired two bolts before ducking back. At the same time, Sten yelped and tumbled backwards, two arrows grazing the top of his head. Shaking his head in disgust, Bow reloaded. "Do _not _do that again. Got 'im, though. Double-tapped the one on the right. One left."

"He'll be more careful," Spar said. "I'd better join you, this time."

"All right," Deis nodded, and a moment later, all three of them cast, fire and ice and lightning all focused on the bodyguard.

"And this time, nobody-_dammit!_" Ryu swore as Katt leaped up onto Rand's back.

"Nyaaaaa!" She stuck her tongue out in the general direction of the enemy, then paused. "Oh, wait. Never mind. You actually got him."

"Really?" Bow looked. "Huh. Looks like they did."

"Well, that's convenient." Ryu poked his head out as well. One bodyguard was flat on his back, a pair of crossbow bolts protruding from his throat, and the severed tail of the other flopped weakly in a scorched crater. "All right, where'd Habaruku go?"

"My, my, you are stubborn, aren't you?" The old man called down mockingly, and they all turned to stare up at the top of the tower they'd emerged from. He stood there, calm and confident, smiling down at them. "I had hoped that your bloodlust would be sated by now, but it seems your desire for violence knows no bounds."

"You've got that right," Sten agreed, smiling grimly. "And you're all out of people to throw in our way. Time to face the music, holy man."

"Very well." Habaruku sighed theatrically. "Though I am not a violent man by inclination, I can see that nothing else will satisfy you. As you wish, I will fight you myself." He smiled again, eyes baleful. "So long as you can keep up with me, that is." He began to cackle as he spread his arms wide and fell backwards, off of the towertop and into the abyss.

"Shit!" Katt yelled, covering the bridge in about three seconds and racing around the walltop past Sinistre's-or possibly Dexter's-corpse to disappear behind the tower. "He's just falling! Like a chump! What the hell!"

"I don't suppose there is any possibility he is simply committing suicide in grand style to save himself the torment?" Jean asked wistfully.

"Not a chance." Ryu shook his head as they all crossed the bridge as well in single file. "Either he'll regenerate the damage, or he's got some kind of spell to help him." He paused. "Or I guess he might just bounce."

"Magic," Deis said flatly before smiling. "Good news is, I know the spell too. _Bad _news is, I have to cast it while we're on the way down. Good news is, it looks like we'll have more than enough time for me to do that."

"Right," Rand muttered, staring down. "So we just... jump."

"And quickly," Spar added, unrattled. "Or else he'll escape."

"Oh, no." Ryu put a hand on the hilt of his sword. "_That _is not going to happen. On three, then. One, two, _go!_"

"Not agaaaaaaaaain!" Jean wailed helplessly as they all hurled themselves into the abyss after the Archpriest, Nina hovering at the back.

"Any time now!" Rand yelled as they all fell, past the interior building's windows. "Emphasis on the now!"

"I'm working on it!" Deis told him, as a white mist appeared around them, and their fall began to slow. Soon, they were descending at no more speed than a drifting leaf. Habaruku was out of sight, but below them, Ryu could see that their fall would continue past the ground level; behind the building, the floor simply gave way to dark depths. They kept going, down further and further, until they eventually landed on a square pillar, an island in the darkness. A bridge led off in each of the four cardinal directions, each one eventually ending in a doorway.

"I didn't see which way he went," Nina said as she joined them.

"Don't think any of us did." Bow scowled. "I can smell him, though. He went that way." He pointed north.

"Yeah." Katt nodded, then glanced sharply at him as his eyes widened, as did Deis', Nina's and Spar's. "What's up?"

"That's not the only thing in that direction," Deis told her. "Now that we're down here, I can sense something. Some _ridiculously_ powerful source of magic that's just sitting there. Habaruku's moving towards it. And I think it's somehow connected to that magical setup that's keeping this whole place running."

"An additional power source on top of the obvious, perhaps?" Nina suggested. "If it's subtle enough, we wouldn't have noticed it unless we knew what to look for, when we first detected all that magic up in the city." She flinched. "And something about it... I don't know how to describe it, not in words, but the feel of it is..."

"Disturbing," Spar finished for her. "Hideous. Evil. _Wrong. _And strangely familiar, as well, though I can't quite recall where from."

"Not like it matters," Ryu growled, running down the bridge they'd indicated, and they all followed him. "At this point, I don't really care _what _he brings out of the supply closet. He dies. All there is to say on the matter."

"As I said before, _mon ami_, unanimously agreed," Jean murmured.

More paladins and assassins assaulted them as they continued into the depths of the Grand Cathedral, and were dispatched just like those on the upper story. By now, all of their magic users had taken at least one dose of Wise Fruit, and those more physically inclined were sweating and breathing heavily, but nobody said a word of complaint. All of their thoughts were on the same page; exhaustion didn't matter, until Habaruku was dealt with. And so they continued, down a dark stone tunnel, the torches in the walls growing fewer and fewer the further they went.

"We're coming up on it now," Bow muttered, as they emerged into a wide, empty cavern. There was no floor, aside from a brief span at the tunnels on either side, simply an empty darkness. An implausible metal platform, flat and square, was attached to the other one, like a dock without pillars. There was none on their side, though, and no apparent way across.

"It's magically powered," Nina said, before anybody asked. Closing her eyes, she held out her hand, and the platform detached from the other side, hovering slowly through the air towards them, rattling slightly.

"Um, uh, er..." Jean murmured, going pale. "We must... ride this thing?"

"For Habaruku," Sten reminded him. "We can't let him get away from us now."

"Ah, yes." The Prince took a deep breath, then nodded, as the platform touched their end. "Very well. I will endure this."

"Hold my hand," Nina told him. "And close your eyes. The way we used to when we were children, on the walls, when we would pretend you could fly too." They all piled on; fortunately, the platform was more than large enough for all of them, even Rand. Jean's hand held tightly in her own, Nina moved the platform back over, and Ryu put a deliberate effort into not flinching every time it rattled or shook. Even so, it seemed like forever until they reached the other side, disembarked, and went through the arch.

The tunnel was narrow, low and short, and when they came out of it, it was like they were in another world. The floor was steel, flat and bare, and so were the walls, stretching up into the darkness out of sight from light cast by glowing glass panels set every few feet where torches would be normally. Ahead of them, the floor rose on both sides of the hall to about ten feet up, leaving only a narrow passageway down the center; atop both rises, columns were visible, climbing even further up before being capped by curious spheres about the size of a man.

And then the spheres _opened_, revealing glowing, red steel eyes that glared down at them, one on each side.

"Lost technology," Spar murmured, staring back up at them. "I suppose we shouldn't really be surprised."

"Those things going to attack us if we go any further?" Bow asked, scowling. "They look like they will."

"Probably." Deis nodded slowly. "The problem is, they're just the first line. I've seen setups like this before, and I'm guessing there's a lot more, further back... and they're so durable, taking them _all _out would take more magic power than _all _of us have."

"Not sure about that." Rand shook his head, eating a berry of Wise Fruit and making a face. "What say we double team 'em? You and me?"

"Oh." She blinked, then slowly smiled. "I get it. Yeah, that could work."

"I mean no disrespect, but I must inquire nonetheless," Jean said uneasily. "Does anybody else feel as if we should be standing further back?"

"_All _the way back against this wall behind us, you mean?" Sten suggested, as everybody except for Rand and Deis scrambled away. "Yeah, I'm with you there, buddy." The hall began to shake, metal beneath their feet trembling like a storm-tossed ocean, as the big man and the snake sorceress combined their wills to cast earthquakes; they were the only two who were able to use that particular element. Even Nina had never quite gotten the knack of it.

At first, it looked as if the eyes were unaffected, but then they began bouncing and rattling around, and then spinning. From behind them, a bright red beam of light shot out, nailing the one on the left, which promptly returned fire. More and more beams shot out, until they were flying through the air like a storm of angry bees, and all of the _Dragonkin_ hit the deck. Eventually, the shaking stopped, and with it, the lasers.

"Did you get 'em all?" Ryu asked, standing back up, a moment before one of the eyes hit the ground before him with a _clank_ and rolled forward. It was completely severed, lids gaping open and frozen, and from its underside, strange lengths of metal and electricity coated in brightly colored plastic dangled like guts.

"Looks like it," Katt said, squinting. "I don't see any still up there. If Habaruku was expecting that to slow us down, he's going to be disappointed."

"Who's there?" A new voice called from the far side of the hall. It was an old man's voice, deep but tired, a great gray weariness in it that remained audible despite its sharp tone. "Stay back!"

"Not going to happen," Ryu yelled back as they ran forward, single file, down the passageway. "Whoever you are, just stay out of our way. We don't have any particular grudge against you, but if we have to go _through _you, we will."

"What?" The old man demanded, sounding stunned. "Then... you are not followers of the Church of St. Eva?"

"Not a chance," Katt snapped. "We're pretty much the exact opposite. Whoa, what the hell?" Emerging from the other side, she skidded to a halt, and Ryu had to do the same to avoid crashing into her.

Any irritation he felt was silenced as he saw what had made her pause. Ahead of them was the far wall of the hall, with no other doors or passageways visible. Instead, a gigantic metal device covered most of said wall, like a larger, more advanced version of one they had seen before. Once in Highfort, in a secret chamber, and then again below their own town, inside the well that the townspeople had excavated.

Raised ten feet in the air was a strange sort of booth, with a chair set in it; steel shutters closed around whoever sat there, locking them in while leaving their head and upper torso exposed. Below the seat, on the front, was another steel eye, though this one was closed at the moment. The entire thing was elaborately cast, as if to resemble a gothic, ornamental pillar, but it did nothing to hide the true purpose of the device. A glowing panel of glass was set below the eye, and below that, a board covered in tiny squares, each bearing a letter or a number.

"Who... no, what are you doing here?" The old man trapped in the device demanded, squinting at them. He had the look of a once-strong man ravaged by his imprisonment; his skin was sickly, like a deep tan now gone pale, and was stretched in a way that suggested muscular atrophy rather than loss of fat. His hair and beard, both snow white, were long and wild, his jaw strong and his brow heavy. There was something familiar about him, but Ryu couldn't quite place it. "Are you here to kill me?"

"Like we said, we're just here for Habaruku," Sten said quietly, eyes racing over the entire scene. "Looks like you're not here by choice. Tell us where he went, and maybe we'll come back and bust you out once we finish with him."

"Maybe?" Bow muttered. "Come on, man."

"Ha ha ha ha ha..." Habaruku's voice echoed through the hall, and everybody started looking around for the source of it. "Why, I'm right here, of course. Right behind my guest here, and his quarters. If you wish to continue chasing me, it's the simplest thing in the world. All you have to do is clear him out of your way!"

"Yes..." the old man whispered. "After all these years, finally, freedom! Kill me, whoever you are! I don't know who you are, or what has brought you to this accursed place, but I beg of you, free me from my torment! Please, for the love of whatever God you do believe in, or none at all if you do not! By whatever it is you hold true, kill me!"

"Yes, by all means, kill him!" Habaruku gloated. "He has done his duty in the service of our God for many years now, and such devotion should be rewarded, should it not? If death is what he desires, than who are we to disagree? And you _are_ in the business of providing death, among other services, are you not? Of course, he has no means by which to pay you for your service as most of your clients do, so you will have to consider it an act of charity, but I'm sure that's well within your capabilities! Or is it truly only about the zenny for you?"

"Forget it!" Katt yelled. "Look, old man, just hold on, okay? We'll get you out of there and clear this shit out of the way!"

"No, there's no time!" The old man told her as a horn began to blare, and a red light began to flash from far above. "You must hurry, and kill me, before this vile machinery awakens fully, and acts to defend itself!"

_ More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power... _

"What she said," Ryu growled, mind racing. Part of his refusal was instinctual, something about the old man that resonated with him even though they'd never met before, but only part. "That bastard's made enough of a bloodbath out of this already. I don't know who you are, none of us do, but that doesn't matter! Nobody else is dying on our account because of him!" He bit his lip, glancing at his team. "Can't transform, though; I'd just wipe him out, too. Once we get him out of there, I can, but..."

"Like Nina told you, save it for Habaruku!" Sten reminded him. "Let me do it. I'll have him out of that thing in a jiffy, and then she and Deis can go to town on it."

"Don't touch it!" Deis snapped, even as he started to reach forward. "If you touch any part except for the controls while the automatic defense system is activated, it'll electrify the outer surface and fry you!" She narrowed her eyes. "Normally, we'd be able to target the power source for the defense system-it's usually separate, on this model-but it looks like Habaruku removed it. If it's running solely on its own generated power... how good of a magician _were _you, geezer?"

"Oh, he has far more than that, Sorceress of Wisdon," Habaruku said smugly, louder than before so as to be heard over the horn. "His own personal magic is sufficient to power the entire city of Evrai, this beacon of light and holiness that will draw our God into this world!"

"Yes..." The old man groaned. "All of my life, I followed the path of St. Eva without doubt or question, only to find that the truth was more horrible than I could have ever imagined. My God, my religion, my faith... all of them lies, deception spread by demons in the service of one who I believed to be salvation, and who instead will bring destruction to all the world! For years now I have served him further, against my will, and now you have come! Break this machine, and me along with it! Grant me peace at last, so that I will not have to see the end of the world I love!"

"We'll have to do it the hard way, then!" Ryu decided, frowning, as the eye on the front of the machine opened; whatever it was that was familiar about him, it was nagging at his mind, more and more with every word. From above, two more plummeted out of the darkness and came to a halt hovering on either side of the old man, electric metal guts dangling out of their undersides, but still clearly functional. All three eyes rolled in their sockets, before focusing on the team. "Take these suckers out, but without hurting him! Just relax, old man! We've done worse than this!"

"No!" The old man howled. "Kill me, before..." His voice trailed off into an agonized scream as glowing light began to emanate from the inside of the booth around him, and he leaned forward as far as he could, stunned.

"INTRUDERS DETECTED," the device said, its voice flat and mechanical. "GUARD EYES ACTIVATED. ASSUMING DEFENSE PROTOCOL OMEGA. BEGIN WITH OPERATION A."

"What, are we in kiddie school?" Katt cracked, running forward with her battlestaff at the ready, and bringing it around to slam against the lower Guard Eye, only to wince. "Learning our letters? Yeow, that smarts! Huh? Aw, no." The Guard Eye on the right glared at her, and a whip of lightning screamed down, lashing them one by one, everybody writhing as the voltage coursed through them.

"One healing coming right up..." Bow gasped, and a moment later, magic poured over them again, restoring the damage that had been wrought.

"Let's try something else, then," Sten suggested, steepling his hands before him, and the air around the Guard Eye on the right detonated in an explosion that rattled it, but did little actual damage. "Oh, come on! That's all?"

"The elemental balance here is complicated," Deis explained, raising her cane. "Both offensively and defensively. I'll try it on one of the others!" She repeated his spell, this time aiming for the lower one, and it proved more effective, cracking the hull slightly. Before anybody could cast another spell, though, said Guard Eye narrowed its lids, and a fireball slammed into her, sending her flying backwards.

"You okay?" Rand asked, healing her.

"I'm good," she groaned. "Nina, are you seeing what I am?"

"I believe so," the Princess replied, as Ryu ran forward to help Katt, the two of them continuing to hack and slash at the lowest eye; their weapons were only putting minor dents in it, but they kept going. "I'll test it further." Raising a hand, she returned the favor dealt her friend, nailing the Guard Eye on the left with a fireball of her own that caused a bit of metal to drip off, sizzling hot. "Yes, now I understand!"

"Ah, of course!" Jean raised his rapier, and a head of ice appeared before the same Guard Eye, breathing freezing air onto it. This did absolutely nothing, and the Guard Eye summoned up several ice lumps half its own size, pelting him with them at high speed. "_Quoi_?"

"Each eye has an elemental affinity," Spar explained, healing him. "They are resistant to those, and weak to another element."

"OPERATION A COMPLETE," the machine said, and the old man screamed again as it drew more power from him. "EIGHT OPERATIONS REMAINING UNTIL DELTA STORM IS ENGAGED. COMMENCING OPERATION B." The Guard Eye on the right glared at Ryu and Katt, and the room began to shake, throwing them back.

"Make that a _double _elemental affinity," Spar added as it went flying. "Of course, the weaknesses will also be paired."

"Never mind that!" Deis yelled, flying head over tail and landing painfully. "Ow! We gotta take them out before they finish that countdown!"

"Duh!" Bow healed them again. "No way the old man can take ten hits of that!"

"It's not just that, though, is it?" Sten grimaced, trying a fireball of his own on the Guard Eye on the left and smirking as it sizzled in. "What the hell's a Delta Storm?"

"You do _not _want to know," Deis assured him, shaking her head as she cast the same spell Jean had, aimed at the Guard Eye on the right. It froze up, in more ways than one, but cast a retaliatory spell all the same, blasting Katt with an atmospheric detonation.

"Hope we don't have to find out," Rand grunted, healing her again and eating another Wise Fruit. "I'm starting to overdo it on these things, guys."

"Don't take any more, then," Ryu said, hacking further at the lower eye. "Save what you've got left for healing, and only when Bow and Spar can't handle it."

"An excellent suggestion," Spar agreed. "Especially since I am able to heal a single position, but have yet to master doing so upon the whole group at once. Oh, my." The Guard Eye on the left was casting again, this time a spell that Ryu had never seen before. Droplets of water began to fall from above, almost like rain, but instead of hitting them, they coagulated in midair to form the shapes of fish, which swarmed over them, biting and tearing.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" He yelled, cutting at them, but against water, his sword was useless. "What the hell!"

"Ugh!" Deis snarled. "I wondered how it was going to do that, outside of actual water! Now I wish I hadn't!"

"You must admit, it's rather ingenious," Nina said, voice calm but angry nonetheless, as the magic faded and the fish disappeared. "I'll reward it appropriately." Another fireball hit the Guard Eye, exposing some of its metal guts on one side.

"And I shall assist our valiant friends!" Jean added, running forward to add jabs and swipes to Ryu and Katt's attacks. "Take that, and that, and that!"

"OPERATION B COMPLETE," the machine said, accompanied by the old man's howling. "SEVEN OPERATIONS REMAINING UNTIL DELTA STORM IS ENGAGED. COMMENCING OPERATION C." The lower eye flashed, and Ryu, Jean and Katt were barely able to leap back in time as a wall of silver light appeared around the enemies.

"Dammit, not this shit again!" Katt snarled. Behind the barrier, the other two Guard Eyes were both covering all of them, and the old man as well, with healing magic. "Well, on the plus side, at least they're keeping the old guy going. We won't have to worry about him dying before we get him out of there."

"No, but our chances of being able to do so are substantially decreased now," Nina said clinically; the damage in all of their hulls was being repaired by the magic just as effectively as if they'd been biological. "I don't quite know what a Delta Storm is either, but I _do _have an active enough imagination to know I'd rather keep it that way."

"Good instincts, too." Deis nodded sharply. "The worst part is, we can't unload most of our more powerful spells without killing him. The shape he's in, he'd never be able to take it. A Freeze or a Bomb is about as high-caliber as it gets for single targets."

"Then we shall have to be as practical and effective as possible," Spar concluded. "Ryu, Katt, continue what you are doing. Jean, Deis, focus on the eye on the right. Utilize ice magic, since none of us can use water. Nina, Sten, concentrate on the leftmost foe. Fire will be most effective; earth would do as well, save for the fact that it is airborne. Should any of you destroy your target, assist Ryu and Katt, using lightning or wind; either one will suffice."

"That leaves you, me and Rand," Bow noted. "We should forget the offensive and concentrate on the healing, right?"

"Correct." Spar nodded. "We will have to, in order to survive; so far, their attacks have been marginal, but I suspect they will now increase in potency. We can only hope that one of the three will continue to utilize a single-target attack each round. As long as it does so, I will be able to heal that one. Bow, do so after the first group spell, and Rand, after the second."

"OPERATION C COMPLETE," the machine informed them, as the silver wall dropped and the old man screamed. "SIX OPERATIONS REMAINING UNTIL DELTA STORM IS ENGAGED. COMMENCING OPERATION D."

"Go!" Ryu yelled, and he and Katt ran forward, as the lowest Guard Eye called down the thunder. Lances of lightning slammed into them all, and they screamed as well, falling to the floor and twitching... and yet, with a glance at each other, the two warriors rose again and ran forward to return the favor with staff and sword as Bow healed them, as well as the rest.

The others did the same, Jean and Deis summoning up twin heads of ice to assault the rightmost Guard Eye, whose surface began icing over. At the same time, Sten and Nina threw fireball after fireball at the Guard Eye on the left, which responded by echoing Jean and Deis. The head of ice it created blasted Nina with frigid magic that sent her sprawling to the floor, ghostly-white and trembling violently.

"Nina!" Ryu and Katt both yelled, glancing over their shoulders.

"D-d-d-d-d..." She chattered as Spar healed her. She created another fireball, this one stationary and close to her, and the effects faded. "Don't stop! Keep going!" Floating back into the air, she returned to throwing fire, only to groan as the Guard Eye on the right called up a four-sided pyramid of flame. Everybody went down, screaming, as the fire coated them, but Rand was able to heal them before long.

"OPERATION D COMPLETE," the machine said, draining more power from the old man. "FIVE OPERATIONS REMAINING UNTIL DELTA STORM IS ENGAGED. COMMENCING OPERATION E." A miniature tornado that was still larger than Rand descended, sucking everybody up and slamming them around into each other before throwing them away into the walls.

"Pain," Sten muttered, slowly sliding off.

"Damn!" Katt growled as Bow healed them again, popping a berry of Wise Fruit himself. "Now we gotta get close again! How many seconds is that wasting?"

"Too many," Ryu growled, accompanying him as she ran forward. "We're not going to be able to take this one down before they heal themselves again. Not even close."

"You won't have to," Deis told them. "That wasn't the plan. Just do enough damage that it won't be able to heal _everything_, and with luck that should be enough." Despite her words, the Sorceress was breathing heavily; the battle was taking its toll on her stamina, already somewhat drained by all the action they'd seen in Evrai so far, just as much as on any of the other members of the group, and she'd been one of those who'd never been blessed with an abundance of it to begin with.

"Maybe," Nina said, tossing more fire, as did Sten. "But this isn't going well. They're only using medium-strength magic, and it's taking everything we have just to break even and stay alive. We might not even live to see this 'Delta Storm' if we don't take at least one of them out before they do another round of healing themselves."

"Good news for you, then," Sten grunted. "Jean and Deis _might _be able to do that." The Guard Eye on the right was frozen up, in more than one sense of the word; its entire exterior covered in a thin layer of ice, it hung motionless in the air, though its pupil still glowed.

"Indeed!" Jean agreed, then blinked as more water fell from above. This team, the shapes it summoned were much larger, fully grown sharks that ripped and tore at everybody viciously before they dissipated. Groaning, Rand healed them all, just in time for the Guard Eye on the right to cause another quake. This one was fierce enough to actually tear up the floor, which compounded the damage caused by the motion, and when it died down they all lay scattered and moaning.

"Not yet..." Deis whispered, casting again. "Almost..."

"So close..." Jean groaned, doing the same.

"OPERATION E COMPLETE," the machine replied, even as the two heads of ice assaulted the eye on the right one last time. "FOUR OPERATIONS REMAINING UNTIL DELTA STORM IS ENGAGED. COMMENCING OPERATION F."

"No!" Ryu howled, as did the old man, as the silver wall appeared once more. For a moment, he thought they were lost, but then he saw that Deis and Jean's spells were still going. Everybody watched, breathless, as they faded away. For a moment, he almost gave up... and then the Guard Eye on the right slipped downward, then fell to the ground and shattered like glass. "_Yes!_"

"All right!" Bow healed them all. "Not quite according to plan, but we got a chance! And the other two will only be healed half as much!"

"I'll take the one on the left," Deis told Jean, who nodded. "You help Ryu and Katt!"

"OPERATION F... INCOMPLETE," the machine said, only hesitating for a moment, both eyes partially healed; the one on the left was more damaged than the lower one, but both still bore damage from before. "THREE OPERATIONS REMAINING UNTIL DELTA STORM IS ENGAGED. COMMENCING OPERATION G." And then the hammer of lightning descended, and they all screamed anew.

"Go..." Bow whispered, healing them, and they struggled back to their feet, charring and agony fading. "Before it's too late..."

Roaring wordlessly, Ryu and Katt and Jean charged forward, as Sten and Nina and Deis all threw fireballs at the Guard Eye remaining in the air. Even as it was engulfed in flames, however, it still cast one last spell, and a wolf of ice charged through them, scattering them like bowling pins as it froze them solid.

"Shit..." Deis hissed, calling up a flaming pyramid in the center of their formation that warmed them as Rand healed the damage.

"That's almost all I got!" The big man grunted, looking exhausted. "One more spell, and then I'm done!"

"Then throw it at the machine!" Ryu ordered him as the second Guard Eye crashed to the floor, a flaming wreck. "Everybody else, too! Give this last sucker an all-out offensive! Air and lightning! We might not live through another spell!"

"Huh?" Rand blinked. "Yeah, I know a lightning spell too, but I'll hit you guys! And the old man!"

"We can take it," Ryu said, meeting the old man's eyes. As he'd expected, when he did, the ancient prisoner stared back, and there was something familiar in them. Something that hadn't given up, not as much as his words had suggested. "And so can he! He can take one shot! Come on, before it's too late!"

"OPERATION G... INCOMPLETE," the machine replied, as sword and staff and rapier all carved dents into it, and were accompanied by whip and crossbow, as Spar ran up and Bow fired. Three atmospheric detonations followed, and then a lightning bolt, scoring the entire machine as well as the Guard Eye. "TWO OPERATIONS REMAINING UNTIL DELTA STORM IS ENGAGED. COMMENCING OPERATION H." The sole remaining Guard Eye gleamed... and then fell forward, out of the socket it had been implanted in.

"We did it!" Katt roared, and everybody else cheered as well, weary and exhausted.

"OPERATION H INCOMPLETE," the machine said, then, and everybody froze for a moment, until it continued. "ERROR. ERROR. DEFENSE SYSTEM DISABLED. DELTA STORM CANNOT BE USED AT THIS TIME. TRY AGAIN LATER. DEFENSE PROTOCOL OMEGA IS NOW SHUTTING DOWN."

"Ugh..." Rand fell forward on one knee, holding his head. "Somebody else get him out of there. I need a moment."

"It won't jolt me if I get up there now, right?" Katt asked Deis, who nodded.

"Pretty sure."

"Right!" Backing up, she took a running jump, flipped, and landed just below the old man, gripping the lower lip of the opening for his head. Bracing herself against it with her legs, she heaved, and pulled the metal plate off with a screech. Falling backwards, she flung it back over all of their heads and turned her descent into a backflip, landing on her hands and springing back to her feet just in time to catch the old man as he tumbled out of the machine limply. "Easy there, old timer. I've got you."

"Thank you," he whispered, limbs hanging limply as if he were a ragdoll. His priest's robes were filthy and ragged, but parts of them still held their original blue dye, something else that seemed to nag at Ryu's memory. "Whoever you are, how ever many of you there are, I will never be able to repay you for this. I had given up hope on ever being freed from that abominable device."  
"What do you mean, how..." Ryu started to ask, only to be cut off by a spectacular crash from above, as the room began to shake around them.

"ERROR," the machine said, as the sirens sounded and the red lights pulsed again. "ERROR. MAIN POWER SOURCE REMOVED. PROPER SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE HAS NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED. THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN SEVERELY DAMAGED. EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY. REPEAT, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rand demanded.

"It means we need to get out of here, _now!_" Deis snapped, wide-eyed. "We blew out the power supply for the entire city of Evrai! It's all going to break apart, and we're standing right in the middle of it!"

And Habaruku's laughter echoed through the room, while the shaking increased.

"Well?" The Archpriest asked gleefully. "What are you waiting for? I'm right here, waiting to grant your wish! If you want to fight me, all you have to do is clear that machinery out of the way! Just come on back here, and I'll be happy to oblige you!"

"Damn..." Ryu glared at the machine, knowing full well that there was no way they could clear it out of the way in time.

"It's hopeless," Spar said firmly. "There's no way we'll be able to get to him before this room collapses. He's beaten us, this time. We have no choice but to retreat for now."

"Spar's right." Sten nodded sharply, eyes dark. "The bastard has us. We'll track him down later, but right now, we need to get out of here, now. Otherwise, we'll never be able to pay him what we owe him."

"So we just walk away?" Ryu demanded angrily. "After everything he's done? After..." He trailed off, unable to say the names.

"It's not our call, buddy," Bow said flatly, shaking his head. "It sucks, but there's nothing we can do about it. Like Sten said, he got us."

"I want him dead as much as you do, Ryu," Rand growled, glaring at the machinery. "Maybe even more. But I'm not stupid, and neither are you. Even if we could clear all this stuff away in time, we're all worn out. If he's got anywhere near as much power as he's shown so far, we wouldn't stand a chance against him, in this condition."

"I'll transform again," Ryu argued, still furious. "If I can just nail him with that..."

"And what if it doesn't work?" Deis told him. "The Breath Of Fire hasn't on any of the Demon Lords we've met so far. They all had countermeasures. He's the most cunning of them all. Do you think he'll really just let you blast him?"

"I feel the desire for vengeance, and justice, myself, Ryu," Jean said, voice low and urgent. "It is not a familiar sensation to me, but I know it, all the same. We _will _have it, against Habaruku, some day... but whether we stay or go, it will not be today. If we remain here, and die, we will never have it from him, but if we leave, and live, then the chance is still ours."

"Damn it all!" Ryu howled again, slamming his fist into the deactivated machine. "Isn't there _anything _we can do? Some way we can get him?"

"No." Nina shook her head, putting a hand on his shoulder. "There isn't. I'm sorry, Ryu, but that's all there is to it. Sometimes there really is no option but to retreat."

"You know how much I hate that," Katt agreed, walking up next to him and putting her own hand on his other shoulder. "But she's right. They're all right. If we die here, we'll never be able to pay that bastard back."

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Shit," Ryu closed his eyes. "_Shit._" After a moment more, he opened them again and nodded, turning away. "All right. We're out of here."

"Allow me, my friends," the old man said, beckoning them closer; Katt had set him down, and he was sitting on the floor, but despite his inability to stand, there was still strength in his eyes. "Gather around me, and I will take us from this place."

"It won't work," Deis told him, as the others all moved closer; she was already standing next to him. "Even if it's starting to collapse, the magical barrier built around this city will keep any spatial relocation spells from..." She fell silent as the room began to shimmer around them, and the noise began to fade.

The last thing they heard was Habaruku, laughing at them once more, and then the basement was gone, sliding away from them to be replaced by the familiar environs of their own town. They were standing before their home, as the sunset blazed above their heads, and the townspeople went about their business, none of them so much as turning to stare; they were all used to such surprises from the team by now.

"How did you do that?" Nina demanded, after a moment of silence from everybody. "That should have been impossible. Even if you'd managed to successfully cast an Exit spell, the most it could have done was take us outside of the building. You'd have had to cast a Warp spell afterwards, to bring us here. To do both at once..."

"Many of what are commonly believed to be the limitations of the art are, in fact, not so insurmountable as most practitioners believe," the old man explained, leaning forward as if about to collapse. "There are ways. It is simply a matter of finding them."

"That is not the only question at hand, either," Spar added. "To bring us here... the Warp spell can normally only target destinations which the practitioner has personally seen. Yet, somehow, I doubt you have ever been to our town, sir. Certainly not in recent months. How did you know to bring us here, let alone actually do so?"

"It seems that certain factors can alter the equation somewhat," the old man chuckled, turning his head, and the way he looked to the side of Spar with his white, gleaming eyes suddenly made the dots connect in Ryu's mind. "You see, I am blind, my friend. Habaruku blinded me, among other torments. Flares of light, so bright that no human could endure them, after my eyes had grown accustomed to darkness... I doubt I will ever be able to see again."

"Shit," Bow muttered, then paused. "Wait, this still doesn't make sense. I guess that not being able to see might have solved the problem of only being able to go somewhere you've already seen, but how'd you know to come _here_?"

"I chose as the spell's target destination that which all of you thought of as 'home,' though I knew not where that would be," the old man explained. "I am not quite sure how I was able to, myself, yet I sensed that I could, and so I did."

"I can see why Habaruku had you hooked up to that machine," Deis murmured. "Your ability must have been phenomenal, back before he did. Who _were _you, old man?"

"We can save that for later," Bow said. "I'd heal him, but I'm not sure it would do much good. We need to get this guy to Kay's, fast."

"What he said," Rand agreed, carefully picking him up. "We could all probably use a visit, but we're used to taking a beating. We can wait. This is a lot worse than that, so he'd better go first."

"I just hope she's not in the middle of dinner," Sten cracked, but there was no real humor in his voice; like all of them, he obviously still felt the sting of their failure.

"There's no point in all of us cluttering up her place," Bow said, shaking his head. "Me and Rand'll take him over."

"All right." Ryu slowly nodded. "The rest of us... we should probably get some food and some sleep. The sooner we're back in shape, the sooner we can figure out what we're going to do next."

"Yeah." Bow glanced at the old man. "With any luck, this fella'll be able to tell us some more about our enemies once he's feeling better. That's something, at any rate."

"I would be glad to help, however I can," the old man assured him. "I owe you all more than words can say."

"Hey, you saved our asses right back," Katt reminded him, smiling, though it looked forced. "We'd have been killed down there, if it wasn't for you."

"To free you was no obligation, _mon ami_," Jean said, shaking his head. "Any sane man would have done the same. What was done to you was truly monstrous."

"It was," Nina agreed, shivering. "I never would have believed anybody could do something like that, a year ago." Her eyes flashed. "Habaruku, and Barubary... and even Evans himself... I won't rest until they're all dead for this."

"That seems to be the way it goes," Rand muttered. "Those three... they're the root of this."

"Habaruku most of all." Sten said calmly, coldly. "If he gets away, then he'll just keep doing what he does, for who knows how much longer. As soon as possible, we have to find him, and do what should have been done three thousand years ago."

"Right now, though..." Katt said quietly, staring at her feet. "Somebody should probably head back over to Cotland. To check up on Smith and tell her what happened, and... you know. Take care of things there."

"I'll come with you," Sten offered. "Probably too keyed up still to get any sleep just yet anyways. Need some time to wind down. Jean, you mind coming along for the ride and giving us a spell there and back?"

"You do not even need to ask, _mon ami_," Jean assured him, smiling sadly. "It is our last duty, to those who were both comrades and friends. I would be glad to assist."

"I'll fill Niro in on what happened," Deis said. "See if I can talk him into bringing some food back to our place from the Rivabs'. I don't know about the rest of you, but right now, once I do head back up to my room I don't want to set my tail outside of it for at least twenty-four hours. Maybe even forty-eight."

"I don't think anybody's going to blame you for that," Ryu agreed. "Let's plan on taking the next couple of days off, all of us. Maybe we'll get together and talk about what we're going to do next, but I don't want us actually _doing _it until we're all back to one hundred percent."

"Yeah." Sten slowly nodded. "Good plan. Just keep in mind, whatever our plan is, it's going to have to be a good one. Tomorrow morning, if anybody's willing to take me, I'm going to want to make a quick trip back to the island of Evrai to see just how bad it is. Chances are, we blew it off the surface of the world, and if that's the case, word's going to get out. The bastard might have gotten away, but even so... nothing's going to be the same any more, after this. For any of us."

"We knew that, going in." Ryu shook his head, turning away. "We just didn't know how right we were." Without another word, he walked past the Statue of Ladon and into the house.

"Chief," Niro said, leaning back in his chair behind his desk. "So, how'd it go?" He met Ryu's eyes, and his own widened. "Oh. That bad, huh?"

"Worse," Ryu replied wearily. "Deis'll fill you in. Just leave my dinner by the door; I'll have it when I wake up. And if anybody has anything for me except for food, tell 'em to come back next week." Continuing forward, he walked up the stairs, went to his room, and collapsed on his bed without bothering to disrobe, asleep before he even hit the mattress.

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

When he woke again, for a moment he thought that he'd only slept for moments; the sun was just as dim as it had been when they'd returned. Only once he looked out his window did he realize that it was early the next morning, and the sun was rising again. He'd slept for at least twelve hours straight without so much as stirring, despite the voice in the dark that plagued his nightmares even stronger than before. Even then, he still felt exhausted; everything ached, and even the thought of transforming made him shudder.

Opening his door, he found that a plate had been left outside of it with a metal lid to try and keep it hot, along with a mug of ale. Despite Niro's thoughtfulness, the meal had gone cold simply due to how long it had been there, but he ate it nonetheless, not really caring. Once he was done, he left the room, ignoring the urge to just go back to sleep, and walked down to sit next to the statue of Ladon as the birds sang in the morning air.

"Hello, Ryu," the spirit of the God said eventually.

"Hey," he replied. For several minutes, neither of them said anything more, but eventually he spoke again. "Did you know?"

"Some," Ladon admitted. "I knew of Ray Braddoc, of what his fate would be, and that he would meet it bravely.. I knew who it was you would face, and _what _he was. We have met before, Yuna and I, and I have awaited his demise eagerly ever since, though I have always been disappointed." His voice was dark and full of wrath, as much as Deis' had been, when he spoke of the Archpriest, but then it returned to his usual calmness. "But that is all that I knew. The rest..."

"Is all on him." Ryu slowly nodded. "It wasn't destiny bullshit. The rest just happened because that's what he is. It's what he does." Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he lowered his head into his arms. "He got away from us. We took out Evrai, but our real target got away clean. Habaruku escaped, and there was never any way we could have stopped him. We were never actually a threat to him. He had us playing his game from the moment we walked in there. He _won._"

"Today," Ladon agreed after a moment. "But tomorrow is another story."

"Where do we even go from here?" Ryu demanded, not moving. "Evrai was it. The big one. We all thought that once we were done there, there would be something, anything, that would be a straight path to finishing this once and for all. But it wasn't. We've got nothing to go on, no further leads. We're dead in the water here."

"The situation is not quite as dire as you think," Ladon assured him. "Though the path ahead of you may seem dark, there yet remains one light to guide you forward. You may not be aware of it at this moment, but soon, I think, it will reveal itself to you and you will have your answer."

"I hope so," Ryu said, not sure if he believed the God or not. "I really hope so." A moment later, he felt something cold and wet on top of his head, and raised his head to stare up at the cloudy gray sky in disbelief.

It was snowing, in southern Auria, near the _equator._

"Well," he said quietly after another moment of stunned silence. "I can't possibly see how this could be anything but a bad sign."

"Remember my words, Ryu," Ladon said calmly. "It is the way of these things. The worst always comes at the end. The darkness before the dawn. Winter comes before spring. But in the end... it fades away, and hope returns."

"Then the sooner it gets here, the better." Ryu shook his head. "I think we could all use some, right now. Wait until the rest of the town wakes up and they see _this_."

Before either of them could say another word, something _ripped _at his consciousness in a way he felt with his mind rather than any of his senses. Something he sensed from Kay's house, three rows down on the left side of the town. A moment later, the front door of her house burst open, and Kay ran into the street. Her hair was mussed, her eyes wide and panicked, and a robe had been thrown on hastily over her nightgown.

"Ryu!" She said, running towards him. "Quick, wake somebody up! Somebody who knows the Drain spell!"

"What's going on?" Ryu asked, jumping to his feet, as he heard cries of irritation from the upper stories of their house behind him. "Is it that old man?"

"Yes!" Kay nodded quickly. "There's some sort of magical overload or something! I'm not sure what it is, but he's in agony, and if it keeps building..."

"What the hell's going on out there?" Bow yelled from inside the building. "Ladon, my head!"

"Deis, Nina, Spar!" Ryu rattled off their names. "Need you down here, now!"

"That's not an answer!" Rand growled as he stormed down the stairs, adjusting his toga as he came. Katt was on his heels, wearing her top but not any of her armor, or even her metal bracers; she was pulling her fingerless gloves on, and had her half-boots in hand, as did Rand.

"Even _I _felt that one!" She agreed. "What the _hell_?"

"It's the old man!" Ryu explained as Jean and Bow followed them down, both in similar states. "He's going to explode or something!"

"What?" Sten demanded, baffled, as he joined them. "We don't want him to _explode!_"

"Magical overload," Nina guessed, wings folded behind her, dull-eyed and sleepy. "I should have seen it coming."

"We both should have," Deis told her as Spar helped her down; despite her words, she was still practically asleep on her tail, the Grass Man almost dragging her along. "We need to get over there and Drain some of it off, quickly."

"Allow me," Rand said, scooping both of them into his arms along with Nina and charging down the road. Ryu and Kay stepped out of his way, and he continued towards at the doctor's house.

"It never stops!" Katt snarled as the others followed in his wake. "Not even for a second! How am I still an optimist? _How?_"

"You will feel better tomorrow, _mademoiselle_," Jean assured her. "Moments such as this do not detract from the intrinsic joy of life itself, no?" He blinked and looked up. "Ah, and even now, a miracle comes to temper our despair! Look, _mon amis_! Snow!"

"Not sure if I'd call that a miracle, big guy," Sten quipped. "Matter of fact, I'd go with the exact opposite. Snow, in this part of the world? Bad sign."

"How'd it happen?" Bow asked Kay. "I take it you were sleeping?"

"Yes." Kay nodded as they reached the house and followed Rand inside. "After you brought him over, I took a look at him; at the time, I thought it was a simple case of extreme malnutrition and atrophy. I did everything I could, and then let him rest, while I slept myself. I never saw this coming."

"None of us did," Ryu assured her. "We'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen again." Climbing the stairs and entering the guest room, they all stopped, staring; the old man was actually _hovering _in the air above his bed, suspended by an aura of blazing green light that crackled like fire, though nothing it touched was igniting. His teeth were bared, and his snow-white hair stood on end as he shook wildly.

"Again!" Deis snapped, and she, Nina and Spar all murmured under their breath, siphoning magical power from the old man. "Again!" Once more they did, and this time it seemed to do the trick; the green blaze vanished, and he fell back onto his bed, moaning.

"Okay," Katt said, rubbing her eyes. "I might just be being... well, me here. In fact, I'd bet good zenny I am. But can I ask what the hell happened, anyways?"

"Like Nina said," Spar told her, somehow managing to seem irritated despite remaining as placid as usual. "Magical overload."

"Yeah, okay, but what does that _mean_?" Ryu demanded. "And is it going to keep happening?"

"I'm afraid so." Deis nodded. "In layman's terms... you all know how everybody has a basic level of magic power, right? Generally, the more skilled you are, the more power you have to draw upon, though that's not an absolute rule. Anyways, when you sleep for an extended period of time, your magical power restores to its maximum. The problem is, this guy's been hooked up to that damned machine for years now. He hasn't been at max since they put him there, because of the constant drain."

"I get it." Bow snapped his fingers. "He can't take it any more. His body's too weak to stand it. What's technically his 'normal state' _isn't _any more. He's _used _to the drain. So when his magic power tries to restore itself..."

"Is there any cure?" Ryu asked quietly as the old man began to stir.

"None." Nina shook her head. "The only way would be to rehabilitate him, to restore his body to the point where he could handle it again, and at his age..." She left it hanging.

"Ryu?" The old man asked, softly. "Is Ryu here?"

"I told him your name," Kay explained quietly, before anybody could ask. "All of your names. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Ryu assured her, before stepping forward. "Yes, sir. I'm here. My name is Ryu Bateson, and I'm the leader of this group. The _Dragonkin._ Have we met before?"

"That all depends," the old man said after a moment. "I know the chances are astronomical, and yet, I must ask... have you ever been to a town called Gate, in the north?"

"What?" Bow asked, quietly, in the silence that followed.

"I..." Ryu took a deep breath, as memories threatened to overwhelm him, surging through his mind. Memories of a childhood lost, of a family disappeared, of a life that had vanished before he'd even known it was happening. "Yeah. Yes, I was born there. I didn't stay long, though. Left when I was still a kid. Why?"

"It is you." Blind eyes searching for him, tears starting to fall, the old man smiled, raising a hand in the air. "After all these years, against all my expectations... it's you. Ryu... do you remember that day? Yua had run out again, and I sent you to find her. I know how long it's been, and I doubt I'll ever be able to understand everything you've gone through... but please, tell me you remember."

"No way," Katt whispered now.

"It's impossible," Nina agreed.

But Ryu could only stare, as he took the old man's hand in his own, and he finally realized just why he looked so familiar. The years had taken the tan from his skin, the strength from his muscles, the straightness from his spine, and the gray from his hair... but he still knew him.

"Dad?" He whispered, as his eyes leaked tears.

_SWAYING TO THE SYMPHONY OF DESTRUCTION _


	40. Chapter 37: The Return To Gate

_**Chapter 37: The Return to Gate **_

Ryu Bateson, son of Ganer and Valerie and brother of Yua, stood on the edge of the coastline south of his home and stared at his own reflection in the sword he held before him, under the sun. Ryu Bateson, leader and founder of the mercenary group _Dragonkin_, owner of his own town in southern Auria, vagabond and professional killer stared back. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and so was the sea, but he was lost in a fog.

_"I thought it was a day like any other. Yua hated taking naps, so she ran out to play by the dragon, just like she usually did. She always liked that. Somehow, though I'd resolved never to tell either of you until you were older, she knew. I wonder if Valerie is still there, still sleeping, still watching over the home she found when she emerged from that other world. Your mother... she never told me her Clan, never explained her wings to me, but I knew as well, just as Yua did. _

_ She never would worship St. Eva with me, and the rest of the townspeople. I'm sure our neighbors found it strange, that the priest of St. Eva would marry an unrepentant heretic, but none of them ever said anything about it to us. I never saw myself marrying one who was not of the faith, but on that day years before you were born, when I met that wild maiden walking down from the mountain, with no knowledge of the world whatsoever... I lost my heart to her, and I think she did to me, despite how much older I was." _

The snow had stopped falling already, and in fact had melted away, but nobody was reassured; winter was still far from over, and a miracle that had happened once before could come again at any time. Ryu's thoughts were not on the weather, however; the crashing of the waves and the cries of the seabirds were silent to him. He simply stood there, staring at his own reflection in the _Empire_, the blade of the Gold Lord, as his father's voice echoed in his head over and over.

_"We were married in less than a year, and we spent more years together, happier than I ever thought possible. More than anything, it was the memory of those years that kept me sane inside that dreadful machine. Those, and the years after, raising you and your sister. After the doors of the gate opened a second time, at the command of a madman, and released the legions of Infinity into this world. We did not know of it until it was too late, and even then, I never suspected that the perpetrator was the Archpriest of my own faith. _

_ They were all there, all of my tormentors. Those brutes Kuwadora and Shupukay, the lunatics Aruhameral and Necromanson... and of course, Habaruku. I dueled him there to protect our home and children, as Valerie revealed her heritage at last, in order to do the same with their leader, a monstrosity named Barubary. Their strength was unimaginable, but somehow we triumphed, and in doing so sent all the demons running with their tails between their legs. But though we won the day, I lost my wife, all the same. Only days after the birth of our second child, I was widowed._"

Eventually, after how long he didn't know, Ryu sheathed his sword again. That was the only movement he made, though; aside from that, he remained where he was standing, as the day crept by and the tide slowly retreated. He was standing out of distance of the waves, sand dry underfoot, but he still idly noticed as the ocean crept further and further away.

_"She explained it to me before she left me, on that night when my world was destroyed. Her people had sent her from their world to ours, for two purposes. To bear a child who would one day be their only hope against the demons, as well as ours, and then to become part of the enchantment sealing the gate, its sleeping guardian who would strengthen the door to Infinity beyond even Habaruku's power to break. But she dallied in that task, unable to set aside her love for me and you, until the demons forced her hand, and reminded her of just how much depended on her. _

_ I brought the two of you up, keeping the secret of your destiny and your heritage from you, intending to tell you when you were grown... but that chance was denied to me. After Yua and I left you in the meadow that day, with your mother, we returned to our home, only to find everybody in town under magic of the mind." _

Closing his eyes, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist, Ryu transformed again. Once more, as he had in the Church of St. Eva, his human shape and form gave way to that of the dragon, the final form that was unique to him. Vast wings beating, purple plates heavy and bulky, his tail thrashing behind him as his head stretched out on a serpentine neck, the Dragon of Gate loomed above the coastline twenty feet tall.

_"Habaruku had returned for his vengeance upon me, for crippling him on that night years ago, and he had not come alone. Aruhameral, their mentat, practitioner of an art I had thought to be forgotten, was already fogging the minds of my neighbors. He stole their memories away, and replaced them with lies and illusions. Against him, even I was helpless; he clouded my mind and my ability to cast magic before I could get a single spell off, and from there I was lost. All I was able to do was hold him off long enough for Yua to escape; I know not where she is now, or even if she still lives. _

_ Later, Habaruku told me of what they had done after I fell. While connecting me to that machine, he gloated about many things. His identity, his purpose, the truth of the faith I had devoted my life to... and you, Ryu. He told me of how an innocent clergyman with nothing but peace in his heart had been left to replace me in the town. Of how you ran, as Yua did, with a new friend who destiny brought to your door when you needed one the most. Of the life you led from that day onward, alone on the road, a child without a home._"

Rearing back, the Gate Dragon roared, and his fury brought with it the same storm of blistering energy that it had before, in the Grand Cathedral of Evrai. The blazing rain of energy burned a path through sand and sea alike, carving through the ocean like a knife through butter as far as the eye could see ahead of him. His scream, the scream of a life lost, echoed over the coastline, and even the clouds above blew away from him.

_"I remained there beneath that accursed city, that foul mockery of everything I had believed in, for more than a decade. Habaruku and his cohorts were the only ones who ever visited me, and their only purpose in doing so was to increase my torment. At first, they told me of you, of all the rigors you endured, but in time even the knowledge that you still lived was taken from me. I prayed for death a thousand times over, but I had no God left to pray to. Bad enough that the machine took everything from me, and turned it into Evans' power. I would not add to it with my worship as I had before. _

_ That is the most diabolical secret of Habaruku's work, of the church he founded. _All _prayer that is devoted to St. Eva, whether for good or for ill, becomes his power. Evans cares nothing for intent; all that he seeks is devotion, and he is infinitely greedy. Prayer, emotion, magic... and worst of all, the very souls of the believers themselves... all of these things have been increasing his power for centuries already. The Gate which Valerie guards is all that stands between him and our world, and one day, he will be strong enough to break through it." _

His energy spent, the Gate Dragon shrank, turning in on itself to revert to Ryu Bateson, young and strong and human in appearance save for the blue in his hair. Exhausted, he crouched on the sand, breathing heavily, and stared at the path of absolute destruction he had carved out of the beach before him.

_"Evans is the son of Myria, Goddess of Lies, the seed of evil she left to her servants when she went to face those destined to slay her. Though he is young by the standards of deities, only a single millennium in age, he is already a greater threat than even she ever was. Myria sought to play with the lives of mortals, to bend them to her will for her own sick amusement, but Evans has no interest in such things. All that lives upon this world is only more power that is not yet his, to his eyes, and he will never stop until nothing remains for him to consume. _

_ Already, his servants have begun, even before he emerges. Barubary's will drains the life from the trees, converting them into Evans' power. He is the only demon who I truly fear; even Habaruku, ancient and vile as he is, is still mortal. But Barubary... even I do not know his true nature, or how he came to serve Myria first, and then Evans after her. Now that Evrai is destroyed, such efforts will likely be the chief source of Evans' intake." _

"Ryu?" A voice called softly, and he hauled himself back to his feet. Turning around, he saw Katt and Nina approaching together, both their eyes wide and hesitant. It was the Woren girl who had hailed him, and as she met his eyes, she spoke again. "What are you doing?"

_"Oh, my son... I would endure ten more years of that torture, if I could, if it would return my vision to me so that I could look upon your face. Come, let me hold you, so that I may try... yes, I think I can visualize it. Ryu... you've grown up into such a fine, strong young man. Please, tell me about what has happened to you, in the years since we last parted. Tell me of this town Miss Kay says you have founded, and of these people who live with you here, who helped you save me from Evrai. Tell me everything I missed, Ryu, please. I want to know about my son." _

"The more I use the Breath of Fire, the less it wears me out," Ryu explained, still breathing heavily. "It's a slow process, and it sucks to go through, but by the time I was ready for the next stage, both times, it was bearable. Still exhausted me, but not to the point where I couldn't fight. I'm hoping it works the same way for the third stage."

"Repetitive training, in order to increase your stamina." Nina slowly nodded. "I see. It's a viable theory, but it could be very dangerous, you realize."

"That's why I'm doing it way out here." Ryu jerked his head back towards the waves, as they poured in over the path of destruction, filling the trench as if it had never been. "So nobody'll get hurt."

"I think she meant for you, Ryu," Katt said, wincing. "What happens if you overdo it? Do it too many times, too quickly, and burn yourself out so badly it does per... perma..."

"Permanent damage," Nina murmured.

"Thanks." She nodded. "Yeah, that."

"I'll just have to pace myself so that it doesn't come to that, I guess." He shrugged, trying to look less exhausted than he felt. "What happened last time is unacceptable. I have no idea where we go from here, or what we're going to do, but whatever it is, I'm going to have to be able to use this form without being completely useless afterward. I think we're going to need it."

"I wish I could disagree with that," Nina said, shaking her head. She paused then, opened her mouth, closed it again, and then glanced at Katt, who met her eyes before they both looked back at him.

"So," Katt said, sounding awkward, scratching the back of her head. "Your dad, huh?"

_More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Yeah." Ryu tilted his head back, staring up at the sky. "Habaruku had him stashed in that basement ever since they pulled that shit in Gate ten years ago. He's been waiting for me down there ever since. As if we needed _another _reason to hunt the bastard down and grate his face off."

"We're taking shifts," Nina told him. "Me, and Deis, and Spar. One of us is near him at all times to keep Drain spells going every hour, so that he won't suffer another overload. Niro knows the spell, as well; before we leave again, we'll move your father into our building so he can keep that up."

"You're okay, though, right?" Katt asked quietly. "I mean... I don't... what's it like?"

_"I never really believed you weren't real." _

"I wish I could tell you." Ryu closed his eyes. "But words... there just aren't any. You know?"

"Yeah," she said after a moment. "I think I do."

"If there's anything we can do..." Nina started to say, then trailed off.

"You can." Opening his eyes again, Ryu gave them both a tired, weary smile. "Just keep on being you. Both of you. Stay with me, please. We've lost so many other people, but... as long as you're here, you and all the others..." He let it hang.

"You don't even have to ask," Katt promised.

"Always," Nina agreed.

"Thanks." Ryu walked towards them. "Let's head back, then. Is everybody else in town too?"

"Yeah, Sten just got back." Katt nodded. "Kind of why we came looking for you now. Figured you'd like to know."

"You thought right," he said, trying to smile, though he doubted that it looked convincing. "Thanks. We should have another meeting. Has everybody had Kay take a look at them?"

"I think so," Nina told him. "From what I've heard, it's the usual all around. A few more aches we'll be feeling every now and then, but nothing actually debilitating, and that's what's important."

"Did you want to stop by and get your dad?" Katt asked, then quickly kept talking. "I mean, in case he has another freakout while we're in the meeting. We'll have everybody who can use that spell there, so none of them will be watching him, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ryu slowly nodded, and they turned as they reached Kay's street. Before they could knock on her door, though, she opened it, apparently anticipating them.

"Hello again," she said, smiling slightly. "If you're looking for your father, Ryu, Sten and Rand already came by to bring him over to your building for the meeting."

"Should have known they'd have figured it out before even I did," Ryu muttered wryly. "Thanks, Kay." He started to turn away, then paused, remembering something he'd been trying not to. Taking a deep breath, he met her eyes. "There's something else, actually. Something I'm... afraid is going to be hard on you."

"Is it about Ray?" She asked quietly, and continued when they all blinked in surprise. "I already know. He sent me a letter, by magic, yesterday morning. He told me about who he really was, and what he was going to do... and what would happen." She closed her eyes. "He's dead, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid so," Ryu admitted, just as quiet. "He gave his life for us, fighting by our side. For us, and for the true believers in St. Eva who were being sacrificed by the demons. He died bravely. I never really believed in heroes before... seen too much of the world to actually buy that, you know? But Ray... he was one. A hero."

"He was," Kay agreed, eyes still closed. "For all of his life. Thank you, Ryu, Katt, Nina. For telling me. If you'll excuse me." Turning away, she closed the door behind her.

"Shit," Katt muttered under her breath.

"Indeed," Nina agreed.

Ryu didn't say another word. He simply led the way back to their own home, where they found the rest of the team in the meeting room, waiting for them, with Ganer on a couch Niro had dragged in from somewhere. Walking over, he took the old man's hand in his. "Hey, dad. How are you feeling?"

"The same as before, I suppose," Ganer replied, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about me, son. Even wrung out like this, I'm not going to go dying on you this easily. Go on, talk with your team. I'll stay quiet and listen."

"All right, but let us know if you need anything," Ryu told him. Sitting down at the table, he looked around at everybody, taking in their faces. Bow looked pensive, while Sten seemed edgy. Rand was bleak, and Jean subdued. Niro appeared to be more thoughtful than anything else, and Spar was as placid as ever. Deis looked angry, Nina depressed, and Katt caught between both. Taking a deep breath, he steepled his hands. "All right, people. Before we talk about where we go from here, does anybody have any reports to give?"

"Smith was gone when we went back to Cotland," Katt said immediately. "We searched the place, and found a note from her eventually. Said that some paladins came in around noon to storm the place. She managed to lure them into traps, so she's okay, but it was obvious that they knew what they were looking for, so she took off out of there. I think she figured we were all dead meat, but just in case, she said that if anybody was still alive to find her note, that she'd be heading back over to the Thieves' Tomb "

"Again?" Deis growled, rolling her eyes. "_Why?_"

"Don't ask me." Katt shrugged. "Like any of us know how her head works? Anyways, after we found that, we cleaned out all their books and records and shit, then... well, we torched the place." She sighed. "Wasn't sure if it was right, but... it seemed like what they would have wanted. Didn't want monsters infesting the place or bandits moving in or anything like that, you know?"

"I'd have done the same," Ryu assured her. "I think you're right."

"Speaking of such things, we took a trip back to the island of Evrai this morning," Sten continued. "And the island's all that's left with that name now, because the city is _way _gone. There's a smoking crater about ten miles wide where it used to be. Complete obliteration. Shame it's probably too much to hope for that that bastard Habaruku went down with the ship."

"Not a chance." Deis shook her head. "The only good news-if you can call it that-is that he won't be hiding in a rat hole for long, either. This won't be the last we see of him. He'll be back; he won't be able to help himself. And when he does rear his ugly head again..."

"Next time, he won't get away." Bow smiled without a trace of humor. "No matter what."

"I was worried about Mina, but before we even went back to Evrai, I found out that she managed to follow us here," Nina added. "Somehow, it seems she always knows where we are."

"I'm not really surprised," Ryu admitted. "I guess the question is, what state does this leave the Church of St. Eva in? Should we be watching our backs for reprisals?"

"Honestly?" Sten shrugged. "There's no way to tell just yet, boss. Probably won't be for a while. We cored the faith pretty cleanly, and everything that's left over is going to be completely boggled by that. Depending on how many paladins were out of the city at the time, and how many of those are demons, it could go any number of ways. My advice would be to try and get our personal stake in this settled before _they_ figure what they're gonna do."

"Probably smart." Ryu nodded. "All right, on to the matter at hand. Where we go from here. For a while, I wasn't too sure. We don't have anything left that's concrete for us to go on. We've run down all of our leads, one by one. Evrai was the big one, or so we thought, but it's dust and here we are."

"So what does that leave us?" Rand grunted.

"The only other place we know about with demon activity," Ryu replied. "The one I've been unconsciously avoiding even considering, ever since we heard about that. I should have known better. Should have known that sooner or later, it would come to this." He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "Gate. My hometown, and my family's. Barubary's still in the area, as far as we know. And even if he's not, the gate in the mountain that gave the town its name is connected to all of this, somehow."

"The one your mother's guarding," Nina murmured.

"Exactly." Ryu inclined his head towards his father. "Dad says that on the night she transformed, Barubary and Habaruku led a horde of demons out of there. Combine that with the fact that the big man's still watching the place, and it looks like that's where this is all going to end. I'm going to be honest; I'm kind of afraid of going back. But unless anybody else has any other ideas, it looks like that's what it's going to be, so I'll just have to deal."

"There is one more thing," Deis said quietly, and everybody turned to look at her. Her face was calm, though her hands shook slightly. "It's something I've been avoiding thinking about, myself. Because I didn't want to. Didn't want to even think about the possibility of it. But everybody else has been facing down their pasts. If you're taking your turn, Ryu, I guess it's time I did the same." She met his eyes. "Before we head to Gate, we should stop by the Isle of Giants, up north of Windia. There's some people there waiting for us."

"Our ancestors," Ryu said calmly. "And their friends. The ones who stayed. Karn, and Gobi, and..." He left it hanging.

"And Bo." She slowly nodded. "That was what kept me from wanting to go back there. I... wasn't sure how I'd feel about seeing him again. But... hell. Can't keep avoiding it forever. I owe him more than that." She grimaced. "I'd say I wanted to settle it, one way or another, before we finished this and I went back to sleep again, but the truth is... I'm not so sure I'm going to, this time. Go to sleep right away, I mean. After we're done."

"Have you ever done that before?" Rand asked, looking at her. "Stayed awake, even after the job was done?"

"Never." She shook her head. "Not since the first time, and that... was different. But not once I started doing it this way, no. I'm not sure why I'm considering it now, either. I mean, I care about you guys, but the longer I stay up, the more it's going to hurt when I _do _have to eventually say goodbye. That's what always got me to take the plunge, both times before. And it's bad enough that I woke up early, and knew three of you for years before we even got started. But..." She closed her eyes. "There's a lot of factors. I just don't know, this time. Doubt I will, until we actually get there."

"But you want to see Bo again," Bow said, then made a face. "Ugh, that's going to get confusing with me and him."

"Imagine how I feel about it," Nina commented quietly. "At least Martin is going by a different name these days."

"Yeah." Deis exhaled, ignoring that. "Yeah, I do. I want to see him again."

"Then we'll go." Ryu nodded. "All right. Stop by the Isle of Giants first, talk with them, see if they have any advice." He smiled grimly. "To be honest, I kind of like the sound of that anyways. I've been getting more than a little tired of all of them just showing up whenever they feel like and acting like innocent bystanders. Time we called them on that. After that... Gate. And with any luck, Habaruku and Barubary."

"When are ya headed out, then?" Niro asked. "Not to be throwin' around orders or nothin', but just a suggestion? You all look like you could use a couple more days o' rest. 'Specially you, Ryu."

"Does it show?" He asked dryly, before shaking his head. "Yeah, okay. The rest of the week's off. Maybe fly up to the Isle of Giants, since I can't see how that could possibly involve much strain-if Habaruku shows up _there_, I'll convert _back _to the Church of St. Eva-but we're not heading to Gate until we're all feeling back up to full again. Just in case."

"Right." The old man nodded. "That in mind, then... bunch of the townsfolk are really gettin' down to work, after that last meetin' we had with them. Most of it ain't done yet, so it'll keep, but that new girl from Guntz, Eichichi, says she's figured out how that lost technology works. Figured if you're spendin' a couple days around here, ya might want to talk to her about that."

"Lost technology?" Ganer asked, from the couch. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's all right, dad," Ryu told him, while mentally cursing; he'd forgotten about that. "It's... well, the thing is, this town... we've found something like what they stuck you in, underneath it. I don't think anybody's ever been in it, though. Well, not ever since it was buried, anyways."

"I see." Ganer frowned, but it looked more thoughtful than angry. "Habaruku did say that there were a few such devices in other parts of the world. More primitive models, buried and forgotten."

"That's pretty much how it went, yeah," Sten agreed. "When Obelisk blew up-you know about that, right? Myria's flying fortress?-the pieces went just about everywhere, all over the world. We've found intact fragments in both Simafort and Highfort. Sima didn't have one of those things, but Highfort did. Shupukay was planning on using it, although we managed to take her out before she could. We only found out about this one recently."

"We should have just wrecked it offhand, I suppose," Ryu admitted. "But... even if we're not putting anybody in there, which we're obviously not, we figured maybe an expert could learn something useful from it. So we brought one in, from Guntz."

"Then I find myself agreeing with Mr. Mani," Ganer said firmly. "It would be advisable to see what this young lady has learned."

"Jus' Niro'll be fine, Mr. Bateson," Niro told him, scratching his bald head. "Ain't never been one to stand on ceremony anyway, an' especially not with family o' the family."

"Well put." Ganer smiled. "But I'm going to have to insist that that goes both ways, then. Just 'Ganer,' please. For all of you."

"All right, mister... I mean, Ganer," Katt said, smiling. "I think we can manage that."

"Can somebody go get Eichichi, then?" Ryu asked. "Assuming she's not doing anything right now, or that she doesn't need us to come down there."

"I'll get 'er," Niro said, standing up. "All o' you should be takin' it easy, an' this is comin' from the old geezer with the cane. Be back in a sec."

"Has something occurred that I am ignorant of?" Jean asked, looking confused, once Niro was gone. "This may just be me, but I do not think that was entirely a joke."

"It wasn't." Sten shook his head. "Nobody's said anything to him, of course, but I think Niro's starting to feel bad about being the only guy drawing a paycheck from our activities who's not actually out there in the field with us. And the fact that that's not what his job _entails _doesn't help much when you see everybody else limping in looking like they just went over a waterfall in a barrel on a ten-zenny dare. Makes him feel like he's not _really_ one of us."

"From the standpoint of the destiny bullshit?" Deis made a face. "He's actually not. That kind of confused me a little, at first. But on that score, at least, I'm right with the rest of you on telling fate to take a hike. He's one of us, and anybody who says different doesn't count and doesn't matter."

"What you said." Bow nodded, then sighed. "Of course, that won't help him much, even if we tell him."

"I will speak with him," Spar said quietly. "In private, so as not to provoke a hostile reaction. There are times when I feel a similar sentiment, concerning my own role on the team, in regards to the fact that anything within my capabilities in regards to combat is exceeded by the abilities of others."

"I as well, _mon ami_," Jean said, smiling. "But then I remember that our very versatility is the reason for which we were accepted, and all stands explained! Surely, between us we will be able to cheer _monsieur _Niro up, yes?"

"Ah." Spar hesitated for a moment. "Something like that, yes."

"Like what?" Niro opened the front door again. "All right, enough talkin' about me when I ain't here to hear." He stumped his way back to his seat, Eichichi following him.

"Niro tells us you've discovered some things about that lost technology beneath the town?" Ryu asked her, ignoring that.

"Ah, yes!" Eichichi nodded quickly, shifting one foot and then another as she wrung her hands excitedly. "You want me to explain it, right? To tell you how it works?"

"That's what we've called you here for, yes," Bow said politely after a short pause. "Is that, uh, going to be a problem?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" She waved her hands. "Not it all! In fact, it's just the opposite! I'm so glad I can finally tell somebody about it! I wanted to, but I thought I should probably let you know first before I told anybody else here, because it's your town, right? Even if it could affect all of them if somebody powered it up, which I'm not sure how to do yet, so at least I knew that wasn't going to happen. But still, I've been waiting to explain, and... oh, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

"I think we do, yes," Nina remarked mildly. "What have you discovered, then?"

"Well, like I said, so far I still haven't managed to figure out what the power source is," Eichichi continued; she wasn't even short of breath. "All I know is that that's what the seat is for." She paused. "Oh, no! You don't think that that means it's supposed to be powered by a living being, do you? A sentient one? I mean, it's been theorized before, but nobody's ever tried actually doing it, at least not legally! That would be horrible!"

"Indeed it would," Ryu agreed calmly, keeping a straight face with some effort, as Ganer winced but remained quiet.

"Anyways, what I _have _managed to figure out is what it _does _when it's powered up!" Eichichi told them, apparently not noticing the reaction. "You see, even though that control point is the only part of it that's accessible, the machinery is actually spread underneath this entire town! Further, even; it extends for a good half a mile past the current outskirts in any direction! You could probably even expand the buildings a little further and still be within the borders of where the technology is! Not all the way down to the coast, of course, but close!"

"Huh." Bow raised an eyebrow. "Good to know, I guess. But what does it _do_?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, it somehow manages to use magitech-that's the combination of magic and technology-to generate a personal levitation field around the town and the earth beneath it!" Eichichi explained delightedly. "It's controllable from the chamber, of course, and while I'm not entirely sure of the limitations on height, I'm not entirely sure there _are _any! Of course, it won't be able to get up much air speed, but even so, can you imagine the possibilities?"

"Are you telling us that if we powered up that system, our town would be capable of _flight?_" Nina demanded after a moment, as half the room looked confused and the other half awestruck.

"Thanks for the translate," Katt muttered, prompting nods of agreement from some of the others, before they all blinked. "Wait a second here, you're saying that our _town _could _fly_?"

"Exactly!" Eichichi beamed. "The town, and enough ground to keep it architecturally stable! Just flying through the air, a floating island! Isn't that amazing? If only we could find some way to power it... one that didn't require living people, anyways! That can't be it; why would anybody even _build _something like that?"

"Why indeed?" Deis murmured, looking downward.

_ Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Well, thanks for telling us," Ryu said quickly. "We appreciate it. I assume you're going to be continuing to look into it?"

"Oh, yes!" Eichichi assured them. "In between everything else I'm doing, of course. Everybody here is so friendly; they're always coming over to ask me for help with the plumbing or with kitchen appliances or things like that. I have twice as much to do here as I did back in Gant! It's so much fun! Thank you again for letting me live here! I just hope there's a way I can repay you for that, someday!"

"I'm sure there will be, missy," Niro said with a wink. "We're big believers in karma, 'round these here parts."

"Oooh, I hope so!" She agreed, turning away. "I'll let you get back to your business, then! See you around town!"

"Well," Ryu muttered once she'd left. "Can't say I saw _that _one coming, though for some reason, I kind of feel like I should have." He stood up. "Meeting adjourned, unless somebody else has something to say about that. We've all got a lot to think about. Next stop, the Isle of Giants, once we've all recovered at least a little."

"We'd better be, from what I've heard about that place," Sten muttered as the meeting broke up.

The next several days were, as Ryu had planned, highly relaxing. He fished, he swam, he napped, and he even read a little. The only real exercise he got was limited to sparring sessions on the roof with Katt; they resumed those without a word between them about the period in which she hadn't been present, and he didn't need to ask her to know that that was something they were never going to speak of again, no matter how their relationship turned out. She hadn't been in love with Tiga, but there had been some sort of connection there, and its brutal severance had changed her in a way that was none of his business, or anybody else's.

The rest of the townspeople were sympathetic; they asked for no details, but made it clear all the same that they were still loyal to their town's founders. The Rivabs provided food, the Hasecos kept the ale and wine flowing, and everybody was generally cheerful and friendly. The main topics of local gossip seemed to be the lost technology, which Eichichi had lost no time in telling the rest of the town about after the group, and Ryu's father, who was making friends quickly and easily. Most of all, though, everybody seemed to have an opinion on the snow, and what it meant, if anything.

Several days later, after sleeping in late and having a hearty breakfast, they set off again, with Niro promising to watch Ganer carefully for any signs of another magical overload; there had been several more, but all of them had been caught in time to prevent any risk to his life. On Deis' advice, rather than taking the Great Bird to the Isle of Giants, they'd had her Warp them there, onto a small beach on the south side.

"Good think we dressed warmly," Ryu muttered as they looked around; the Isle was near the north pole of the world, and so they'd each added a layer of thick furs atop their armor and clothing. Looking around at the snow-covered island ahead of them and the icy ocean behind, he wondered if maybe they shouldn't have worn two. About all he could tell of the landscape was that there were trees, though those were sparse and covered with snow as well. Everything else was completely muffled by the cold white layer, several feet deep.

"I must confess, a certain matter is arousing my curiosity," Jean said as they began trudging forward. "In times long past, the name of this island was 'Pagoda,' yes? And yet, today it is known only as the 'Isle of Giants.' Such changes of name are commonplace, I am aware, but what was the rationale behind this particular nomenclature?"

"What?" Katt asked after a moment.

"He's asking why it's called the Isle of Giants," Sten translated for her.

"Oh, okay." She nodded. "That's actually a damn good question. Why _is _it called the Isle of Giants, anyways?"

On cue, a sludge hopped out from a cluster of tall trees, turning to face them. Sludges were monsters, native to Auria, scavengers who only attacked travelers by ambush in packs, mostly contenting themselves with the leavings of other predators. They were creatures made of acidic slime, an ugly green color, shaped like a tall dome topped by golden eyes, its only real organs. How they functioned without any others was a mystery Ryu had never really cared enough to look into; chopping them in half or a bolt through them served to kill them despite that.

Of course, normal sludges weren't twenty feet tall, and almost as wide.

"Ah, yes," Sten commented as everybody stared, and the sludge stared back, eyes bobbling. "Of course. Obvious in hindsight, really."

"Why don't we handle this one?" Nina murmured, glancing at Deis, who nodded. "I think magic will work better than physical force."

"By all means, ladies." Bow inclined his head.

"Hold on, I want in on this, too," Katt interjected as the sludge started hopping their way, shaking the earth with each bound. "I'm gonna have to practice this _some _time if I want to actually use it, and books aren't gonna be much help."

"All together, then?" Deis suggested, and Nina nodded.

"That should suffice." The three women concentrated, and a moment later, fire, ice and lightning all raged, consuming the giant sludge entirely.

"You okay?" Ryu asked, stepping forward to catch Katt's arm as she stumbled once the fight was over.

"Just a little woozy, is all," she replied, shaking herself. "Kind of tired all of a sudden, too."

"That's because you just blew your entire magical power in one go," Deis explained. "You don't have any training, so focusing it is completely out of the question. Shape and form, too. You just let it all go, all at once. I suppose it's to your credit that you can at least manage an element. It's powerful, but you'll only be able to do it once."

"Hey, as long as I can do it at all, that's more than enough for me," Katt replied, smirking. "Me, using magic? A year ago I'd have just laughed and said to tell me another one, and to try and make it at least a _little _more convincing this time."

"I wish I could disagree," Nina said, smiling slightly as well. "Perhaps you've been paying more attention than any of us thought, yourself included."

Everybody considered that for a moment.

"Naaaaaaaaah," Katt drawled. "Anyways, where is this place, anyways? They've got a house or something, right?"

"Think I see one, up ahead," Sten told her, shading his eyes. "Off in the distance. Let's head that way and see if I'm right."

They did, and soon enough it came into view, growing larger and more distinctive as they approached. It was a simple, but sturdy, wood cabin from what they could see of it beneath the snow. Its chimney, which had been empty before, started to put out smoke as they drew near, and two old men sat on the porch in rocking chairs, smoking pipes and drinking ale. Aside from the climate, it looked just like a country lodge, save for the bright yellow banner stretched from one corner of the roof to the other, reading, "THE ISLE OF GIANTS WELCOMES THE _DRAGONKIN_" in black.

"Really?" Bow muttered under his breath as they approached. "Was that really necessary?"

"With these guys?" Deis replied, deliberately avoiding looking at one of the old men. "Be glad there isn't confetti and music." They continued forward, until they stood before the porch, and regarded the old men silently.

"I was plowing the land the other day," one of them said eventually, tapping out his pipe. He was of the Forest Clan, like Bow's mother had been, though his canine features were more akin to a wolf than a dog, long and lean. His fur was a steely gray, and despite the cold, he wore only green pants and boots. "Found a strange rock. When you hold it, you can see the bones in it. Weird."

"Yep," the other one agreed. He looked human, though his skin was far darker than most, almost black. His hair was as gray as his companion's fur, short and curly, and he was dressed just as strangely considering the temperature, in shorts and a vest with gloves and boots that were all banana-yellow. "Weird. Maybe even strange."

"Could be," the first one agreed.

They continued to sit there, showing no signs of noticing their visitors.

"Yeah, no," Ryu said flatly after a few more moments. "Cute, but I don't think so. Cut the senile act, huh, guys? We're not buying it."

"Have we met, son?" The human-looking one said, eyes focusing on him now. "Don't think we have. You must be mistaking us for somebody else. Happens every now and then."

"Really?" Deis said, finally meeting the Forest Clansman's eyes. "Somehow, I doubt it. Afternoon, Bo."

"Afternoon, Deis," Bo, hero of the Forest Clan, one-time greatest archer in the world and right-hand man to the Dragon Clansman who'd saved the world from the Dark Dragon Empire in the Second Dragon War, replied just as calmly, meeting her eyes as well. "Been a while."

"That it has." She glanced at the other man, and smiled slightly despite herself. "Been keeping Karn out of trouble?"

"He's been _trying_," Karn, ancestor of the Fusion Clan, greatfather to the girls next door and former Prince of Thieves, said with a smirk. "Every once in a while I head out with Gobi just to cause some. Keep my hand in, you know? That, and keeping an eye on those ridiculous descendants of mine." He glanced at Ryu. "Your security's pretty good, but you might want to beef it up a bit more, just to be on the safe side."

"Maybe we should," Ryu agreed calmly. "Are we missing anything I should know about?"

"No, I searched him when he got back," Bo assured him, knuckling Karn's head. "Pretty sure he was just doing it for the hell of it."

"Hey, they're here!" Gobi said, opening the front door. "Are you two screwing with their heads for shits and giggles? Why didn't you invite me?"

"Is this normal?" Rand asked Deis. "Or are we just special?"

"Hard to say, really." She shrugged.

"All right, all right." Bo shook his head, standing up. "It's nice to meet all of you. Now come on inside, and warm up, huh?" Turning towards the door, he raised his voice. "Hey, guys! They're here!"

"Tell 'em to come in and warm up, then!" Another, more familiar, old man's voice came back.

"We already did!"

"Okay, this is just getting silly now." Gobi stepped out of the way. "Come on, come on in. We figured this would be coming, so we're ready for you."

"Was the banner really necessary?" Ryu asked dryly as he walked in.

"Hey, we put a lot of work into that banner!" Karn protested. "It's a work of art!"

"You should probably just ignore them when they start doing this," a woman in a sky-blue leotard, boots and gloves advised them from near the firepit set in the right side of the front room, under the chimney. She looked to be in her late fifties, but was still attractive despite her age, short hair mixed gold and silver. Her wings were large, their feathers snowy white, and her blue eyes were sharp and cheerful. "They'll start acting more like their normal selves if you do, instead of the grumpy old man bit. Unlike some people living here."

"That's because I _am _a grumpy old man," the old man in unadorned red robes who went by the name of Martin instead of his own shot back, standing next to her, as he looked their way as well. Tall and strong, with long, flowing snow-white hair, his only distinctive features were the scar across his forehead and the burning anger in his fierce green eyes, though his smile was friendly enough. The two of them were supervising a spit, on which an entire ox was roasting. "Get your asses in here, all of you. The kids aren't used to this cold."

"You say that like we should be," Sten commented. "As if walking around like the lot of you should be physically possible. I grew up doing overnight patrols in a _desert_, I have a fur coat over damn near my entire body, and _I'm _shivering here."

"You get used to it after a couple of centuries," Bo explained with a shrug. "Or maybe it's just something about living that long at all. These two certainly didn't seem to mind, and they just showed up here about a month and a half ago."

"We're special," Martin said dryly. "Come on in, warm up, pour yourself a mug." He inclined his head towards a row of kegs set in another wall, one of which was tapped, with a six-pack of wine bottles on a small end table nearby. "The meat'll take a while longer, since we didn't know when you'd be here. It's not often we get visitors, which calls for only one thing."

"Let me guess." Ryu sighed, but smiled as well. "A party?"

"How did you know?" Gobi grinned. "We can talk business later on, if you really want to. "Right now, though, we've got more important things to do! Now then, are there any musicians in the audience?"

"Ah, but of course, _mon ami!_" Jean replied exuberantly, stepping forward. "Allow me to ask of you, then, if you possess a lute on the premises, yes?"

"Here we go," Bow mutttered, shaking his head. "No stopping it now."

"You say that like there was ever any chance of that," Bo replied, smiling as well. "We're professionals ourselves, kid. We know what we're doing."

"Why am I not surprised by this?"

Despite their cynical response to the inherent absurdity of the situation, none of the _Dragonkin _actually went so far as to object to the reception they received; on the contrary, they took to it as if they direly needed a way to enjoy themselves without any sort of stress, which it could be said they did, even after several days of relaxing back home. The roast ox was good, the ale was better, and everybody got along wonderfully. Despite the generation gap, and the difference in the methods they had used, they were all the same sort of people deep down, and everybody could sense that.

Eventually, after several hours, they started to scatter, breaking up into smaller groups. The two Ninas were the first to leave, along with Katt, claiming that they were going up to the roof for what they referred to as 'girl talk.' For some reason, they also invited Spar along; even more inexplicably, it agreed, and they all departed through the front door.

A little while later, most of the others left as well. Karn and Gobi invited Bow, Sten and Jean out back to get some air, to which they agreed. Nobody mentioned their reasoning, but everybody was thinking it; after initial joviality, Deis and Bo had both grown steadily more quiet, and were now sitting several feet away in front of the fire, drinking in silence and avoiding each others' eyes. Rand, looking even more sober than usual, had asked to come as well, and they'd agreed.

"Come on, kid," Martin said once he and Ryu were the only ones left in the main room aside from Bo and Deis, inclining his head towards the front door. "Let's go out on the porch, huh? Do your best old fogey impersonation with me, and I'll pretend to be impressed."

"Are you absolutely sure you're not senile?" Ryu asked jokingly as they both stepped outside, topping off their mugs on the way. Once they were seated in the chairs previously occupied by Bo and Karn, he glanced back towards the building. "Would it be out of line to ask just what the story is there? I know some of it, but I feel like I'm missing more than I'm not."

"They had a thing, back in the day, when we were young," Martin explained. "I get the feeling that up until then, Deis had made a habit of finding a boyfriend every time, for something short-term, without commitments. It's the only kind of relationship she could have, when you get right down to it, and the idea of celibacy never was her style."

"No, I don't think so." Ryu chuckled. "It always kind of puzzled me that she never hooked up with anybody long-term back when we were drinking buddies in Auria."

"Right." Martin nodded. "Bo, though... he agreed to that at the time, but the thing about Bo is that he has a hard time opening up to people, and that just makes it all the more meaningful when he does. When the time came to let go, and let her go back to sleep... he tried, but he couldn't forget about her. The fool went and actually fell in love with her, no matter how stupid he knew it was. So when Karn and Gobi decided to stick around here instead of dying of old age, and Mogu and Ox decided not to... it took him a while to decide, but in the end, here he is. All so he could see her again, someday."

"Yeesh." Ryu winced. "No wonder she took it so hard. Did she know he would?"

"I think so," Martin agreed. "How she feels about him, though... well, that's none of my business or yours. That's between them, and I'm staying out of it." He glanced at Ryu. "All right, kid. Enough shooting the shit. Why'd you come here? Not that we mind-there's a reason we threw this party, after all-but you had more of a reason than wanting to see how some old fogeys were doing, right?"

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your heart to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and soul to God. You will become God's power..._

"Yeah," Ryu admitted, looking back and trying to see some hint of himself in the old man's face, in his blazing eyes. "We're kind of at an impasse. Could use some advice."

"I figured it'd be something like that," Martin replied, sighing. "You know there's only so much we can do for you in that regard, right? That's what being neutral means. We can give advice, yeah, but that's all we can give you. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to stick a wrench in everybody's plans, Evans _and _Ladon, but..." He glanced up towards the roof.

"But being neutral is actually working out for you, and for the first time in a long time, you've got too much at stake to risk ruining that," Ryu guessed. "I can work with that. Nobody's asking you guys to stick your necks out for us. You already did your time, and now it's our turn. We're just here to draw on anything you learned from doing that that might help."

"That much, I can do." Martin smiled. "Why don't you start by telling me just what's happened recently that's got you so stymied, and then we'll go from there."

"All right," Ryu agreed, and proceeded to explain the events of the past month and a half, starting from the ordeal in Windia and proceeding from there; he had a hunch that Martin already had a fair idea of what they'd been up to prior to that. When he was done, he fell silent once more, and waited for a response from the old man.

"Well," Martin said eventually. "That explains a lot. I always wondered about Habaruku." He shook his head. "You've lost a lot of friends thanks to him, haven't you? In a very short time."

"Yeah." Ryu clenched his fists, thinking about all the losses they'd taken in Evrai. "Ray, Daisy, Tiga, Claris... and the rest of the _Renegades_, too." He frowned as a thought struck him. "Something was weird about that. How come every one of them, except for Tiga and Claris, succumbed to the soulstorm? All of our guys were able to fend it off, but not a single one of the _Renegades_ could, except for those two. Was that just because of destiny?"

"Somehow, I doubt it." Martin shook his head. "Destiny might tell us what to do, but it doesn't give us any handouts to help us do it, kid. No, there's another reason for that." He gave him another look. "Let me ask you something. What was the biggest difference between your _Dragonkin _and those _Renegades_? As a whole, a group, not as individuals."

"The biggest difference?" Ryu's frown deepened. "You're not talking about the fact that Claris was the only one of them who looked to be under two hundred pounds. You mean something more important." He thought about it, long and hard, before speaking again. "I guess... maybe it was the way we did things. Tiga and me. What kind of leaders we were, and how our teams responded to that."

"Elaborate," Martin told him, eyes locked on his.

"Tiga..." Ryu searched for words. "They thought he was invincible. The _Renegades_, I mean. Maybe Claris, too, but mainly it was him. And I can see why, after I fought him. Nothing natural in this world would have stood a chance against him, one-on-one. Even Habaruku had to lure him into a trap to kill him. Because of that... the rest of them..." He sighed. "I hate speaking ill of the dead, especially about friends... but they weren't as good as my guys are. Not in their skills, or in their will. They always counted on Tiga handling the hard stuff for them, so that all they would have to do was back him up."

"And then when something came along that didn't work that way, that's what got them killed," Martin said gravely. "That's the problem with that style of leadership. But that's not the way you do things, is it?"

"Not usually," Ryu agreed, drawing out his Dragon's Tear and staring at it; as it always did when he turned it upon himself, it turned a vibrant orange, the color of apathy and distrust, if not actual dislike. "I've still got no idea why, but they all seem to trust me to be their leader. Which I can try my hardest at, for their sake, but deep down... I know I'm not as great a guy as they all think I am. By myself, without them there with me... I'd be nothing. That's why they all work as hard as I do, to be the best they can be. They know I need them to."

"So how come you went up against him one-on-one, the way you did?" Martin pressed. "Tiga."

"I was stupid." Ryu shook his head. "Stupid, and blind, and forgetful. I'd won every fight I'd been in for so long, I started to forget what I'd learned when I was younger. That there's no such thing as invincibility, and nobody who can't be killed. Especially with the Breath Of Fire. I lost my head there. Started thinking of it as something that would win any fight, could take down anybody, as long as I got it off. And since Tiga didn't know about it, he wouldn't have any countermeasures like the Demon Lords did."

"And it didn't," Martin added. "You got your ass handed to you. That's the way it goes, sometimes. Happened to me often enough, back in the day. There's always a bigger fish. That, and you were only up to the second stage. Feel any different about it, now that you've got the third?"

"Kind of." Ryu stared out at the sky, as the sunset bled red across the clouds. "If I'd had the third stage, back then, and been able to handle it... I think I could have beaten Tiga. But if I had, I'd have kept on acting that way. And maybe the rest of the team would have started believing it, too." He shook his head. "Losing to Tiga was a wake-up call. It helped me remember who I really am, and what my real power is. It's not the Breath of Fire. It's not this sword I pulled out of the sea. It's them. Bow, and Katt, and Nina, and Deis, and Jean, and Sten, and Rand, and Spar, and Niro. _They're_ my true strength."

"Then I can tell you one thing." Martin smiled grimly. "The reason they all see what you don't in yourself is because of that. _Because _you believe in them so strongly, more than anybody else ever has. That's why they follow you. Because _you _believe in _them_, they believe in you. Tiga might have been stronger than you, but you're a better leader than he was... and better than I was, too."

"You?" Ryu smirked. "Come on, now I _know _you're winding me up. You were _legendary_."

"Yeah, but that wasn't why." Martin shook his head. "I cared about them, sure. Still do. And it goes the other way. But we aren't as close as you guys are, and never were. It took time to develop. What came first, what bound us together, was our common cause. We wanted to stop the Dark Dragon Empire, and everybody had their own reasons for that."

"I remember, from the book I've read," Ryu said, raising an eyebrow. "You ever seen it? Niro showed it to me. Crawfield's _Fall of the House of Zog._"

"Crawfield." Martin chuckled. "That old codger. I remember him. He got everything he knew right, but there were a few things he didn't, 'cause he didn't know. Not that that was his fault; it's probably the most accurate account out there. Anyways, like I was saying, I led like Tiga did. Did my best to be invincible, so all the others would have to do was clean up after me. It was a different time, and the world was a different place. Less civilized. When you get right down to it, I was pretty savage, myself. I probably cared more about my revenge than I did about them, even if they were my friends."

"I couldn't do that," Ryu said after a long moment. "If it came down to that... to getting out of this destiny bullshit, or saving one of the team... I'd take the latter, any day."

"And that, right there, is what I'm talking about." Martin clapped him on the shoulder. "Like you said, your true strength isn't the Breath Of Fire. It's them. Them, and everybody else you care about. You might not be able to save Ray, or Daisy, or Tiga or Claris or the other _Renegades_, but you can make sure that their deaths at least had a meaning. Make sure they're remembered. And save this world. Not for its own sake, or for yours. For theirs."

"Yeah." Ryu finished his mug and set it down, then stood up. "In that case, thanks for the party, but we should really head back home and get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

"That we do," Deis said from behind him, and they both turned to see her emerge from the door, calm and composed. "It was good seeing you all again, don't get me wrong, but..."

"But you handed in your resignation a thousand years ago," Martin said quietly, smiling still. "And you've got another job now."

"Always were a sharp one." She smiled as well then, and gave him a quick hug. "Take care of yourself, and Nina too."

"Shouldn't that be what you're saying to me?" the elder Nina said lightly as she and her descendant both flew down from the roof. A moment later, Katt landed nimbly next to them, and Spar descended as well, hanging onto its whip like a lifeline until its feet touched grass and it pulled the length of thorned green leather in.

"I was about to say!" Karn added as everybody else came around the side of the cabin.

"You're right," Deis admitted wryly, hugging all three of her other old friends in turn as well. "What _was _I thinking?"

"Don't suppose we'd be able to talk you guys into coming by sometime so we can return the favor?" Bow asked with a cheerful grin. "I think you'd like the place."

"Tell you what." Gobi gave him a grin right back, along with a thumbs-up. "Win this, come back home, and we'll drop by for the afterparty."

"And here I thought I'd seen the last of those," Martin muttered, though there was no bite in it. "Silly of me, really."

"It was," his wife agreed, draping an arm around his shoulders. "Good luck. We'll be cheering you on."

"And we'll be holding you to that promise," Ryu replied, as they all waved and smiled, and Deis took them home. It was near midnight in that part of the world by then, and even Niro was asleep, so they all turned in as well without another word; everybody already knew what tomorrow would bring.

_ Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power..._

The next day, they took the Great Bird to the peninsula south of Windia, where the town of Gate was located.

Gate was almost completely isolated from the rest of the world; to the north of the peninsula, a massive mountain range separated it from the lands of the Wing Clan. Caverns leading beneath said mountains were the only easy means of traveling to the town for most people, aside from a single small harbor, though not many seemed to mind; there was little of interest there to anybody.

That being said, its geographical location gave it a perfect climate. Neither too hot nor too cold, far enough from the coast to avoid the worst of the storms yet close enough to enjoy the benefits, and shielded from north winds by the mountains, it was pleasant all year round, or should have been. Thus, when they touched down in a meadow full of dead brown grass, east of a small wood full of equally stricken trees, Ryu had no need to tell the others just how much it had changed.

"It's horrible," Nina murmured, looking around. "I'm surprised it's not snowing here, as well, but... oh, Spar, I'm so sorry."

"Fascinating, in an unspeakable way," Spar said, looking sickly as it glanced around. "I believe I now know what it feels like to be physically ill. If you'll excuse me."

"I ain't exactly a green freak-sorry, Spar-but this is just wrong," Sten growled as the Grass Man vomited in a nearby bush. "This Barubary asshole's got a lot to answer for. Not as much as Habaruku, of course, but still."

"They've both got accounts way past due," Ryu said grimly; he'd rarely gone beyond the town itself, so painful familiarity was at a minimum so far. "And we're here to call them in. Let's go see if there's anybody who can tell us if anything's come up since the Ranger's Guild pulled out of here a few months ago."

Though he said nothing as they wandered into town, from his first glance he could tell that the rest of their time there _would_ be painful. Everything he saw brought memories rushing back, from the abandoned statue of Ladon covered in moss and surrounded by weeds near the south gate, to the home where he'd been born and raised, a cathedral of St. Eva with living quarters on the second floor. As they walked down the dirt roads, however, something else began to bother him. The familiar faces he'd been dreading were nowhere to be found. Gate was abandoned and empty.

"Does anybody else have a real bad feeling about this?" Katt asked quietly as they continued from house to house, road to road, without any signs of a living creature, human or otherwise. "Where'd everybody go?"

"The Ranger's Guild said the town called them in," Sten recalled. "So they were still here a few months back. Did Barubary kill everybody or something? Payback for siccing the rangers on him?"

"I doubt it," Ryu said, shaking his head; despite never actually encountering him in more than ten years, for some reason he felt like he knew a few things about the demon who had haunted his nightmares ever since. "Don't think it'd be his style."

"Then they're probably all doing something," Bow said, frowning. "And this ain't the time for a party, or anything like that. So what is it?"

"Knowing our luck?" Deis' eyes narrowed. "We'd better get out into that canyon to the dragon, and quick!"

"Aw, _shit_," Rand muttered, as they all broke into a run.

"This way!" Ryu yelled, leading them past the mayor's manor and into the canyon behind the town, where he and his sister had spent many early days playing, under the gaze of the town's guardian. The undergrowth, thick and wild, was as dry and dead as the rest of the vegetation, but he still remembered the hidden paths through it.

"Who's there?" A stout old man in a doublet and hose cried as they burst out of the shrubbery into the clearing before the town's namesake. The southernmost of the mountains ended there, in a cliff that stretched flat and wide for miles in either direction. A pair of massive stone doors with no means of opening filled the cliff's face ahead of them, and all the townspeople were gathered around it in a half-circle, keeping at least ten feet away. Only the local priest of St. Eva, a man who was massive in height and breadth despite his old age, was actually approaching the doors, and the one who slept over them.

The dragon of Gate was huge, larger than even a house. Her foreclaws held two smaller gates closed, off to the sides, and her head dangled over the main portal, a barricade greater than any lock. Though her silver-white scales were harder than steel, and her claws and fangs fearsomely long and sharp, her closed eyes gave her face an oddly kind, gentle expression as she slept.

"We're here representing the Rangers' Guild and what are you _doing_?" Ryu yelled, watching the priest step back, away from the gate. Something had been attached to the doors. Something that was ticking.

"Everybody, get down!" The priest shouted; Ryu remembered him, vaguely, from the brief time he'd spent in the brainwashed town before fleeing with Bow. His name had been Father Hulk, an appropriate one considering his size; lantern-jawed and heavy-browed, with a bald head and an impressive white mustache, he looked like a retired bouncer or bruiser despite his brown robes, a walking cane in one hand his only sign of weakness. "It's about to go off!"

"Are you freaking _kidding _me?" Deis and Katt both screamed in unison as they, and the townspeople, all dove for the dirt. Before they hit it, white light blinded Ryu as a deafening explosion filled his ears, and when he did feel earth beneath him, it was shaking violently.

When he managed to pry his eyes open again, he confirmed his worst fears with a single glance. The ground below the gate and the cliff around it were all charred and blasted, though the doors themselves were unmarked. The dragon had pulled her head back, the underside of her jaw black and burned, and when he looked west and east, he could see that her claws had been retracted even further.

"Rangers?" The fat man was saying as he stood back up, brushing himself off. "Well, it's about time. I'm Ross, the mayor, and-hey!" Ryu ignored him, charging the priest instead. Seizing the old man's collar in his hands, he slammed him against the cliff.

"What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" He yelled, not particularly caring that the priest had at least a foot and a hundred pounds on him; he was furious in a way he'd worked his entire life to control and restrain, drowning out all reason and logic.

"Leave Father Hulk alone!" One townsman said, and the people started to press in, only to pause as the rest of the _Dragonkin _drew their weapons.

"Ah-ah-ah." Bow shook his head.

"We..." The priest sputtered. "The Rangers who were here last said a giant monster was the cause of the plague. We searched, but we found no trace of any such beast, until we realized our own traditions were blinding us to the truth. The dragon was the fiend who had cursed us so, and so when no more Rangers came, we had no choice but to take matters into our own hands!"

And then the sounds of screaming came from both east and west, as hideous yellow humanoids flew away into the sky on dragonfly wings, from the directions of the two side doors, their claws and teeth dripping fresh blood.

"The dragon was _protecting _you, you imbeciles!" Ryu turned his head to scream at the townsfolk as they stared, white and shaking. "It's the only thing keeping those doors closed, and the demons inside there! That freak who's causing the plague _wants _them open! She's the only one who ever managed to _beat_ him, thirteen years ago, and you try to _bomb_ her?"

"You... you know about that night?" Ross stammered. "Who _are _you people?"

"You could say we're specialists," Sten drawled. "Demonslayers, to be specific. The Rangers' Guild figured this was out of their league, so they called us in to handle the matter. Of course, we didn't figure we'd have amateur hour making things even _worse_. If you had people stationed by those other two doors, I'm guessing those demons who just came out made short work of them. Good job. No, seriously, way to go."

"No..." Father Hulk whimpered, as several townspeople began to cry. "What have we done?"

"It's not too late." Ryu set him down, feeling slightly ashamed of himself as his rage cooled; the people of Gate had just lost several loved ones, and the fact that it was their own fault was no excuse for making things worse. "It looks like the main gate isn't open yet. She's still doing her job, despite what you tried to pull." He glanced at Deis. "I'm guessing that's significant?"

"The other two will close again, soon, as long as the main seal isn't breached," she said, nodding. "Those assholes were just the advance scouts. They won't have enough time to bring a significant force through."

"All right." Ryu nodded slowly. "Then _we_ still have time to figure out what _we're_ going to do about this." Staring at the dragon again, he fought the urge to climb up to it; she wouldn't even know he was there, and they had more important things to do than engage in pointless sentimentality. Sighing, he glanced at Ross. "This isn't quite how we planned on asking this, but is there anything else you know about the gate, or the dragon, or demons, or anything else? Anything at all that might help us?"

"No," Ross said quietly, head in his hands. "We only did this because Father Hulk told us... we never meant to..."

"There is one thing," Father Hulk interjected, and they all turned to him; he seemed mostly recovered, though his hands still shook slightly as he clutched his cane. "A strange woman, who several of us have seen visiting the dragon at night over the years, though she never came into town or spoke to anybody. A young woman, with hair like yours, young man, along with wings like a black bat."

"_Smith_?" Katt blurted out. "What's _she _got to do with this?"

"A lot more than we thought, apparently," Ryu growled, mind racing. "We never did find out what her stake in all this was. Seems like we should have. All right, old timer, it's your lucky day. We know exactly who you're talking about. We'll run her down and see what she knows before we come back and take care of this. Just keep an eye on those doors, from a safe distance; we don't want anybody else getting hurt. And for La... god's sake, _don't_ do anything more to that dragon."

"You have my word, as a loyal servant of St. Eva," Father Hulk promised. "We have made a terrible mistake. I only hope that we can atone for it."

"We'll see." Ryu turned away. "All right, let's head over to-" He blinked as, in a bubble of golden light, a piece of paper appeared in the air before him. "_Now _what?" Catching it, he opened it as the magic vanished, and his blood ran cold.

_Hurry back. It's your father. -Niro _

"Scratch that!" He yelled. "Back to the base! _Now!_"

"What-" Jean started to ask, then shook his head. "Of course, _mon ami_." He cast the spell, and the startled townsfolk disappeared along with the canyon, his old home melting away to be replaced by the new. Niro was already outside, hobbling down from the front door on his cane, eyes wide.

"He's gone!" The old man shouted as explanation. "I took my eyes off of him for five minutes, and he vanished! No signs of a struggle, no magic I could detect, just poof!"

"Ganer?" Katt swore. "Shit and double shit, it's just one thing after another!"

"That means it probably wasn't abduction," Sten said, eyes narrowed. "But why would he wander off by himself, and where would he go?"

And then the earth began to shake again, beneath their feet, and Ryu's eyes widened in horror as he realized what it meant.

"_No!_" He screamed, running for the well, only for Katt to catch him and hold him back.

"Don't!" She yelled. "You'll break your neck if you try going down there like this!"

"But my father!" Ryu yelled, struggling against her strength despite how futile he knew it to be. "He's down there! He's climbed into the machine!"

"What?!" She said, sounding stunned, and for a moment he was almost able to get free, before she tightened her grip on his arms again. "Why would he do that?"

"The magical drain," Nina murmured. "It'll never stop. He's too old for his body to ever truly recover. The only way to keep himself alive without constantly needing to be drained by others..."

"What's going on?" Granny yelled, coming out of her house; other townsfolk were doing the same, all yelling panicked questions.

"Let me put it this way!" Deis shouted back. "If anybody here's afraid of heights, now would be a really good time to confess!"

"A question comes to mind," Spar said politely. "If Ganer is inside the machine, then who is directing the controls?"

They all considered that for a moment.

"If I let you go, will you let Deis cast that spell on you?" Katt asked Ryu. "The one that'll let you just drop to the bottom and live?"

"I told you, that one only works as long as you're already falling!" Deis said crossly, slithering over to the well. "All right, do it!"

Ryu didn't bother saying anything else as Katt released him. He simply ran for the well as soon as he could and leaped in, trusting Deis. As he'd expected, his fall slowed to the point where he was able to land safely and run forward, to where Ganer was sitting in the device.

"Ryu?" His father asked, blind eyes searching for him. "Ha... I suppose I should have known you'd realize what I was doing immediately."

"Dad..." Ryu whispered, as the others began to join him, one by one. He groped for questions, for any words at all, but in the end could only ask one. "Why?"

"For all those years, beneath Evrai, my life was torment," Ganer told him, as the room continued to shake. "Not because I was trapped. Not because of my tormentors. Not even because of the device itself, painful as it was. No, the worst part of it was that I was helpless, unable to do anything for my son and daughter. You freed me from that place, and I will never be able to thank you enough for that...but I will not live out the rest of my life as a burden on you, unable to do anything more for my son, requiring constant supervision just to stay alive. Never."

"Dad..." Ryu whispered, the others standing beside him. "We never thought that. Any of us."

"But I did," Ganer said sternly, and now there was something of the father Ryu remembered in his voice again, the iron hard resolve with which he'd raised him. "I will _not _be a burden upon you, son. I will not be useless again. This machine is unpleasant, but it will keep me alive, until my age finally carries me off. And by doing so, it will allow me to help you, to help all of you. I do not know why this machine is here, but despite my knowledge of what St. Eva truly is... I cannot help but have faith that _some _power made this happen, for a reason. That you will need this, someday. Please, my son... allow me to do my part. For you, and for this world."

"Dad." Ryu repeated, closing his eyes and bowing his head. Emotions and logic all fought within him, as he struggled to make sense of it all, to find some answer he could accept. After moments that seemed like an eternity, he raised his head again and smiled sadly. "Even if I tell you no... you'll just clobber me, and tell me not to be so stubborn, won't you?"

"That's right." Ganer smiled as well, just as sadly. "You're too young to be as bullheaded as I am." He sighed, then, somehow seeming to relax despite the obvious strain on his face. "Besides, this machine... it's not as bad as the one beneath Evrai. It's exhausting, but it doesn't actually _hurt_. Maybe it's just because my body is so used to these devices, but... I can bear it, I promise."

"I'll come visit you," Ryu promised, walking forward to place a hand on the machine. "Every day. We can play chess, or I'll bring you books, or... or something."

"We all will," Bow said, and the others nodded. "And the townsfolk, too."

"Thank you, all of you." Ganer's smile deepened. "I know I can trust you, to take care of my son." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "There is one more thing."

"Name it," Ryu said, quietly, solemnly. "Anything."

"Niro tells me that this town of yours has no name, as of yet," Ganer explained. "If you don't mind indulging an old man's sense of humor... I believe that 'Township,' would be appropriate."

Nobody spoke. Nobody even breathed, for a long moment. Then Ryu snorted, Katt giggled, Jean chuckled, and before long everybody was laughing. It was the wild, desperate laugh of those who were only doing so because humor was preferable to sorrow, and they all knew it, but they kept laughing anyways.

"Your sense of humor always was like that," Ryu said finally, wiping a tear from his eye. "I like it. Our town has a name. Township. It's perfect, dad." Despite everything, he smiled like he meant it.

He'd had a lot of practice, after all.

* * *

"Another round, miss?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah." Patty set a few coins on the countertop, enough for at least three more. "Keep 'em coming." Nodding, he refilled her mug and left it there without another word, which she appreciated; she wasn't in any mood for talk. She didn't immediately start drinking again either, though; instead, she simply stared into the ale as it sloshed lightly, thinking about all the others she'd shared with Tiga, Claris and the other _Renegades _during the brief time she'd known them.

She'd heard the news about Evrai, of course. _Everybody _had heard the news about Evrai. It was the talk of the world, and would be for years to come. The field of religion aside, the geopolitical board alone had just been smashed, and nobody knew what shape the next game would take when it finally came. Rumors said that the World Council in Prima had called an emergency meeting, not just of members but of the leaders of other nations around the world. The one thing nobody seemed too sure about was who had _done _it. Nobody but Patty.

"_Maybe_ they're alive," she muttered to herself, still staring at her ale. "It's not impossible. They could have made it out. Them, and those other idiots, too." She wasn't as well-acquainted with the _Dragonkin _as she had been with the _Renegades_, despite the annoying number of times she'd run into them over the past year, but despite how much they irritated her, she knew they were good people. Better than most, anyways. She might even have considered going so far as to call them friends, if she _had _any friends, which she didn't. Only business associates, like the _Renegades._

"Oh, who are you kidding, girl?" She growled finally, grabbing the mug and downing the entire contents in one go. Only when it was empty did she lower it, shaking her head. "They're dead. They're all dead, just like everybody else you've ever been able to tolerate. Look on the bright side. At least you're used to it by now." Slamming the mug down on the counter, she glanced at the bartender again. "Another."

"A healthy drinker, huh?" A crude voice said from behind her, chuckling. "I like that in a girl." Glancing over her shoulder, she saw an overweight, unshaven human leering at her, clad in green silk with a pink scarf tied around his head. "Why don't you let me buy you a few rounds after you've paid off your tab? I'll even-" Whatever he'd been about to say next was cut off as Patty's whip snapped out and coiled around his neck.

"I could pop your head off like a grape, right here, right now, if I really wanted to," she said quietly and calmly, her voice clearly audible in the suddenly-silent bar. "The only reason I'm not, in fact, is because it would make a mess, and I kind of like this place."

"Appreciated," the bartender grunted, setting her refilled mug back down and completely ignoring the man, whose eyes were bulging now as his face began to change colors.

"That being said, if you want to get pissed off and wait for me outside with a couple friends, by all means, go right ahead," Patty continued, smiling sweetly. "I'd _love _the chance to let off a little stress where there wouldn't be any reason not to. If I were you, though, I'd take my advice." She dropped the smile. "Get lost. _Now. _I'm not in the mood." She pulled her whip back and turned away, as if daring him to try and do something while her back was turned, but he didn't, and she went back to staring into her mug as if nothing had happened.

"Screw 'em all, anyways," she muttered. "They were morons, all of them. Too sentimental. Too optimistic. They had plenty of chances to learn what the world's really like, and they still kept believing in all that bullshit." She snorted. "Only a matter of time before something killed them, really. Not a surprise." She paused, then laughed, disgusted. "And now I'm talking to myself. Get a hold of yourself, girl, or else you really _will _start to lose it."

To say she'd had a hard life would be an undestatement. After she'd lost her family-and she _wasn't _going to think about _that_, not again, _never _again, she'd learned where _that _would lead her-she'd been on her own in a wild world, one where civilization and the open road both had their own sets of dangers for a little lost girl, and it was hard to decide which was worst. She'd grown up hard, and mean, and cynical, because she'd _had _to. Because doing otherwise meant dying, or worse.

And yet, all the same, she'd never quite been able to completely smother that tiny spark left deep inside her that _liked _people like Lee, and Parcia, and Bateson, and Chaun. People who'd been through almost as much shit as she had, but had managed to take it better than her. Who'd weathered the worst the world could throw at them, and somehow, keep their ability to trust others, though obviously they didn't do so _easily._ That, more than anything else, was what Patty envied. What they'd found in each other, that she could watch from close by, but never have for herself.

"Shit," she muttered, thinking about the time Dogi had come to save her from the demonic Count Trout who'd hung her up in his torture cellar, despite the fact that he didn't even like her. The time she and Claris had shared drinks and watched Tiga beat the shit out of an angry mob, single-handedly. The time she'd helped the _Dragonkin _perform a hit on the Demon Lord Shupukay, who'd infiltrated Highfort as a General. The time she, Tiga and Claris had burglarized Sky Tower, in the middle of the ocean. The time she'd sworn to Chaun to help her out of her situation with Tiga.

The first time she'd met Bateson, bumping into him as she fled the botched robbery in the very town she was currently drinking in, and how one glance at him had stunned her. How she'd almost gotten up the nerve to ask him about his childhood, almost managed to convince herself to believe in miracles one last time. And then she'd remembered that miracles weren't real, and that God was a sick joke, and that luck and fate and chance were not only against you no matter who you were but actively trying to screw you over at every opportunity.

"Double shit," she said quietly, before draining her mug once more. She normally didn't drink quite _so _much, more out of her preference to remain in full control of her own actions at all times than lack of tolerance, but recent events were getting to her, badly. Not only was she cracking up, she was going soft, too. Either one was liable to be fatal in her line of work, but both at once was about as bad as it came. For a moment, as she slammed the mug back down, she considered holing up for a while, finding someplace to take some time and get her head back together.

And then she heard the rumbling, and the noise from outside, and sighed before walking out to see what was going on. And despite herself, despite everything she'd seen and done before she'd even hit the double digits, she found herself staring up at the sky, eyes bulging and jaw slack just like everybody else. At the sky, and at what was currently flying through it over their heads. A massive chunk of land, about half the size of the capital itself, floating as serenely as if it were bobbing on water rather than gliding placidly along about a mile up in the air.

Dimly, as if she were underwater, she heard other people shouting about what it was. Some of them had seen it coming before it had neared the city, and claimed that there were _buildings _on top of it, enough for an entire town. As soon as her ears picked that up, she realized what direction it had come from, and she _knew. _Knew what town it was, and who it was that were up there, in complete defiance of all natural laws.

"I'll be damned," she whispered, so quietly that nobody else could hear her, no longer caring that she was talking to herself, as she slowly grinned. "They _are _alive. And here I thought they couldn't pull anything crazier than they'd already done. I really have to stop underestimating those idiots."

She stayed there, quietly watching the floating chunk of land pass by over Hometown as it continued on its way north. Soon, it was far enough away that she could see the buildings atop it herself, and confirm their familiarity. Only once it was completely out of sight, vanished over the horizon, did she turn and head back inside, mentally revising her plans for the day as she did. One more drink would have to be enough; once she was finished with that, it was time to be on the road again, which was probably smart anyway, considering her history with Hometown.

She was a busy girl, and she had places to be, and people to rob. And if the _Renegades_ weren't going to be able to help her finish settling her score with the agents of Infinity... well, that was what backup plans were for.

_ALL THE LIES I'VE LIED AND WHY I'M JUSTIFIED _


	41. Chapter 38: The Dragon Of Gate

_**Chapter 38: The Dragon Of Gate **_

It was somewhat surprising how easily one could get used to the feeling of their entire town flying through the air. The sunrise was just as beautiful as any other day's had been, as Ryu and Bow sat on the porch of their home, watching it slowly move and drinking coffee. The Township didn't move quite as fast as the Great Bird's flight, but its speed was still respectable, and its motion smooth now that it was free of the land.

"Morning, fellas," Azusa said as he and Maclean came jogging up.

"Morning," Bow replied, and Ryu nodded.

"So," Maclean said after a moment, both of them jogging in place. "The town's flying now."

"Seems that way," Ryu agreed.

"A flying town," Azusa repeated, slowly shaking his head, his eyes distant. "That sure is a thing. Can't argue with the view, though."

"This coming from you?" Maclean snorted. "You could pick an argument with a _rock_, bro. Matter of fact, you _did _once. I was there. I saw you do it."

"Bet that wasn't the only thing you saw that night, either, after what you drank," Azusa retorted. "I'm just hoping you learned your lesson about 'exotic herbs and spices' after that."

"Oh, it's a lesson you want, is it?" Maclean glared at him as the two brothers continued jogging down the road. "Well, hell, why didn't you say so, bro? I'd be _glad_ to give you one of those, any time, anywhere, no charge!"

"Implying there's _anything _you could teach me, bro!" Azusa snickered. "Last I heard, it was more the other way around!"

Ryu and Bow watched them leave, bickering and brawling, before turning their eyes back to the sky, and taking another sip of coffee.

"Hey, you brats!" Barose the magician yelled, clomping up the road towards them a few moments later. "You two the only ones awake?"

"Niro is," Bow replied calmly. "I'm guessing you weren't referring to him, though. And speaking of being awake, isn't it a little early for you to be up?"

"What do you mean, _early_?" Barose snorted. "Anyways, you'll do, Dogi. Don't need _you_ for anything, Bateson. _Chaun_ has more magical potential than you."

"I'd retort, but I can't really argue that one," Ryu admitted.

"Didn't think you would," the old man said, smirking for a millisecond before scowling again. "Anyways, Dogi, you and the other half-wits I can do _anything _with, be at my place before dinner tonight, and we'll go over the last of what I've got to teach you. It's still not as much as I _should_, but it's about as much as _you _lot will be able to manage, so it'll have to do."

"Sounds good," Bow replied levelly. "I'll even ask Deis if she wants to sit in."

"Ah." Barose blinked, then coughed. "So. The town's flying now, is it?"

"Seems that way." Ryu nodded.

"Pretty impressive," the old man conceded, somewhat grudgingly. "I'm not even sure if I could pull something like that off."

"Tell it to Eichichi," Bow advised him. "She's the one who got the lost technology running."

"Yeah, sure." Barose grumbled. "I've got a reputation to maintain, you know. And speaking of which, that's my quota for socializing today. I'm going to get some sleep."

Ryu and Bow watched him walk away, muttering to himself under his breath, before glancing at the sunrise once more and taking another sip of coffee.

"Oy, kids!" Lemington roared, walking over from the east side of town. "Up and at 'em, huh? Good for you!"

"It's a good way to start the day," Ryu told him, as they both raised a hand in greeting. "I take it Baretta's awake, too?"

"Of course she is!" Lemington chuckled. "I taught her well, after all! Didn't even bat an eyelid about this whole flying town business, just said she was glad our shipment came in the other day before we took off! Can't really say we saw this one coming, but hell, I doubt _anybody_ could have!"

"Seems that way," Ryu said calmly, raising an eyebrow. "Shipment?"

"Yeah, a bunch of stuff that I had to order _special_, with Hanz's help," Lemington explained. "Don't think I've ever told him just how grateful I am for his connections. I really should, one of these days. Now that that's all here, me and Baretta can finish up putting some surprises together for you guys. From what I hear about what the lot of you are up to these days, you're probably going to _need _them soon enough."

"Probably, knowing our luck," Bow admitted ruefully. "Is this going to make that a problem for you, running your business? The whole flying town thing."

"Niro's already called a meeting to work all that out," he assured them. "I think the plan's to park somewhere about once a month or so, and just have all our deliveries made there. Kind of cumbersome, but we've all worked with worse. And it ain't like I'm _complaining _about the whole flying town business, you know?"

"Somehow, we can't really argue against it either," Ryu said, almost honestly.

"Didn't think you would!" Lemington chuckled. "All right, I'll get out of your hair. Get the rest of your gang up and at 'em, you hear? They oughta take a lesson from you!"

Ryu and Bow watched him return to his house, then returned to gazing up at the sunrise, taking another sip of coffee.

"Oh, good," Seny murmured as she opened the door of the building she shared with her cousins and grandmother next door. "I was hoping you would be up. Good morning, Bow. Mister Bateson."

"Morning, Miss..." Ryu started to say, then frowned, realizing something. "You know, I don't think I ever did hear just what your family's surname is. Huh."

"It's Karnov," she replied, arching an eyebrow. "And I think there's more than enough that we don't seem to know about to balance that out. We certainly didn't expect our new hometown to start _flying_, for one thing."

"It's not like we expected it either, you know," Bow told her, smiling. "It was a surprise for us, too. Come on, Seny, give us more credit than _that_."

"I suppose you've earned that much," she said lightly, turning her eyes to him again. "Actually, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about, Bow. Considering the fact that my cousins are all assisting your team, I believe it would be best for me to do so as well. With Mr. Bateson and Deis unable to perform fusion, that leaves three options, and I believe I'd feel most comfortable doing so with you. On a purely professional basis, you understand."

"Of course," Bow replied after a moment. "I've never really done it before-none of the others really matched with me-but I'm sure we can work something out. As a matter of fact, I'd prefer that we avoid getting emotional about it just as much as you, considering I already have a fiancee. That's about the only snag in this; you and me are both professionals, but Silvia _has _met some of your cousins already, and well..." He left it hanging.

"Completely understandable, considering my cousins," Seny agreed, rolling her eyes. "And my sister, for that matter. Speaking of her, I'd heard that we'll be setting down in Gate, south of Windia, soon. If so, you might want to look for Shin there. That's where she said she was going, when last I met up with her, although I'm not sure why."

"We'll keep an eye out for her," Ryu promised.

"I'd appreciate it." Seny nodded. "I assume that your fiancee visits here regularly, Bow. If so, the next time she does, I'll talk to her and explain the situation."

"Sounds good." Bow made a face. "I'd offer to do it myself, but I doubt that would go well."

"Despite never having been in a relationship myself, I'd agree with that assessment," Seny said, smiling again. "Have a good morning, gentlemen."

They watched her walk back inside, then looked up at the sunrise once more, taking another sip of coffee.

"Do you ever feel like everybody who lives in this town is completely nuts?" Bow asked after a long moment.

"What, because they're all taking this whole 'flying town' thing so casually?" Ryu asked, raising an eyebrow. "Compared to everything else they've seen on account of us, it's not that bad."

"So it's our problem, not theirs, then?" Bow rolled his eyes. "Guess I should have known. No question about the overall sanity level of _our _team." Another moment passed before he spoke again. "So, the town's heading to Gate, then?"

"It seemed to be the best idea." Ryu nodded. "There aren't that many places something this big can actually set down, but there's an old mining pit off to the west of the town that should do. It'll take the place at least another day to get there, though. We'll just have to go out looking for Smith the old-fashioned way."

"Guess that's the logical way to do it, all right," Bow agreed. "Besides, we've still got Mina. Don't think she minds helping us out. As a matter of fact, she'd probably get depressed if we _didn't _go flying with her any more." He snapped his fingers. "That reminds me. What ever happened to Grandpa? You know, the whale?"

"Spar and Jean went back over to the Whale Cape and returned the bell to that old lunatic who lives there," Ryu explained. "Promised that we'd come visit the big guy every now and then."

"That's nice." Bow smiled. "We probably should. We might not need him any more, but he's still a good guy, you know? For a whale, I mean. You know, some scientists actually think they're sentient? Like a Clan? It's just that they can't talk, even if they wanted to learn how. Their voices just don't work that way."

"Wouldn't surprise me, knowing that..." Ryu started to say, then trailed off, staring off to the east, as a winged figure blocked out the rising sun, approaching quickly. "Shit!"

A moment later, the entire town rang with the sound of the Great Bird's scream as she dived towards them, a pair of the hideous winged demons that had been released from Gate tearing at her legs and tail.

"No time to get everybody else up!" He yelled, glancing at Bow for only a moment, long enough to see that he was taking aim, before transforming. As he flew up, first one, then the other demon fell back from the Great Bird, each clutching at their eyes. Before they could recover, Ryu passed the Bird, and reduced both of her tormentors to ash in a storm of blazing blue light.

It was only a moment later, as he transformed back, exhausted, that he realized that he was still at least twenty feet above ground level.

_ More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power... _

"Double shit," he muttered, then grunted as strong, slim arms wrapped around him, catching him in midfall.

"Hell of a wakeup call," Katt grumbled as she landed on Lacquer's roof, prompting a yell from inside. "There'd better be coffee. Shaddup, you!"

"Should be," Ryu grunted. "Thanks for the save. Good response time. What'd you do, jump out your window?"

"Yeah."

"Ah." He glanced to the north, where Mina had landed once the coast was clear. Now that he could see her more clearly, he spotted several bleeding wounds, and fought an urge to punch somebody, since the only person handy was Katt and she didn't seem in the mood for a scuffle. Looking back at her, he saw that she was wearing an oversized white shirt that hung off of her shoulders and came down to her knees, and raised an eyebrow. "Not that I mind, but you might want to go back inside and get dressed."

"Don't tempt me to drop you off of the roof," she shot back before jumping down, still holding him. Setting him down, she gave him a sleepy wink. "Besides. Fifty-fifty chance you'll be seeing it soon enough anyways."

"Mina!" Nina cried, bursting out the front door, a nightrobe thrown hastily around her own nightshirt; hers was much more lacy. "Are you all right?"

"And there's the other side of the equation, right on cue," Katt muttered under her breath. "Maybe you've got a point. I should probably talk to her about that."

"Might want to let me, actually," Ryu suggested, as he saw Bow approach her as well, somewhat hesitantly. As soon as the words left his lips, he realized they'd been a mistake, but it was too late. Avoiding meeting Katt's eyes again, he recited a few curses mentally before approaching Nina and Bow.

"Ryu!" She turned around and embraced him. "Thank you! When I heard her, I thought..."

"I know," he acknowledged, holding her for a moment before releasing her. "It's okay, though. Bow will heal her up. And, well..." He looked down for a moment, then back up again, by which time she was blushing.

"Don't say another word," she told him, avoiding his eyes, as she turned away.

"He said the same thing to me," Katt called over. "Hate to admit it, but he's probably right. She _is _okay, isn't she?"

"Yes, it looks like the wounds are shallow," Nina replied, still blushing. "Very well, then. Bow, I'll leave you to it."

"I'll fix her up, don't worry," Bow promised, turning to the Great Bird and starting to chant. Only when both girls had gone inside and Mina had been healed did he turn to give Ryu a look. "Hope you remember that promise you made me, buddy."

"As soon as we're done with the destiny bullshit." He put his hand to his face. "I remember." Lowering the hand, he saw that Mina was giving him the most skeptical look he'd ever seen from a bird. "What?"

The trill of her response had a decidedly sarcastic tone to it.

It soon turned out that the incident had awakened everybody in the town, including all of their team, even Deis. Once everybody had gotten dressed, drank enough coffee to cure them of their surliness, and grabbed some breakfast, they returned to the meeting room once more. Nobody said a word about the fact that Niro had already had the couch taken down to the bottom of the well, which Ryu was grateful for.

"Okay, change of plans," he said once everybody was seated; he'd had a couple of wise fruit, but still felt worn out. "I think it'd be for the best if Mina stayed at home for a while. Hopefully, there'll be somewhere here she'll feel comfortable; the trees we brought with us aren't exactly big enough for her, but then I doubt any tree in the world _would _be, except maybe a Wise Tree."

"I'll talk to her," Nina promised. "She won't like it, but she'll listen when I tell her why."

"Good." Ryu nodded. "I'm not too happy with it myself, for a lot of reasons, but as long as those things are out there, she shouldn't be. We'll just have to use magic to transport ourselves around while we look for Smith; somehow, I have this feeling that she won't be at the first place we go."

"Just like old times, then," Katt grunted. "Let's just hope she left word."

"On the plus side, there's not much of the world where we _haven't _been to by now," Sten pointed out. "Which means we should be able to warp within a day's distance of just about anywhere, at most. Well, unless she went to Prima. That would kind of suck."

"Don't _do _that," Bow told him, looking disgusted.

"Let's hope not," Ryu agreed, frowning. "When we do, I think it's time we get some answers out of her. This whole 'mysterious past involving the demons' thing was cute at first, but this far in, it's gotten to the point where we _need _to know her story. Especially when it comes to that dragon. I'm particularly interested in that part, for obvious reasons."

"We'll figure something out," Katt told him, meeting his eyes. "Your... your mom..." She struggled with it for a moment before giving up. "We'll figure something out."

"What she said." Bow nodded. "It's gonna be all right, buddy."

"Indeed, _mon ami_," Jean added, frowning slightly. "What I cannot understand is why Father Hulk would ever be so foolish as to attack their protector."

"I must confess, the same question has been plaguing me as well," Spar said quietly.

"Is there any chance that he could be a demon?" Nina suggested. "I know he hardly seems the type, and we already know that many lower-ranking members of the faith are innocent, but..."

"I think he would have been a bit smarter about it, if he was, though," Sten pointed out. "Had a better excuse ready for when the boss throttled him."

_ Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"That was a mistake," Ryu muttered, scowling. "I shouldn't have overreacted like that. It's just... my mom, you know? And that guy... even if he's innocent, something about him just pisses me off." Sighing, he stood up. "Well, we're not getting anywhere here. Might as well head on over to the desert and see if I was right."

"Have fun," Niro drawled as they all walked outside.

"It's _Smith_," Bow reminded him as he closed the door behind them. "Not gonna happen. All right, who wants to start us off?"

"Allow me, _mon ami_," Jean replied, casting the spell that caused the world to melt around them before reforming into the Thieves' Tomb.

"Do you suppose the man on duty will be holding a grudge, by any chance?" Spar pointed out as they walked in.

"Not if he knows what's good for him, he won't," Katt replied ominously.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and somebody different will be on duty," Ryu suggested. He turned out to be right; when they entered the main room, they found a serious-looking young man with short, slicked-back blonde hair and thin glasses sitting behind the desk doing paperwork.

"Welcome to the Thieves' Tomb, home of the thieves' tomb, would you like to enter as individuals or as a group?" He rattled off dryly without looking up.

"Actually, we're here looking for somebody else," Ryu told him. "A girl, maybe fourteen or so. Blue hair, bat wings."

"Oh, you're the ones, then." The clerk actually looked at them now, though his eyes held no real interest. "Miss Smith asked me to keep a message for you."

"And by asked, you mean bribed, right?" Deis winked at him.

"The Thieves' Tomb management has a strict policy against bribery," the young man replied sternly. "And yes. She asked me to let you know that she decided to visit the Circus Maxitusk."

Everybody exchanged a look.

"I am remarkably unsurprised by this revelation," Spar said dryly.

"Yeah, something like that." Sten grimaced. "Any chance they'll still be in Tunlan?"

"Knowing our luck?" Ryu shook his head. "Don't bet on it."

"Actually, the Circus Maxitusk is currently in southern Auria," the clerk told them. "They stopped by here recently, you see, and when they left, that was where they were headed. I believe they intended to see if there would be any business involved with a new town there."

"Wait, what?" Ryu blinked. "_Was _that there? I didn't notice."

"I believe _monsieur _Watts would have told us, would he not?" Jean suggested.

"Perhaps they only arrived after we took off," Nina suggested. "I doubt they would have remained long once they realized it was _our _town."

"Worth a shot." Ryu shrugged. "Anyways, thanks, I guess."

"Have a nice day, and try not to die," the clerk told him absently, returning to his paperwork.

"My turn, then," Spar murmured as they left, already casting the spell, and a moment later they stood on the edge of a vast, deep dirt pit that was quickly being filled by the same snowflakes that covered the grass and trees around them.

"Not _again_," Katt growled, holding her arms tight around her. "_Ladon_."

"You _could _just dress warmer, you know," Rand pointed out.

"Yeah, but too much bulky clothing gets in the way in a fight," she pointed out. "I just hate the cold, that's all. Hey, looks like that guy was right." A familiar, red and white circus tent was indeed standing off to the east, near the path leading up into the mountains.

"Interesting timing, but I won't complain." Ryu shrugged, leading them over. As they approached, a young man with hair dyed bright pink and an unpleasant sneer on his face walked out, carrying an ax.

"Holy shit," he muttered as his eyes fell across them. "Don't tell me there's actually some-_gah!_" He dropped both the axe and the sneer. "_You!_"

"Oh, good," Rand said lightly. "You remember us. That makes this easier."

"We're looking for a teenaged girl," Ryu followed up bluntly. "Seen any around here recently?"

"Uh, yeah." The carnie quickly nodded. "Paid me to hold a message for anybody who came looking for her. As long as they weren't from the Church of St. Eva, anyways. You're not, are you?"

"Do we _look _like paladins?" Deis asked, smiling.

"Uh." He paled. "Right, right, she said she was going to meet a client at the same restaurant where, and I quote, 'you first ran into Lee.' Don't ask me what that means, I don't know, but I'm guessing you do."

"Unfortunately, you're right on the zenny there." Ryu made a face. "All right, we'll leave you alone." He waited a beat before continuing. "For _now_. Keep out of trouble, you hear?"

"Let me guess," Deis said as they turned away. "The Wildcat Cafe?"

"I'm afraid so," Nina murmured, glancing at Jean and Spar. "And none of the three of you were with us when we journeyed there. I _knew _I should have put more effort into learning the Warp spell, no matter how unnecessary it seemed at the time."

"Don't sweat it," the snake sorceress told her. "I've been there before by myself. I'll take care of this one."

"Wait, what?" Bow blinked as she cast the spell. "What the hell were _you _doing there?"

"Do you _really _want me to answer that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, as the familiar surroundings were replaced by the equally snow-covered Siman countryside, near a massive cliff face. To the east, a roaring waterfall poured into the Sima River, and ahead of them, a brass plate over a cavern mouth identified the world's most out-of-the-way restaurant.

"Actually, no," Bow shook his head quickly, as did both Ryu and Nina. "Never mind."

"I thought so."

"Good evening!" The bouncer greeted them as they walked in, seated behind a desk that was identical to the one in the Thieves' Tomb. Almost as tall as Rand with just as many muscles, he was tan and bald, with a brilliant smile, clad in only a bright green speedo and a bow tie. As his tiny eyes looked them over, he blinked. "Ah, yes, Mr. Bateson and company. Miss Smith asked me to take a message for you."

"I'd ask if she was a frequent customer, but I actually don't want to know," Ryu replied with a sigh. "No offense."

"None taken!" The bouncer said cheerfully. "She said that she was going to go buy some whale cakes. I'm not quite sure why-she didn't seem hungry-but there you are."

"Whale cakes, huh?" Ryu sighed. "Okay, thanks. See you around." They left without another word, at least until they were outside, at which point he put a hand to his face. "All right, looks like we're heading to the Whale Cape. This is going to take all day, isn't it."

"Seems that way," Bow said with an absolutely straight face.

"I can hurt you."

"Actually, _mon ami_, the business has relocated," Jean told him. "I believe that it was Hometown, in Auria, according to _monsieur _Niro. Allow me, by all means." Another spell later, and they stood before the gates of the town where four of them had spent most of the last ten years, before their lives had changed so much in such a short amount of time.

"I don't suppose we'd have time to make a quick stop over at the Ranger's Guild and fill Elder Allen in on the situation?" Bow asked wistfully as they walked down the streets.

"To see Silvia, you mean?" Deis smirked.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"I suppose we really should," Ryu said, feigning reluctance. "It _has _been a while, and it's not far. Right down here." He walked into the alley containing the basement entrance to the local branch, where he and Bow had worked for years, then paused, frowning. The way down was locked and chained, and a sign next to it proclaimed the the guild office was closed indefinitely, in lieu of recent events. "Or not."

"Well, _that's _not a good sign," Sten said dryly after a long moment. "Literally. Think it's because of us? You know, Evrai and all?"

"That does seem to be the most likely reason," Nina agreed. "Now that I think about it, somehow, I doubt that one's going to go over well with the Guild when we _do _get around to explaining it to them."

"We'll just have to extra persuasive, then." Rand shrugged.

"We could check her apartment," Ryu suggested. "See if she's there."

"Yeah, okay." Bow shrugged, trying to look nonchalant and failing. "Oh, hey, there that place is." He pointed across the street, to where a vendor stood behind a cooking cart, the banner atop it proclaiming "Whale Cakes."

"What surprises me is that _she _hasn't come looking for _us_," Deis commented as they walked over. "We _did _kind of pass over Auria after we took off. I'm pretty sure she would have noticed that."

"She doesn't know the Warp spell," Bow reminded her, frowning. "Maybe she couldn't _get _up there. On second thought, let's _not_ check her place. Oh, man, I'm gonna be in for it when she _does _find a way, aren't I?"

"Oh, yeah." Ryu nodded gravely.

"Whale cakes!" The man behind the cart was calling out. "Get your whale cakes, here! Ah, you, sir! You look like a man who's in the mood for a nice, piping hot whale cake! Made from one hundred percent genuine authentic imitation whale!"

"Tempting," Ryu remarked dryly. "But what I'm really looking for is some information on a friend of ours."  
"You mean..." The man trailed off.

"Miss Patty Smith," Spar said with a nod. "I assume you recognize the name."

"Shhhhh!" The man urged them. "Keep quiet about that! She's still wanted around here, you know! I was wondering if anybody was actually going to show up. She said that if you did, to tell you that she was going to go make a name for herself. Pull something off that no thief has ever done before."

"Eh?" Jean blinked. "_Pardon_, but has she not already done so?"

"Even bigger than Thieves' Tomb, man," the vendor explained. "Get this. You know that _flying town _that came past here the other day?"

Everybody exchanged another glance.

"Don't tell me." Ryu raised a hand to his face, as did everybody else, even Jean and Spar. "She's going to rob it."

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "The girl loves her work."

"Thanks, I guess." Ryu sighed as they walked off.

"So, stop me if I'm getting this wrong." Katt said slowly. "But the way this looks to me, right now... is that we've spent the last hour chasing Smith all around the world, and the whole time, she's right in our own town?"

"Guess so." Bow made a face. "That's Smith in a nutshell. Have I ever mentioned how annoying she is? Because _damn_, she's annoying."

"We noticed," Nina remarked mildly. "Which brings to mind the question we were discussing a few minutes ago. How, exactly, was _she _intending to actually get on board?"

"Why don't we ask her?" Deis suggested as Spar brought them back home, outside their building. "I'm sure she'll be happy to explain it to us."

"And by that, you mean 'brag,'" Ryu added. "You're probably right about that, too. Okay, let's-"

"There ya are!" Niro interrupted, opening the door. "Good, yer back already! You'll never believe who El just caught tryin' to break inta here!"

For the third time that day, everybody exchanged a glance.

"_Mademoiselle _Smith?" Jean asked eventually.

"Huh?" Niro blinked. "How'd ya know?"

"It's been one of those days," Ryu replied, shaking his head. "Where is she, then?"

"El locked 'er up, of course," Niro explained as they walked down the road towards the Highlander's home. "Turned the lower level of his place inta a guard station, yanno? Got a cell in there an' everythin'."

"Well, at least he's taking his job seriously," Bow said dryly. "Maybe we made the right call bringing him in after all."

"I guess," Sten muttered dubiously. "I don't know, something about that guy still just kind of gets under my skin. It's like he's hiding something, you know?"

"I guess." Katt shrugged. "Maybe it's just that he's so girly, you know? How he looks, I mean. He doesn't _act _like it or anything, but if somebody got him into a dress... hey, what's wrong?"

"Son of a..." Sten whispered; he'd stopped walking, eyes wide, and was staring off into space. "Of _course_. Why didn't I see it earlier?"

"See what?" Ryu asked, frowning. "Do you know him after all, or something?"

"Yeah..." Sten slowly nodded. "You could say that. Or something. It's not really a big deal, just... I'll talk about it with him later."

"All right," he agreed; if Sten didn't want to talk about it, that was his decision. The door to El's house was leaning open; looking inside, he saw that the entire lower level of the house had been remodeled, just as Niro had said. The cell was occupying the back right corner, a nook blocked off with steel bars, and Patty was inside, lounging on her cot.

"-don't know what your game is, but you won't get away with it," El was saying, standing in front of the cell with his back to them.

"I already told you, once your bosses get back, they'll explain this to you," the thief replied lazily, turning her head to meet Ryu's eyes. "As a matter of fact, there you are. Hey, Bateson. I don't know what you're paying this bozo, but it's too much."

"As a matter of fact, I think we'll have Niro raise his wages," Ryu said dryly, walking in. "Hey, El. Good work."

"Mr. Bateson?" El blinked, looking from them to Patty and back again. "Do you know this hoodlum?"

"We're acquainted," Bow said with a grimace. "Unfortunately. Go ahead and let her out; we need to talk business with her anyways."

"If you say so, Mr. Dogi," El replied, looking skeptical. Taking a ring of keys from his belt, he unlocked the cell door.

"At least you know how to follow orders," Patty told him sarcastically. "Good for you. Have a biscuit."

"Come on," Ryu growled at her. "Let's go."

"Right, right." She rolled her eyes as they all walked out into the street, keeping pace with them as naturally as if she'd been on the team. "So. I've got a pretty good idea of what went down in Evrai, but... why don't you tell me anyways."

"The _Renegades_ are dead," Katt told her quietly. "All of them. Even Tiga and Claris."

"I was afraid of that." Patty said, more somberly than usual. "All right. What else?"

"What else?" The Woren girl asked, voice rising. "That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"And what else do you _want _me to say, huh?" Patty snapped back. "You want me to break down and cry? Forget it. Yeah, they were good guys, but I wasn't _attached _to them. It wasn't like we were _friends_. I don't _have _friends. Never have, and never will. When you live the kind of life I do, friends get you killed, and I don't have any interest in dying young. So if you've got some kind of sanctimonious moral spiel, you can save it. I'm not interested."

"Fine," Ryu said, narrowing his eyes. "We're not exactly paragons of virtue either. So why don't we just cut right to the chase. Why'd you come back here, then, if it wasn't because of that?"

"Because without the _Renegades_, you're the only option I have left," Patty explained. "Last I checked, we still have a common goal. And I'd bet every stash of zenny I have that it's not over yet, even if Evrai really _is _a crater."

"It is," Nina assured her. "That's _one _thing that went right. The Archpriest got away, though."

"Shit." Patty scowled. "All right, here's the deal. The _Renegades_ never claimed their payment for taking out Necromanson, so I stopped by an outlet of the First Bank of Prima and told them to send that from my account over to the branch that's opened up here for you. That's forty thousand zenny, right off the bat, just to prove I'm not trying to take advantage of you here. And if that sounds good, I'll pay _eighty _thousand if you can bring me Habaruku's head."

"How do you know all this stuff, anyways?" Ryu asked bluntly, ignoring the reactions of some of the others to the amounts she was talking about. "You never did actually explain that."

"Nope." Patty shook her head. "And I'm not _going _to, either. That's _my _business, not yours, and I don't like talking about my private life."

"Not even if it's relevant to the plan?" Bow asked keenly.

"Not freakin' likely." She scowled. "I keep my head down, unlike you idiots. It's how I've lived this long, playing this game."

"Not as far down as you think," Ryu said levelly, making a great deal of effort to keep his voice under control. "Let me ask you something. What's your interest in Gate?" He watched as Patty went still and silent, and waited a moment before speaking again. "I said-"

"I heard you," she snarled, green eyes blazing now. "And I repeat. None of your damn business. Back off, Ryu."

"We're not _trying _to screw with you, you idiot," Deis said, exasperated. "It's _important_. Why do you think we came looking for you?"

"Wait, what?" Patty blinked. "What's happening in Gate?"

"Those _morons _went and _bombed _the dragon there," Ryu explained, no longer able to keep his own feelings on the matter out of his voice. "The fa-"

"They _what?!_" Patty screamed, her anger and cynicism vanishing in an instant to be replaced by stark, sheer fear and disbelief. "_No!_" Without another word, she began chanting under her breath.

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Hey, wait!" Ryu yelled, as she vanished into the air. "What the hell? Come on, let's go!"

"One more Warp, coming right up!" Deis agreed, casting the spell as well, and taking them back to the edge of town. As soon as they arrived, they all saw Patty, racing up through the canyon as if a Demon Lord were in hot pursuit. Townspeople who'd been staring at her in surprise now turned to them, eyes just as wide.

"After her!" Ryu yelled unnecessarily; everybody was already moving, as fast as they could run. As they reached the gate, they saw that Father Hulk was still up there; the old man was watching, frowning slightly, as Patty hovered in front of the dragon's head, gently patting it.

"Thank Ladon," she said quietly as the group gathered beneath her. "She's wounded, badly, but she's still alive." After another moment, she descended back to ground level, and turned to glare at Father Hulk. "Are you the one who's responsible for this?"

"Yes, I-" he started to see, then choked as her whip wrapped around his neck.

"Hey!" Ryu yelled, drawing his sword. "Let him go! He screwed up, but he didn't know any better!"

"Yeah, right!" She snarled back. "You, of all people, should be the one who knows better! He's a priest of St. Eva! They're all rotten to the core!" Despite her words, she pulled her whip back, and Hulk leaned forward on his cane, breathing heavily. "All right, fine. Let's hear it from his own mouth. You. Preacher man. If you've got an explanation, let's hear it."

"We thought..." Hulk wheezed. "This dragon... was the gigantic demon that the Rangers... told us about. We were afraid... we were hasty. Forgive us, please."

"You _what_," Patty said flatly. "Ugh. All right, maybe you _are _just an idiot. This dragon is the last person in the world who you should be afraid of. She's the greatest blessing this town has ever seen, and she always has been, from the day she came here."

"How do _you _know that?" Ryu asked, frowning, as the rest of the group traded glances. "You're right, of course, but what's your story with this dragon?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied tightly, leaning forward and meeting his eyes. "For the last time, Ryu whatever-your-last-name-is, that's _my _business."

"Hate to break it to you, _Smith_, if that even is your real name, but if it involves this dragon, it's _our _business too," Ryu retorted, hand on his sword. "Talk."

"Go screw yourself," she told him, baring her teeth. "In public."

"Stop this at once, both of you!" Hulk said sternly, apparently recovered. "This is no time for-"

"_You _stay out of this!" Ryu and Patty both yelled at him simultaneously, then paused to stare at each other.

"Ugh!" Patty recovered first, shaking her head. "Listen, you-" She paused, then. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear-" Ryu started to object, then paused, frowning; there _was _something there, something barely audible, as if somebody were whispering too quietly for him to actually hear the words. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Guys?" He glanced at the others, who all shook their heads.

"Nothing," Bow said, glancing at Katt, who shrugged. "And you _know _how good my ears are."

"I'm not sure what it is you refer to, either," Father Hulk agreed, frowning.

"Um..." Another voice broke in, and everybody turned to see a scantily-clad young woman, dark of skin and black of hair, stumbling absently through the underbrush. "Hi? What's going on over here?"

Nobody spoke for a long moment.

"Just a second," Ryu told Patty and Hulk, neither of who replied, before walking over to the girl. "Hi. Don't suppose your name's Shin?"

"Oh, _come on_," Bow muttered under his breath.

"Uh, yeah," she replied, golden eyes vacant. "Why?"

"Your granny's looking for you," he explained. "Her and Seny, and the rest of your family, too."

"Oh," she said, then waited a moment more before continuing. "Okay."

"Chaos magicians," Deis muttered disgustedly under her breath as the girl vanished. "They're all the same. A little experimental herbology every now and then's one thing, but mixing them is another story entirely."

"We might want to talk about that, actually," Spar murmured.

"Right." Ryu turned back to Patty and Hulk, whose faces were both blank. "Sorry about that. You were saying?"

"Uh." Patty shook her head quickly. "Anyways, I don't actually know what's sealed behind these doors, but whatever it is, it's seriously bad news."

"Whatever, indeed?" Hulk murmured, stepping closer to Patty.

And then, as Ryu suddenly realized where he'd seen the old man's cane before, the priest raised a hand, and a wall of silver light appeared between the _Dragonkin _and the other three.

"What-" Patty started to yell, only to choke off as an explosion in the air before her slammed her back, spread-eagled, against the gate.

"It seems that it falls to me to explain the situation, as usual," Hulk murmured, deep voice rising in pitch and tone as he shrunk and withered, losing height and mass as his back twisted and his head grew. "These doors lead to Infinity itself, where our God awaits the day when they will be thrown open! Our glorious St. Eva!"

"_Habaruku!_" The _Dragonkin _roared in the same breath, one and all.

And behind the barrier of magic, the Archpriest of St. Eva laughed victoriously.

"I told you!" Deis spat, glaring at him. "I said that he wouldn't be able to stay away from us!"

"Oh, how fine this is!" Habaruku gloated, ignoring Patty for the moment as he smiled at them. "As I have told you all, your heathen violence is all in vain! Even if you destroy Evrai, the most holy city this world has ever known, you cannot stop the ascent of God himself!"

"I get it," Ryu said slowly, staring at him. "Dad said you were there, with Aruhameral. You've been living a double life, all this time. That's why you spent so much time out of the public eye, in Evrai. You weren't even there at all."

"It was challenging, indeed, to play the part of a small town preacher in addition to the role God had chosen for me," Habaruku agreed, still smiling. "But it was all worth it, in order to watch this town, and the gate behind it, so that I could act when you finally came here. I appreciated the audience participation during my show with the bomb, by the way. Your timing was absolutely perfect. It couldn't have been better if I'd _asked _you to come then and there." His smile widened. "And speaking of Ganer... be sure to thank him for lending me your home. It was quite comfortable!"

"What?" Patty demanded shrilly. "What did you just say about-"

"Now, now," Habaruku cut her off with another blast of magic that slammed her head back against the gate. "Little girls should speak when spoken to."

"So, what's the game?" Ryu said quietly, as the Dragonkin spread out. Katt and Jean stood at his side, with Rand, Spar and Sten behind them, and Deis, Nina and Bow in the back. "Is she your hostage, then? Because I'm not sure if you've noticed, but this time? Nowhere to run to, and nowhere to hide. Sooner or later you're going to have to bring your little wall down. And when you do..." Everybody advanced meaningfully, in perfect synch.

"Oh, not at all, young man," Habaruku corrected him, wagging a finger. "You see, once these doors open, I will simply be able to walk through and return to my God's embrace as he rises to fulfill his destiny and take this world for his own. My dearest, closest friend always believed that it would be _you_ who would open the door for us, Ryu... may I call you Ryu? However, I prefer to seek alternative methods, rather than simply relying upon destiny."

"I see," Nina said, cold and furious. "So _that _is what you had in mind for Ray."

"Indeed, but despite all of the love I showed him, he failed me in the end," Habaruku replied, head bowed in a hideous parody of sorrow betrayed by his savage grin. "And so, I was forced to turn to an alternate solution. To the only other member of the Dragon Clan still living in this world aside from yourself and your mother."

"You..." Patty mumbled, dazed, her head hanging limply. "I'll never help you..."

"Help?" Habaruku tilted his head quizzically. "My dear, you seem to be under a rather severe misapprehension. Our God has no need of your cooperation... no, he requires a far greater sacrifice."

"Let her _go!_" Rand yelled, but his voice was filled with desperation rather than fury.

"I'm very sorry, Rand, but I can't do that," Habaruku said, shaking his head as he raised his finger in the air. "Just like your dear mother gave her life for yours, St. Eva requires the ultimate devotion from Patty... and just like your mother, whether she is of our faith or not is irrelevant. She _will _repent for the sins of her people, who created this disgusting seal to lock our God away within Infinity centuries ago. The Dragon Clan created this gate, and the life of a member of the Dragon Clan was linked to it, to increase its power. The only thing that can pay for life... is death."

"You want a Dragon Clansman's life?" Ryu roared, barely even paying attention to what the old man was saying. "Fine! Drop your wall and try and take mine! I'm right here, Habaruku! Come and get me, if you've got the balls!"

"Oh, but that won't do at all," Habaruku told him, wagging his finger again. "I am a man of peace, and violence is abhorrent to me. No... far better to make this quiet, and easy. Don't worry, Patty. All I will do is stop your breath. All that _you_ will have to do is close your eyes, and fall asleep, and it will all be over. The nightmare that you have lived through for these past ten years will fade away forever, and you will slip into the void beyond life, free of everything you hate. Is that not a blessing? Freedom?"

"No, no, no..." Patty sobbed, head still hanging. "No, I don't want to die... dad... mom... somebody, please help me..." Tears ran down her cheeks as she hung on the gates, arms spread and legs dangling as Claris' had. "Big brother... save me, big brother!"

"No..." Ryu whispered, sword dropping from his hand, as he stared at her and realized what he'd been blind to before. "No way... it's impossible..."

"Oh?" Habaruku started to turn towards Patty, then paused, glancing at Ryu sidelong with glittering eye and malevolent smile. "I wonder, do you two... know each other? Well, I don't suppose it really matters, at this point." He raised his finger in the air. "Now then, young lady... shall we open this Gate together, and welcome God into this world?"

And then, just as despair tightened its hands around Ryu's throat, the dragon of Gate brought one gigantic claw around to slam Habaruku into the brush.

"Holy shit," Bow muttered, as everybody stared, as the dragon raised her head, though her eyes remained closed. "She's awake?"

"You," the dragon of Gate said, her voice shaking the canyon around them despite a strange softness to her tone. "I remember you. I remember that you talk too much, Habaruku. You always did, when you thought that you had already won. When you thought you had planned for everything, arranged everything perfectly... but that's not the way the world works, is it? There's always something that even you never see coming."

"I get it!" Sten smacked a fist into his palm. "She woke up when he bombed her, but she played unconscious, until the right moment! Beautiful!"

"An empty boast, Valerie," Habaruku replied, rising from the tall grass he'd been thrown into. He stepped back out, still smiling and unwounded, but his eyes were narrowed now. "Do you intend to fight me, then? Perhaps ten years ago, you would be able to... but you are weak, now, after all of these years spent sleeping. Your body has atrophied, and you are heavily injured as well! Defend her if you wish, it will do you no good!"

"It may be as you say," the dragon replied slowly. "And yet... you will _not _take her life so long as I have breath!" She lowered her head, dipping her snout behind Patty's back, gently forcing her away from the door. And then, with a flick of her head, she sent Patty flying _over _the silver wall and into the canyon beyond.

"Ha!" Deis laughed, sudden and short. "That's right! Sara's Silver Wall works fine indoors, but out here, with no ceiling? That's another story!"

"Oh, Valerie, Valerie..." Habaruku hissed, smile finally leaving his face. "You will regret this foolishness, I assure you."

"I will defend this gate, and the lives of my family, until my last breath, Habaruku," she replied, slowly starting to rise. "If I am too weak to stand against you now, then so be it."

"Wait," Ryu said quietly, and she paused, as did Habaruku. He took a deep breath, staring up at her, before continuing. "Mom. I appreciate this. I really do. Thank you, for saving her. We couldn't have done that. You were the only one who could." He bent down, and picked up his sword. "But this son of a bitch is _ours_."

"My son..." Valerie, the Dragon of Gate, murmured, seeming to see him despite the fact that her dark eyes were still closed. "Ryu, my little boy... but you're not, any more, are you? You have grown so tall, so strong... yes, I see. You have a right to take your vengeance. Well, then, Habaruku? What will it be? Will you face me, or them?"

"Ha..." Habaruku whirled around, robes flaring and eyes twitching, and raised both hands to the heavens. "Ha... ba... ru... ku! Very well, then! If death is what you desire, I shall grant your wish! Come, children, to God's embrace!" His head swelled even more grotesquely than before, inflating like a balloon, the bald, round dome sprouting thornlike spurs all over its surface as his skin shifted to a rubbery orange. His facial hair almost seemed to braid itself as it transformed into two vertical rows of short, thrashing tentacles on either side of a slit of a mouth, both sides lined with fangs.

More tentacles spilled from beneath his robes, and still more from his sleeves, his arms becoming two particularly large and long examples. Each of those two ended in leaf-shaped appendages with more thorns on the underside, surrounding fanged maws identical to that on his face, one of which continued to clutch his cane. His eyes were the last to change, becoming gleaming green spheres, their sockets round but their shape reduced to narrow slits by a heavy brow ridge that covered them, actually squashing and widening the orbs themselves.

In the end, despite his hideous transformation, he stood no taller than he had before, and in fact still wore his green and purple robes. For a moment, everybody almost laughed... and then they _felt _the power radiating off of him with every breath, a heaviness in the air itself that almost slammed them down to their knees, as the soulstorm of Evrai erupted in the air around them, called up once more by the man who had damned them.

"As I said, I am not a violent man by choice," Habaruku hissed. Light began to shine over him, first red, then green, then yellow and finally blue. "But over three millennia, I have had much time to prepare for occasions on which my hand would be forced, by those less charitable than myself."

"He's going to just keep on pumping himself up unless we do something!" Katt snarled. "We gotta take down that wall!"

"No helping it, then," Ryu growled. "Somebody get some wise fruit ready for me!" Before anybody could say anything more, he transformed, growing twenty times as large as his opponent and releasing his fury upon the wall of light that protected him. Blue energy bored into silver magic, each individual hit only making a tiny dent, but breaking it down through the sheer amount of power being unleashed. In one final, blinding flash of light, the silver wall was destroyed, and Ryu fell to his feet and then his knees, exhausted but smiling.

His satisfaction faded instantly as he saw three blazing hands of fire, each ten feet thick, rise up and arc over Habaruku in the same moment as Katt and Jean ran forward to either side of him. Flaming fingers caught them all, and slammed them backwards into the rest of the team, blazing and screaming. The dead, tall grass in the canyon around them caught fire as well, and Spar howled in wordless agony as the inferno raged around them.

Even as Ryu rolled on the dirt frantically, he felt himself cooling down, though the burns themselves remained. A pair of wolves formed of living ice stalked between the team, chilling them all, before leaping for Habaruku, fangs bared. For a moment, it almost looked like they would hit, but just before they did, the Archpriest of St. Eva called down lightning. A pillar of electricity as massive as the fiery arms had been slammed down, ripping through both wolves before continuing on towards the team, who scattered before it.

"Surround him!" Ryu yelled as Bow healed them, staggering back to his feet and drawing his sword. "He can't defend every side at once!" Again he, Katt and Jean charged, this time with Sten and Spar right behind them, as soon as the lightning faded.

"Oh, can I not?" Habaruku replied before speaking more magical chants, eyes glinting, and raised his cane as the air exploded around the five of them just as it had with Tiga. Thousands of atmospheric detonations erupted, in the space of a few seconds, and Ryu was blown back, as were the others.

"Out of the way!" He heard a voice roar behind him, and he dove to the side despite the agony he was in. As soon as he did, Rand rolled past him, curled up in a sphere, bearing down on Habaruku like a tumbling boulder. Unconcerned, the Archpriest simply called up another wolf of ice, identical to the two created by Nina and Deis, which intercepted Rand and knocked him back the way he'd come, his shell completely iced over.

"This isn't working, boss!" Sten muttered quietly, dropping down next to Ryu as Bow and Rand healed everybody a second time. "Every time we try and get close to him, he just blows us away!"

"So I see," Ryu growled, narrowing his eyes. He watched Bow fire twice, but Habaruku's facial tentacles caught both bolts out of the air, contemptuously snapping them. "All right, then. He wants to fight long-range? Long-range it is." Glancing around, he raised his voice. "Let's give him a dose of his own medicine, people!"

"Oh, _yeah!_" Deis glanced at Nina first, then Sten, before jerking her head towards Habaruku.

"I think not!" The Archpriest sneered, as the earth began to shake around them. The earth, and the mountain above, which responded in kind, rocks and boulders tumbling down. As they bounced off of her back and wings, Valerie roared in pain, and though the sound tore at Ryu's heart, he forced himself to ignore it for the moment and concentrate on the task at hand. Defying his own instincts, trusting in the supernatural strength that his role in fate had brought him, he stood in the path of the largest boulder coming towards Nina, and brought his sword around to slice it in two.

"We've got this!" Katt yelled, planting her staff and swinging around on it to shatter another rock with a double kick, as Rand caught another in both massive hands, throwing it in the path of the next. Everybody was battered and bruised, all the same, but the three of them were able to block the truly deadly boulders. "Keep casting!"

A moment later, the spell was complete, and three upon three flaming arms joined and flowed together and joined again until only a single limb as large as Valerie's entire body roared towards Habaruku, claws stretched to embrace him. The Archpriest watched it come, only to speak more magic, raise his hands and levitate the earth beneath his feet. A pillar of rock erupted in a shower of dirt, lifting Habaruku up and out of the way of the hand, even as it melted in and turned the lowermost section to lava.

"Oh, no you don't, asshole!" Deis yelled, before summoning a column of lightning. As it crashed down towards Habaruku, another one came in at diagonal angle, and the two met, crackling and clashing until both dissipated. While the opposing spells raged, Nina hovered between Jean and Spar, and the three of them summoned another wolf of ice. This one, however, had _three _heads, two roughly humanoid attached to either side of the central canine. Roaring, it leapt for Habaruku, who summoned flaming limbs once more, intercepting all three.

"Now, boss!" Sten urged Ryu, pressing several berries of wise fruit into his hand. Nodding without a word, Ryu choked them down, then ran forward even as his guts writhed in agonized protest. As Deis and Habaruku both raised their canes, and explosions ravaged the air around everybody and everything, he transformed once more.

Spreading his wings and rising up to the top of the floating pillar, he inhaled, then roared. For a moment, he saw Habaruku's face, watched his eyes widen in sudden shock and anger, and then his fury demolished both the column of stone and the Demon Lord atop it. Flung backward in a shower of rubble, Habaruku went down, smoldering and smoking, and Ryu landed as well, then buckled.

"Easy!" Katt caught him, as more healing magic from Bow covered the party. "Did you get him?"

"Better make sure!" Bow grunted, firing his crossbow into the smoking crater, reloading, and firing again. "Come on, come on..."

"Ha..." The Demon Lord's voice echoed, as he slowly climbed back to his feet, leaning on his cane. "Ba..." Blackened and burned, his rubbery skin covered in bleeding gashes, he stood before them once more regardless. "Ru..." The flames behind and around them made his hideous, maimed state all the more apparent, but still he lived, raising his cane once more. "Ku!"

And as they all charged once more, a net made of golden chains of light appeared in the air around them, and they screamed in agony as its touch burned worse than even raw electricity, constricting around them. Every nerve in his body blazed with more pain than he'd ever believed to be possible, as if the limits of his ability to feel were being deliberately overloaded.

"You enjoyed Sara's Silver Wall so much," Habaruku exulted, breathing heavily, as they writhed and howled. "I hoped you would feel similarly about its companion spell, its equivalent in offense to defense! Behold, Jade's Golden Chains!"

Deis snarled something anatomically improbable.

"You..." Ryu growled, as his vision swam, and his head grew light. He felt unconsciousness creeping in upon him, threatening to overwhelm him, but fought against it, even as the pain continued to ravage his body.

_Power, _Barubary's voice filled his ears, his mind, his soul, as the world turned dark._ We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your heart to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and soul to God. You will become God's power..._

"_No!_" He roared, gritting his teeth and staggering back to his feet, as the golden magic faded away, and one by one the others followed suit.

"Doesn't hurt one bit!" Katt snarled.

"I _won't _give up!" Nina shouted.

"Heh..." Sten forced a chuckle. "Almost bought it there."

"I gotta be more careful," Rand muttered, almost absently, as he staggered back to his feet.

"I'm okay," Bow said slowly, as the two of them healed the group. "I'm okay."

"We still live," Spar agreed, curling its whip.

"I am fine, _mon amis_," Jean assured them, only swaying slightly on his feet.

"Yeah, whatever," Deis grunted. "Come on, let's-aw, no."

"Are you quite done?" Habaruku sneered, as the air around them exploded once more, and they all scattered a second time.

"Sten!" Nina shouted, flying out of range of the explosions. "Deis!"

"Right!" The two of them agreed, and together they concentrated.

"I think not," Habaruku snarled, then blinked as a rainbow of light arced through the air to connect with his chest, completely harmlessly. "What? Oh, _please_."

"A new word for a verbose man," Jean replied calmly, twirling his rapier, as Rand rolled towards Habaruku a second time. "_Distraction_."

"Oh, is that so?" The Archpriest sneered, bringing down another massive pillar of lightning.

"Yeah," Rand growled, sticking one arm out and throwing Katt straight at him, even as the electricity slammed into his back.

"Ha!" Habaruku brought up his cane, but Katt had no intention of using her staff. Instead, the Woren girl landed on all fours before him, snarled, and released her entire magical store in one massive blast of fire. Only a last-second summoning of ice magic blocked it, and then Deis and Nina and Sten were done casting. Fire and ice and lightning all came together, a three-sided storm of elemental fury that erupted around Habaruku all at once. A moment later, atmospheric explosions blasted all three of them, and Bow as well, sending them flying back into the raging inferno around them.

"_Now!_" Ryu roared, ignoring the urge to check on them. Somehow, in a way that went deeper than logic or thought, he knew that they were all still alive, and he knew what they would want him and the others to do. Drawing his sword, he charged, and Jean and Katt and Spar all charged with him, as Rand healed the fallen. Straight towards the elemental maelstrom they ran, as it began to dissipate.

With one final running jump, he landed in front of Habaruku, and brought his sword down upon the Archpriest's head, only to have it met and deflected by his cane. Before he could strike again, Habaruku smashed him in the side of his skull, but even as he fell, he saw Katt coming in from the side. Catching her staff with several of his tentacles, the Archpriest raised her into the air, and then slammed her brutally to the earth.

Even as he turned to the right, Jean was there, but though his rapier sank into the Demon Lord's side, Habaruku simply slammed him away as he had to Ryu. Raising his staff, he caused the air around them all to detonate, and though the Demon Lord himself was battered by his own explosions as well, the four of them were all blown back. Luckily, more healing magic poured down, and he glanced over his shoulder to see both Rand and Bow back on their feet, along with Deis and Nina.

Before he could cast again, Sten jumped down from above; somehow, he'd managed to get atop the cliffside quickly, and now descended, knives flashing. Unfortunately, Habaruku stepped out of the way, whirled, and clubbed him to the ground in a spray of blood before summoning a pillar of lightning down upon him.

"_No!_" Katt screamed, and Ryu did as well, as he _felt _the Highlander's life fade away.

"Last to believe," Habaruku hissed, as more flaming hands roared towards him from the left, and an ice wolf from the right. "First to fall." Casting each spell himself to counteract the other, he leaned back just in time to avoid Jean's rapier aimed at his right eye, and swept the Prince's feet out from underneath him with his cane, causing him to stumble into Ryu's path as he charged again. Before Ryu could step around him, more explosions blew the both of them away. "And now, you-"

"Hey, _Yunaruku!_" Katt howled, and Habaruku's eyes jerked away from them to glare at her, standing six feet away, leaning forward and making a face. A moment later, said eyes widened in sudden comprehension too late, as Spar's whip lashed out, covered in flames. The Grass Man had ignited its own weapon, and now the flaming length of thorned leather curled around the Archpriest, binding his arms to his side.

In that instant, Sten returned to life, and Ryu remembered the Highlander's natural ability to slow his heart and quiet his pulse, the Breath of Sands that all of his kind were born with. Springing up, he thrust both of his daggers into Habaruku's chest, then flipped back and away, as more explosions erupted; even with arms bound, the Demon Lord could still speak the words of magic, and though Bow and Rand healed them again a moment later, he still felt a bone-deep exhaustion that he knew was echoed by the rest of his team.

"Come on, Ryu!" Katt yelled, and he nodded, both of them knowing that this was their last chance, and yet, that it _would _work. It wasn't mind-reading, or soothsaying, or prophecy, or destiny. It was faith, not in the Gods or the stars, but in the rest of their team, and what they knew they would do without even looking. Charging, they crossed their arms in front of their heads as explosions ravaged them, as twin pillars of lightning were both blocked by columns of rising earth.

And as they both went down, Rand blasted over their heads and slammed into Habaruku at full speed, uncurling even as he hit, as the Demon Lord was smashed back against the gate.

"Wait!" Habaruku shouted as Rand landed on his feet, the Archpriest spread-eagled against the wall and held there by one of the massive Farm Clansman's hands against his face. Despite his plea, he was already speaking magic once more, but Rand ignored him as he punched the back of his own hand, and Habaruku's face took the brunt of the blow. Even as he did, more explosions blew him back, but Habaruku remained flat against the gate, stunned by the punch.

As Bow healed them, Ryu and Katt lunged to their feet, the former's sword swinging, blocked by the Archpriest's cane one last time as Spar's whip started to burn away.

And then Katt reached him, not with her battlestaff, but with one bare hand closing on the lower half of his face. And with a feral scream, she tore away tentacles and tongue and teeth and maw, ripping his entire jaw off in a spray of ice-cold black blood.

Screaming wordlessly in agony, his means to cast magic torn from him, Habaruku stumbled forward, and Ryu moved in. A cocky line came to mind, but he discarded the thought; this wasn't that kind of fight, or that kind of kill. Instead, he hacked off one cluster of tentacles spilling from a sleeve, and then the other, as the team approached as well, backlit by the fires that raged around them. Many of them were smiling, but none in a pleasant way; with the raging inferno below and the screaming soulstorm above, they seemed almost like demons themselves, which Ryu found to be entirely fitting.

Sten leapt up, knives in hand, and both blades plunged into the Archpriest's belly, carving a cross-section through guts and gore that slid between the smoldering remnants of Spar's whip as the Grass Man threw the hilt of it to the branch of the closest tree. The branch moved at the Grass Man's will, catching it and pulling Habaruku into the air, still shrieking.

Silent and calm, Jean surveyed the dangling Archpriest for a long moment as Deis and Nina both approached. For a moment, the Prince started to say something, eyes troubled... but then he seemed to remember exactly who it was who hung before him, and coldly shoved his rapier into the approximate location of his left kidney, all the way to the hilt.

Two crossbow bolts slammed into first one eye, and then a moment later, the other, and more black blood leaked from both, almost like tears. Deis raised her cane, the tip of it glowing with heat, and Habaruku's screams redoubled as she methodically cauterized all of his wounds save for those on his head. Those, she left to Nina, who heated her focusing ring similarly before applying it to his face, melting it until only a bare skull remained.

Finally, Rand stepped up, seized the stumps of his arms in his massive hands, and tore the Archpriest of St. Eva clean in half down the center before throwing both halves to the ground in silent disgust.

"_Done!_" A new voice, one familiar to them all, exulted as the soulstorm grew even fiercer, wilder, louder. The voice of Ladon, the Dragon God. "_After three millennia, finally, you are _mine! _Come to me, Yuna!_"

And as Habaruku's screams trailed off into eternity, so did those of all of his victims, until the canyon beyond Gate was silent once more save for the roaring of the canyon fires.

"Why didn't he do the whole black fire bit?" Ryu asked finally.

"Probably because that particular thing was something along the lines of a blessing from St. Eva," Deis explained, shaking her head. "At least they see it that way. But to receive a God's blessing requires true belief, and no matter what he said, or even thought himself... I don't think Yuna was actually capable of really believing in anything except himself. That's why his soul didn't go to Evans, either. It was up for grabs... and it looks like Ladon wanted him a lot more than Evans did."

"All I care about is that the bastard's dead," Katt said, spitting. "That, five pounds of meat, ten mugs of ale, and about twenty hours of sleep. That _sucked_."

"I think we could all do with something along those lines," Nina agreed. "Unfortunately, I believe we still have business to deal with first. Starting with putting out these fires. Shall we, Deis?"

"Yeah, yeah." The snake sorceress muttered as the two of them began wearily casting ice magic on the canyon.

"Anybody see where... Smith... went?" Ryu muttered, mentally kicking himself over hesitating on her name; nobody there was going to be fooled.

"I'm sorry," Spar said quietly. "According to the grass, she ran away during the fight." It paused for a moment before continuing. "Apparently, she believed that she would only get in the way, or worse, prove to be a liability."

"So she wasn't being a coward or anything," Bow grunted, scratching his head. "Just counting on us to win it. Kind of nice to know that she wasn't just ditching us, for some reason."

"It's how she's always dealt with her problems," Ryu said with a sigh. "Running away. Guess I shouldn't have expected it to stop now." He took a deep breath, then turned and faced the dragon. "We did it, mom."

"My son," Valerie murmured, lowering her head, her voice still soft and slow. "Yes... you did. All of you... you have saved all who are still yet to be born untold pain and suffering. That man... in his own way, he may have even been more abominable than Barubary and Evans both. Everybody who lives, and who ever will, owe you a debt of gratitude for cleansing this world of him."

"That's what he did, all right," Ryu agreed, as the others fell into line on both sides of him, none of them speaking. "And... that's what we do." He shook his head slowly. "Barubary. He's the only one left, now."

"In this world, yes, he is," Valerie agreed. "Habaruku is gone, as is the Church of St. Eva. Without its leader, or its capital, it will fade away in time. No more prayers or souls will be sent to Evans. No more innocent lives will be sacrificed to him."

"Than all we have to do is find Barubary, and finish him off, too," Katt said, but there was a note of uncertainty in her voice. "Right?"

"No," Deis murmured, shaking her head. "Evans' strength has probably already reached the point where it will continue to grow, all by itself, even without any additional input. It'll be a slower process, but it'll still happen."

"So what?" Rand scowled. "We killed him, but... aside from that, as far as Evans is concerned, it was all for nothing?"

"Oh, no, children," Valerie assured them. "As the Sorceress of Wisdon said, so long as no more power is sent to him, the growth of Evans' strength will slow to a trickle. Yes, eventually he will grow strong enough to break through these gates, but-"

"_What_?" Everybody except Deis and Spar shouted.

"But..." Jean flailed. "It was said... that only the life of a Dragon Clansman... and only from this side, yes?"

"Come on, people," Deis told them wearily. "Remember what we're talking about here. Evans is a real, bona fide, literal _god_, even if he's an evil one. The regular rules don't apply to them, if they're powerful enough. That Gate wouldn't have been able to keep Myria in there. Why do you think it took so much trouble to lock her up in Pagoda? And _that _was built with the personal assistance of Ladon himself, back when he had the power for that sort of thing. It only works on Evans because he's still relatively young."

"But..." Ryu stared at the gate. "Look, even if we _did _want to..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "To try killing a freaking _god_, how would we be able to? We can't open the gate without..." He left it hanging.

"There is a way," Valerie assured him. "As the guardian of this gate, I will be able to open these doors without sacrificing the life of another. The only question is, if you wish me to. By the time Evans is strong enough to break through, it will likely be another hundred years, or even two hundred. Should you wish to walk away now, to find Barubary and end it there, I would not blame you, nor would Ladon. You could live out your lives, free of the burden destiny has placed upon you all, long before Evans' ascension."

"We could," Ryu slowly repeated. "Just settle it with Barubary, and then... free. No more demons. No more destiny bullshit. Just... living our lives, the way we want to. Like we always wanted to. That was always it, wasn't it? The only reason we did this in the first place was so we could get out of it." He raised his head to stare at Valerie. "But if we do, then when Evans does come out..."

"No force in the world will be able to stop him," Valerie agreed. "The nine of you, here and now, are the only hope for Evans' defeat. But whether you choose to take up that duty or not... the choice is finally, entirely yours, as it should have always been and never was before. You may enter this gate, and defy a God... or you may walk away, and live happily."

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

"What the hell kind of a choice is that?" Bow whispered. "If it's going to be thousands of years from now, maybe... but we don't even _know _that."

"It's the kind we've been wanting, this whole time." Sten laughed, short and bitter. "Careful what you wish for, right? We should have remembered that. I _know _it's wrong, but... if I have an out from _fighting a God_? Every instinct in my body's screaming at me to run."

"What a pain in the ass," Katt growled, her troubled eyes belying her angry words. "If we don't even know when..."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Jean protested, shaking his head. "A demon God that will destroy the world? We cannot let such a thing happen! This beautiful world... let us protect it with our own hands!"

"It's not that easy, Jean," Nina told him quietly. "Even if we don't know how long she can hold him back... we _want _to do something, now, but... are we sure that we'll be able to, even if we try?"

"If we leave this God be, it will eventually destroy the world," Spar said, as calm as ever. "To just walk away, and allow that to happen... is that... right?"

"We should just kill him," Rand muttered, but he sounded as if he didn't even believe that it was that simple himself. "We've come this far, haven't we? Haven't we?"

Deis simply watched them all, and said nothing.

"You do not have to choose now," Valerie assured them. "Go, and rest. Recover from this dreadful struggle. I am wounded, but not fatally. I am in no danger of failing my duty, now that Habaruku is gone. There is Barubary, of course, and yet... I doubt that he has any interest in me now. However long it takes you to make your decision, I will remain here."

"We'll be back, mom," Ryu promised her, raising a hand to pat the side of her muzzle, the way Patty had. "You know... dad's still alive. He's helping us, too. He'll be arriving here, soon. I'll make sure to bring him out here, so he can meet you too."

"Oh, my son." Tears began to trickle from Valerie's closed eyes. "You have become such a wonderful young man. No matter how much I wish, have always wished, that I could have been there for you for all of those years... to see you now, as you are... that alone almost, almost makes it all seem worthwhile. Can you forgive me for that?"

"There's nothing to forgive," Ryu whispered, his own eyes wet, for the second time in ten years. "There never was."

They stood there for some time, as more snow began to fall, finally covering the canyon as well, until they all heard the floating Township's approach and turned away to return home.

Nobody said a word.

_ONE MORE CRY IN THE NIGHT _


	42. Chapter 39: The Infinite Abyss

_**Chapter 39: The Infinite Abyss **_

_More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

_Ryu whispered the words as he waited in the cave, silent and sleeping, as he had been ever since unleashing the plague upon Gate. His body was different from those of even his own kindred, in that food and water were merely indulgences rather than necessities. Had it been required of him by his God, he would have been able to sleep another ten years on end, watching and waiting. Fortunately, that would not be the case. Soon, all too soon, the destined child would make his decision, and then Ryu would be able to turn to the final duty remaining before his final reward. _

_ In a strange sort of way, Ryu almost anticipated that reward which would be his in the end, the only reward his God ever granted. His life had been so long, longer even than the eldest Gods in their incarnations upon this world, that death seemed welcome, as long as it came in a way that was appropriate for one such as him. Now that his oldest and closest friend had gone ahead of him into the void beyond life, only the resolution of his conflict with the destined child was more anticipated by him than the promise of the final fate which, alone, still quantified him as mortal. _

_ His right arm had healed from the taste of God's displeasure he had received months ago, months that seemed like minutes to him in his slumber. Stirring slightly in his sleep, Ryu flexed the claws of that massive limb to be sure, and was pleased when there was no sting of pain, however minor. Tail twitching idly as it wrapped around him, he refocused his attention on the slumber of the destined child, upon the roof of the home he'd created for himself, among the family he'd made in similar fashion. _

_More. We need more power. God needs more power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your body and soul to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"Ladon!" Ryu swore, jerking upright, pale and trembling, his clothes soaked with sweat. It took him a moment to remember where he _really _was, and that he'd dozed off in the middle of the afternoon there, atop the roof of his home. The sun was just starting to set now, and night was close enough that he could already tell that his outdoor nap had been a mistake without dressing warmer, considering the freak snowfall that was still recurring every morning. Shivering, he went back inside, making a note to get hammered that night; it was likely the only way he'd be able to sleep at all.

"There ya are," Niro greeted him as he walked into the meeting room. "Was wonderin' when ya were gonna come on down. Everybody else is out, 'cept for Deis. Pretty sure she's nappin' upstairs."

"She does tend to do that a lot," Ryu commented, smiling slightly as he recalled all the stories he'd heard about her time impersonating a teenaged student at the Aurian Magic School, when she'd roomed with Nina. "She'll wake up for dinner. Everybody else, then? I figured some of them would, but I didn't think they'd _all _be out."

"Seems like everybody's got people to see," the old man explained. "Had to help out a couple of them gettin' there. Good thing I been practicin' my magic."

"You know Warp?" Ryu blinked, surprised and impressed. "You never said so."

"Didn't seem important, 'til everybody wanted to head out to different places all at once." Niro shrugged. "Never had much talent for black magic or white, but I ain't bad at the miscellaneous stuff."

"Hey, you're probably better than me." Ryu shook his head. "Inherited skills notwithstanding, I always figured I was the second-worst of the group, but these days you could make a case for even _Katt_ passing me up." Sitting down in his usual seat, he leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "All right, let me take some guesses here. A couple are pretty obvious. Bow, for example. Doesn't take a genius to know where _he's _gone off to."

"Visitin' Silvia, an' catchin' her up on everything she's missed," Niro agreed with a chuckle. "Bet _that _conversation's gonna be plenty interestin', but I can't really say I envy him it. Silvia's a good girl, but sometimes when she gets angry..." He left it hanging.

"Bow can take it," Ryu told him. "They've only technically been dating for most of the year, but everybody who knew them both could see it for a long time before then. They're a perfect match for each other, when you get right down to it. He'll be fine." He thought for a moment. "Jean, I'm guessing, went back home to Simafort."

"Two for two." Niro nodded. "Wanted to see his dad an' sister. Probably some old friends, too. Salvatore went with him."

"Not really surprising," Ryu said, smiling slightly. "Spar's not hard to guess either. There's only one place or person he'd really want to go back to."

"Gandaroof." Niro's eyes turned distant for a moment. "Ya know, I never really thought about this before, but I never actually met him... or her, or whatever... like the rest of ya. Think I could, some time, after all this is over?"

"Assuming we're all still alive?" Ryu replied, with a smirk to show that he was kidding, although he wasn't sure if he really was. "I don't see why not. Is there a particular reason for this interest, or just idle curiosity?"

"It's kind o' hard to explain." Niro shrugged. "Meetin' a Wise Tree, a fella who fought in the First Dragon War, an' who's still alive to talk about it... that's somethin' to remember, you know? Makes how old I am seem like nothin'. You fellas have done a lot o' stuff like that, an' I wasn't there for most o' it. I'd kinda like to see a few o' the things everybody else has. Anyways, you got three for three, so far. Wanna keep on goin', see how far ya can take it?"

"Might as well," Ryu agreed, picking up on the change of subject and not questioning it. "Let's see here. Nina... I'm guessing she's out with Mina." For many reasons, he was fairly certain that she wouldn't be feeling up to returning to Windia just yet, although he didn't vocalize that thought.

"Bingo." Niro nodded. "Said they'd be flyin' out in the area if I needed 'em for somethin', as if I'd bother 'em even _if _the world started endin' ahead o' schedule."

"I know, and so does Nina, but she says things like that anyways," Ryu explained. After another moment's thought, he shrugged. "That's about all I've got, though. I doubt that Rand would want to head back to Farmtown, and I _know _Sten wouldn't go anywhere near Highland just yet. I have absolutely no idea when it comes to Katt."

"Well, yer wrong about Rand." Niro's smile faded. "It was hurtin' him, bad, but he said he wanted to go an' settle things over there. Tell folks what happened to his mom, make sure they're doin' what she'd want with her land, that sort o' thing."

"Wow." Ryu shook his head slowly. "You know, he doesn't really think of himself this way. At all. But sometimes? I think Rand's actually the strongest one on this team, and I don't mean physically."

"His ma raised 'im better 'n she knew, with that," Niro replied sadly, his bushy eyebrows drooping. "Sten, now, he's one o' the ones I'm wonderin' about. Said that he had to talk to El for a bit."

"El?" Ryu blinked, then frowned. "He _was _acting kind of weird around him the other day, and I never did figure out why." After a moment, he shook his head. "Whatever it is, it's not really any of our business unless he says it is, which... he probably won't, so. I take it the other one you're wondering about is Katt?"

"Yep," Niro grunted. "All she said was that she was goin' out for a bit, an' that she'd be back sometime tonight. Didn't even ask anybody for a Warp."

"Katt's like that sometimes," Ryu said quietly. "We've all found our place here, a place that a lot of us have been looking for our whole lives, including her. But at the same time, out of all of us, she's the one who's hanging on to a little of her old way of life, even now. Part of her is probably always going to be a stray, no matter how long she lives here."

"Yeah, that sounds like her," Niro agreed. "Don't that worry you sometimes, a little bit? Know I do."

"It's one of the only things about her that still bothers me." Ryu admitted. "But not right now. It's more like... she's the one who I still worry about, down the line. Whenever it'll be that we split up."

"Oh, come on, son." Niro scoffed. "Now you're just talkin' stupid. Like _anybody _on this crew's goin' anywhere? Why do ya think I wanna teach Silvia the ropes o' my job, so she can take over once I finally kick the bucket? Not that I plan on doin' that any time soon myself."

"You'd better not," Ryu joked, before shaking his head. "I'm not talking about right away. I damn well _hope _we stay together for years, maybe even a decade. But eventually, some of us do have something else to go back to." He stared at the ceiling again. "Jean will have to ascend the throne, eventually. So will Nina, although Ladon willing, both of their fathers will hang on just as long as we're counting on you to."

"From what I've heard about 'em?" Niro nodded slowly. "They're both stubborn old coots, just like me, Xeon poisonin' aside, an' word through the grapevine's that that's getting' better. I can see your point, though. House always wins in the end, on that score, and when it does..." He trailed off, falling silent for a moment before speaking again. "What about Deis?"

"_That _is one can of worms I'm _not _going to open," Ryu told him fervently. "I've got some ideas, but actually _talking _about it? She'd _know_, somehow. And when she got her hands on us..."

"Right," Niro agreed hastily. "That one's up to her. Private business, sort o' thing. But once Nina an' Jean have to go back home..."

"It won't be the same, without everybody here," Ryu told him quietly. "I'm not just hoping we'll have as much time as possible for all of the obvious reasons. Sten's going to need as much as he can get, before he's ready to go back. In the end, though... he's got unfinished business, even after last time, and he knows it. If the group starts splitting up, that's when he'll finally get up the nerve to face it."

"Rand'll probly end up doin' the same thing," Niro guessed, scratching his beard. "Those two don't have _nothin_' in common, but that don't stop 'em from bein' similar in some ways."

"I can't decide if that makes sense or not," Ryu said dryly after thinking about it for a moment. "You're probably right, though. Bow'll be okay; chances are, he'll end up being your successor, as mayor of Township. Even though Silvia will probably be the one who's actually running the place. I guess what I'm saying is that they'll do twice as good a job at it together as either one of them would separately."

"Yeah," Niro replied, smiling again. "Spar'll probably be fine, too. It'll just go back to whatever it was doin' before joinin' up, 'cept for visitin' everybody, every now and then." He lost his smile. "That just leaves you an' Katt, an' I see why you're sorta worried about her. What about you, then?"

"That depends." Ryu sighed, closing his eyes. "On what I end up deciding." He didn't feel the need to state exactly _what _he needed to decide, once they were finished with the destiny bullshit.

"Even you still don't really know, huh?" Niro said, raising an eyebrow. "Split right down the middle? Fifty-fifty?"

"Yeah," Ryu admitted, sighing heavily. "I think really... I'm kind of afraid of trying to decide. I'll do it when I have to, when I agreed to, but until then... I don't want to while anything else _except _for that is messing with my head. I want to be able to think about that, and nothing else, and I can't do that just yet. Once I can..." He let it hang before turning his head to glance at Niro. "This is probably a long shot, but I don't suppose you'd have any advice for me, on that score?"

"My advice?" Niro met his eyes. "If ya really do care about both of 'em, just as much, an' you always will no matter how ya decide, then I'd think about their angle more'n yer own. What I figure's most important, what it really oughta come down to... is who needs you more. If one of 'em's gonna go her own way, and you'll be spendin' the rest o' your life with the other."

"Who needs me more..." Ryu repeated quietly, thinking back on both girls, and on everything he knew about them, and worried about without ever saying a word on the subject to either one. About Katt's occasional violent tendencies and vagabond inclinations, and Nina's emotional fragility and psychological vulnerability. Both were strong women, in entirely different ways, some of the strongest he'd ever met, but both had their weaknesses as well. "I never thought about that, but... you're right. I'll have to remember that."

_ More. We still need more power. God needs more power. Give yourselves to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power... _

"Right now, though, dinner should be ready soon," he continued, standing up. "And even if it isn't, I can still get started on a mug while I wait for everybody else to join the party. Coming along?"

"I could use a pint or two myself," Niro agreed, pulling himself to his feet as well. "Lemme just get my coat. Never thought I'd say this, considerin' where this place used to be, but I oughta get a coatrack or somethin' near the door."

"Might be a good idea," Ryu agreed, heading towards the stairs. "I'll go grab my own."

As it turned out, Deis descended as he was leaving his room, and the three of them all headed over together, where Mrs. Rivab informed them that the barbecued turkey she was making for dinner would still need more time before it was ready. Undeterred, they went over to the Hasecos' pub, and started drinking there as they waited for the rest of the group to join them. It wasn't long before, one by one, they started to trickle in.

Katt was the first one to return, looking as cheerful and nonchalant as ever, and immediately started catching up on the drinking as if it were just another day. Spar was next, calm and unemotional, followed by Jean, who was actually slightly subdued, although in his case that only meant that he was on par with the other optimists in the group. All three seemed determined to ignore whatever they'd been thinking about that day, and Ryu wasn't going to argue with that decision. Unfortunately, Sten wasn't quite as convincing when he joined them; his air of joviality was more forced than usual, and everybody could see how tense he was underneath, though nobody brought it up.

Rand, on the other hand, didn't even try to pretend otherwise when he slouched in, silent and morose. Fortunately, seeing everybody else making a deliberate effort to enjoy themselves despite circumstances seemed to reach him, and eventually he joined in, though there was a notable tinge of desperation to it. Nina seemed of a similar mindset; gloomy and quiet at first, she started to relax after her first couple glasses of wine, and was soon in as good of a mood as she ever was, her smiles and laughter sometimes even seeming to be genuine.

The high point of the evening, however, came when Bow finally joined them, and Silvia with him. As soon as she walked in, Deis fell silent; the two of them had been friends during her time undercover in Hometown, and unlike the team, Silvia had never forgiven the sorceress for deceiving her as to her true nature. It seemed that had changed, though; tentatively, almost uncertainly, Silvia began talking with her as she had back in those days. Deis responded in the same manner, and soon they were both apologizing as they embraced, and everybody else cheered.

It was a good evening, the best that any of them had had in a long time, either individually or as a whole. The merriment spread quickly to the rest of the town, and by midnight the entire flying town was alive with music, dancing, and-of course-alcohol. An hour or two later, as it was winding down, Ryu finally felt ready to try sleeping again, and went upstairs to collapse into his bed.

_ Power. We need your power. God needs your power. Give yourself to our God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

Despite his uneasy slumber, he only had a slight hangover in the morning, one that was easily remedied. Everybody else seemed to be in a similar state, and once they'd all recovered and grabbed some breakfast, they convened around the meeting table.

"All right," Ryu said quietly, leaning forward with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped. "Who wants to go first?" For a few moments, nobody spoke, until Bow cleared his throat.

"This is the way I see it," he said, quiet and calm. "And I'll admit, my angle might not be the same as the rest of yours, so I'll understand if that's the case. But the thing is... Ladon willing, I'll be getting married soon. One of these days, I might even have kids. And when we do, and they have kids, and they have kids..." He shook his head angrily. "Then if we let this go, then when the day does come that Evans breaks out... my descendants will be some of the ones who pay for it. And I'll be damned if I let that happen."

"I operate from a similar standpoint," Spar said, nodding slightly. "In my case, however, in addition to my own possible descendants, I face the probability of Evans' ascension occurring during my own lifetime. Long after most of you have passed on, I will remain, and while of course I would still oppose him, to say that I doubt my chances against a God fighting alone would be a phenomenal understatement. With all of you by my side, however..." It bowed its head, smiling slightly. "Well, it is still highly illogical... but I have learned that on occasion, that is the most logical thing of all."

"I recall, many months ago, when all of us faced this decision once before," Jean murmured. "In a much happier time and place, when we were still unsure of just how much we believed. There were many different reasons for what we all decided, all of them good. My own was, perhaps, the most simple, the least intellectual... but it is a decision I still stand by. _Mon amis_... I believe in you. I believe in myself. I believe in our united strength, a strength that cannot be matched by any power in this world or another. I believe that we can _win_."

"Are you kidding?" Katt snorted. "Sounds pretty insightful to me. Hell, all three of you are making me feel pretty crude about _my _say in the matter." Her eyes glinted as she leaned forward, like Ryu. "When you get down to it, I'm a simple kind of girl. And from my perspective, all I need to know is that Evans is the one responsible for all the shit we've been through. Even Habaruku was just working for him. Which makes the decision pretty easy, for me. I say we hunt the bastard down, and feed him his own guts, and that's all I've got to say on the matter."

"Once more, despite the many differences between us, we find ourselves of a common mind," Nina agreed, soft voice belying her cold eyes. "Vengeance is an unattractive emotion, I am aware, and yet I find myself quite unable to forgive and forget over something of this magnitude. More importantly, though... I don't want to live the rest of my life constantly worrying about the day when Evans will come for us." Her deep green eyes hardened, in a way they seldom had before. "I've lived in fear my entire life until now. I'm done with that. I'm _done _with living in fear."

"Heh." Sten shook his head slowly. "Trust me, girls. You're saints, compared to me. I've been trying, though. Trying to be a better person. Because being with you guys made me _want _to be one. To try and forget who I used to be." He folded his arms. "But maybe that wasn't the right answer, either. Maybe I should still look at _some _things the way I would have, back then. Things like this. Evans is a known threat. The greatest one we'll ever see. One that won't accept surrender, negotiation, or compromise. There's only one way to deal with that kind of situation. Take him out."

"Me, I never could think like that," Rand admitted. "I'm a simple kind of man. Always have been. Thinking of myself as a legendary hero, as a godslayer... that just doesn't work. I can't see myself like that. Even now, with what, five Demon Lords on our track record?" He inclined his head forward. "But I _can _see you guys like that, now. And maybe, if for some damn reason _you _think I could do it... well, hell. Bet _that'd _make my mom proud, wherever she is now. Saving the world. Be kind of nice to finally be able to do something even she'd have to give me credit for."

"You all know my stake in this," Deis said calmly. "I'm the easy one. I kind of _have _to vote yes. So I guess if I want to say anything that's meaningful at all... I have to make this about you guys. About who you _are_, not who destiny wants to make you into." She took a deep breath. "About being one of you, and having a stake in this that's just as personal as all of yours are. But you know what? Screw it. I don't know if this will really mean anything to you, but this _isn't _just business for me. It _is _personal, and it always was. Because it's family."

"He's your nephew, isn't he?" Ryu guessed. "Evans."

"Yeah." She nodded slowly. "You've all figured it out by now, one way or another, after what Habaruku said. He's my nephew. Because Myria was my twin sister. And Ladon is our father." She raised her head, eyes a mystery. "Which makes him _my _responsibility to take care of. Because I played by the rules, like my father always did, and went back to sleep after killing my sister, instead of tearing down there into Infinity... maybe if I had, if I'd taken him from Habaruku and Barubary, and raised him myself, he'd have turned out differently. But I didn't, and he didn't... and here we are."

"I guess that just leaves me," Ryu said after another long moment of silence. "And I'm glad we're all in agreement this time. Because turning back, and walking away, isn't an option any more. Not like it was back then. If it even _was_, back then. I'm with all of you. Everything all of you said... it's all part of why I want to go down there. All of your reasons, and one more." He stood up, and they all did as well. "We're not going to let anybody _give _us back the lives we never had. That's not the way we work. We're going down there, and we're going to _take _our lives back."

"Well, then," Niro said calmly, as everybody else stood as well. "Now that that's settled, why don't we all go on out? The townspeople're waitin'."

"You-" Ryu said, then stopped, blinked, and spoke again. "You told them? But that means you had to... you knew we'd decide this way?"

"I know you fellas," the old man told him bluntly. "An' I know how you think. Now come on, let's get out there." Without waiting for a response, he turned and clumped towards the door, and everybody followed him. As he'd said, the people of Township were gathered outside, waiting for them. They remained quiet as the _Dragonkin _filed out and stood there, silent as well.

"Speech!" Watts eventually started hollering, prompting snickers from the crowd.

"All right," Ryu shouted back. "You all know what we're going to be doing, so I won't waste time on that. The bad news is, once we get far enough down there, chances are there'll be a lot of demons who sneak around us and come on out here to start trouble, a lot more than there already are. Those of you who can fight, stay here. Protect this town, and Gate, too. The rest of you, have Niro and Barose Warp you to the world's capital cities, as emissaries to their leaders. It'll be up to you to tell them what's going on, and what to do."

"And did you want to tell us how to wipe our own asses next?" Maclean shouted back. "You just do your job, Bateson, and leave ours to us. We've been fighting since before you were alive!"

"Any demon shows his face around here gets an axe right between the eyes!" Azusa yelled; it was the first time Ryu had ever seen him actually agreeing with his brother on anything. "We're not here for you to tell us what to do! We're here to send _you _off!"

"What they _mean _to say is that we have some presents for you," Mrs. Rivab explained. "Meat, fish, and fruit, all enchanted to stay fresh. They've both been out bringing them in, and I've been helping prepare them, with Mrs. Haseco's help." She paused. "Oh, and our husbands, I suppose."

"Come on, Mrs. H, don't go _saying_ how hard they worked!" Lacquer protested, smirking. "You'll _embarrass _them!"

"Here ya go," his uncle Eizen grunted, tossing him over to the other two carpenters.

"Thanks," Mr. Rivab shot back, catching him.

"That's not all you're getting, either," Hanz said, more calmly, as he began tossing packages to them, each wrapped in cloth. "Kay's been helping me put these together."

"You all have clean medical records, aside from your preexisting injuries," Kay added, smiling slightly, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I don't want to hear that any of you went and ruined that beyond what's reasonable for you."

"Water of Life," Bow noted, opening his and examining the small waterskin inside. "And properly enchanted so it doesn't lose its potency, either. Normally when it's stored, all it cures is zombification, but this stuff should be good for just about anything."

"And these are crushed and steamed herbs," Spar murmured, glancing at a small green sphere. "Taken orally, they will boost one's healing process phenomenally. As well..." It blinked as it examined another sphere, similarly sized but white instead of green. "Wise Fruit?"

"Only concentrated." Hanz nodded, smiling. "Five times the kick, no poisonous side effects."

"I didn't even know that was _possible_," Nina murmured.

"That's the problem with magicians these days." Barose snorted. "They go around teaching kids like you what the limits of the possible are. Still, you lot have potential, or at least as much as anybody does. I've taught you my best tricks. The rest is up to you. Don't go blowing it."

"And now, comes the _fun _part!" Lemington boomed, opening up a large crate that had been stacked innocuously next to Watts' house. "Come on, all of you, help me get all this handed out! Start with the boss!" A suit of mixed plate and chain mail was brought out, enameled in white and gold, with the sign of Ladon on the chest. "What do you think? Fit for a hero?"

"You guys made this for me?" Ryu asked, blinking.

"We made some for all of you!" Baretta shot back. "Unfortunately, we _know _we won't be able to top that sword of yours, so you won't be getting one of those. The rest of you are a different story." Next out of the crate was a rather unusual suit of armor, one that looked like it had been made out of several shields of various sizes, welded together with chain mail added on. Accompanying it was a highly unusual crossbow, with a bundle of quivers built on top of it, which seemed to be somehow part of the device itself.

"You're kidding me," Bow muttered, looking stunned, as Ryu began shucking off his old armor to put on the new; as always, they all wore their normal clothes beneath. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Fully automatic." Lemington nodded. "So long as it's got the ammo. It was tricky, but we found somebody who could make the damn things and had one shipped in. And speaking of which." He tossed Katt a light blue robe that had been cut down to be less restrictive, along with a pale white battlestaff. "Another one of my connections sent me some dead demon skeleton thing. Said the bones were stronger than steel. So I cobbled that together out of them."

"Damn." Katt whistled, spinning it experimentally. "Awesome! Man, I spend all my life just hoping for a _metal _one, and now I have this? Thanks!"

"Weapons aren't the only thing these rampaging demons are good for, either," Baretta continued, drawing a huge white fur cloak out of the box. "This came from the mammoth demon carcass you brought back for us. Its hair seems to be equally strong. I know it's a bit unorthodox, but I think you'll find it suitable. And for weaponry, we managed to find a seller for these in Highland." She added on a pair of heavy steel spiked knuckle guards, clearly made for ridiculously large hands.

"Hey, I have a hard enough time finding any armor that'll work for me at all," Rand told them, smiling as he picked both up. "Oof. Heavy, though. Yeah, I see why you chose this for me. Thanks."

"So what do I get?" Sten asked impishly. "If it's good enough, I might even forget that I heard somebody back home's selling off surplus."

"See for yourself." Lemington held up a strange black garment that looked like it would cover everything from ankles to wrists to neck, then shook it, making it clink. "Layered chain and lightweight plate, enchanted to take the weight off even more. And then there's these." He tossed a pair of white knives. "The same as Katt's, except in this case the suckers were actually bearing them. Made out of their own bones. Figured you wouldn't care how damn creepy that was."

"Yours is here, Nina," Baretta continued, holding up an identical robe to Katt's, along with a focusing ring that looked to be made of solid amber. "I carved this personally. I hope it works well."

"It's perfect, Baretta," Nina assured her, taking both fondly. "I must confess some curiosity about the garment, though, in that me and Katt both have one. Did you make them yourself?"

"Not exactly." Baretta looked a little embarrassed. "We had them shipped here from the Isle of Medusa in the south seas. The natives there sell them, although traditionally, those robes are worn for women who... need the protection. For, um... mothers, or those who soon will be."

"Oh." Nina blushed, and somewhat surprisingly, so did Katt. "If it's all the same, I... believe I'll forget that I heard that."

"Same here," Katt agreed quickly.

"Moving on!" Lemington reached down into the crate once more and produced a suit of plate similar to Ryu's, but heavier, with red instead of gold and a large heart on the chest. "Prince Jean. I ain't much for fancy talk, so I'll cut to the point. From what I hear, you might just be the bravest guy I've ever met, but sometimes that costs ya. So I got this enchanted, with healing magic. It's not much, but if you're hurt, it'll start doing a little."

"I will wear it with pride, _mon ami_," the Prince said gravely, bowing. "It is a gift I will treasure for all of my days. And this sword..." He picked up the jet black rapier that had been with it, and his eyes widened as he examined it. "Where did you find such a thing?"

"The south seas again," Baretta explained. "From Night Rider Isle. Some explorer somehow managed to not only land there, but slay a few and leave, with their swords."

"I remember that place," Niro said, whistling. "Whoever that was had some real balls, all right."

"A lot of what we have for you comes from similar sources, it seems," Baretta noted, producing a strange whip with nine tails, eight of them spreading from the central length like branches. "This came from yet another demon, its tail this time. Apparently they were otherwise similar to Chimarae."

"Thank you," Spar said, nodding its head as it accepted both the whip and the crimson cloak that went with it. "I have been needing a new weapon, and I assume this is enchanted as well. That leaves you." It glanced at Deis.

"Oooh, do I get a new weapon too?" The Sorceress joked, clutching the golden cane she'd wielded ever since she'd joined up.

"We... weren't quite sure what to do on that score," Lemington admitted, coughing. "Sort of the opposite of Ryu's. We did get this, though." He pulled out the last thing in the crate, a full-length, straight-lined robe with wide sleeves, dark blue with a snake print. "You might recognize it, if the stories are right. Supposedly it belonged to a woman who fought in the First Dragon War named Noh, from the land of Gust. We figured it'd be appropriate, so we patched it up."

"It is," Deis murmured, no trace of humor remaining in her tone as she took the robe carefully and stared at it, her eyes a mystery. "Thank you."

"One more thing, then," Mrs. Haseco said, tossing another skin to them, this one with a stronger smell to it. "Distilled spirits. Not quite to most of your tastes, with the exception of Deis, I know, but only a couple hits will do the job. Hopefully there'll be enough to keep you all going until you make your way back to civilization."

"If you want to thank any of us, just make sure you come back," her husband agreed.

"We'll handle things up here," Surfy added. "Between us, along with your reputation, I think it's safe to say we have the connections. Don't worry about us. Just focus on what's important."

"And come back to us," El finished quietly, staring at Sten in an odd way.

"We're planning on it," Ryu told them all, as an odd, ridiculous suspicion began to take hold in his mind. Fighting the urge to look at Sten, he shook it off as none of his business before looking around to see who was missing; aside from the Rivabs' son, who they usually left at home during town meetings, there were a couple. "Where are Salvatore and Eichichi?"

"They're with your father," Niro explained. "Asked for a couple volunteers to take him down to see your mother, an' they both chimed up. Think they might be sweet on each other, I don't know."

"And I don't _want _to know," Ryu said quickly. "Good. That's good. That he's seeing her, I mean. I told her that he would."

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give yourself to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your bodies and souls to God. You are destined to become God's power..._

"That just leaves us, then," Sana said, and everybody turned their heads to glance at the family; all seven of them were clustered around the front door of the house. Standing together, their similarity was more uncanny than ever, with the exceptions of Solo and Granny. "Unless you actually thought we _weren't _coming along, but that would be pretty stupid."

"I'm not going to leave you to face this without me, Jean," Seso agreed, her wide eyes unusually determined. "I'm coming. We all are."

"Yeah, they wouldn't be that stupid," Spoo murmured, as dazed as ever, apparently not hearing her youngest sister. "Even _I'm _not _that _stupid. I think."

"Thinking's overrated, sis," Solo assured her, smiling. "What's important is _doing_. And what we're doing here is more important than anything else. We're not backing down now!"

"I certainly didn't have that discussion with you and Miss Silvia just to stay home," Seny declared, before glancing at Shin. "Well, sis? Did you decide?"

"Huh?" Shin blinked. "Oh. Yeah. If it's down to the Woren girl and the Grass Man, I'll, uh... I'll go with the Grass Man, if that's okay. You smell pretty good, miss, but so does it."

"No worries," Katt said quickly. "I don't play well with others a lot of the time anyways."

"An entirely acceptable proposal," Spar agreed. "So long as the fusion is successful, anyways."

"Why don't we get down to that, then?" Sana suggested. "I'll start it up, Granny. Say what you need to before you come in and handle the rest."

"Just don't botch it, girl," Granny told her sharply as her grandchildren filed inside, along with those of the _Dragonkin _who would be fusing. At the same time, the rest of the townspeople were drifting off as well, leaving Ryu, Katt, Deis, Niro and Granny there with the statue of Ladon.

"I notice none of them ever tried anythin' with _you_," Niro commented quietly to Deis.

"Nope." Deis shrugged, smiling slightly. "Funny, isn't it?"

"Sana's learning how to perform the ceremony, now, then?" Ryu asked Granny, raising an eyebrow. "I'm guessing there's a reason for that."

"This is why I hate brats," Granny replied sourly. "They always take old folks like us for granted. I'm not going to be around forever, kid, and after I'm gone _one _of 'em's going to have to take over as head of the family. I hate to admit it, but Sana's the one who's got the most on the ball. There's a reason she's the only one who stayed with me when the other five went off wandering. Besides, they actually _listen _to her, most of the time."

"Lady's got a point," Katt admitted, folding her arms.

"Hey, I wasn't _arguing _about it," Ryu told them. "Just curious, is all."

"Good." Granny slowly nodded. "All right, kid, I don't do this sentimental crap, so I'm going to make this fast. Most of the time, Fusion doesn't actually put the secondary member at any risk; the worst that can happen is that they're banished if the primary is knocked unconscious, or worse. From what I hear about this, though... it's gonna be a special case, all around the board, and there's no real way of telling for sure _what's _going to happen down there."

"Pretty much," Deis agreed. "And yet, I notice you're not trying to talk them out of it."

"Like they'd listen if I did?" Granny rolled her eyes, before meeting Ryu's. "What I'm saying is, they might be a bunch of idiotic, vagrant, promiscuous strays... but they're my granddaughters. I love them. No matter how dumb they are. I'm counting on you to bring them back to me, Mister Bateson."

"Ryu, please, miss Gigli." Ryu smiled at her, for the first time since he'd met her. "And I'll do that. Nobody's dying down there except anybody who's stupid enough to try and stop us."

"Good." Gigli dusted her hands off, relaxing instantly. "Now then, I'd better get in there and take over. Sana can probably manage one or two, but five in a row before her own turn's probably beyond her capabilities." Turning away, she waited as Spar and Bow emerged before heading in.

"Something going on?" Bow asked, scratching his chin; the brown in his fur had faded, leaving it completely white.

"Just some formalities." Ryu shrugged it off. "No big deal."

"Ah, yes." Spar nodded; its leaves and petals had all darkened significantly, the latter turning purple and black, but it had retained its basic form, unlike previous fusions. "I suspected as much."

"Soon as the rest of 'em get out here, you'll be off, then?" Niro asked casually.

"No real point in putting it off," Ryu agreed. "Besides, if what's down there is anything like I think it will be, the sooner we get started, the better. We'll want to get as far as we can before we need to take a break to sleep." He glanced at the statue of Ladon as Rand emerged as well, slate gray from head to toe. "Which brings me to my final concern. Are there going to be ways to contact you while we're down there?"

"Oh, yes." Ladon chuckled, but it sounded slightly forced. "There will be ways, I assure you."

"Hoooooo boy," Rand muttered.

"Then we can save the serious conversations for there and then," Ryu decided, ignoring that. "My only question for now is... is it the Dragon Clan?"

"Indeed," Ladon replied, as Nina joined them, her wings a vibrant pink. "Both they and the Mole Clan left the world above, but for many reasons, they parted ways after that. I doubt that you will encounter them, but the Dragon Clan are a certainty. Them, and one more, who will follow you through the Gate before passing you in order to lie in wait at a time and place of his choosing."

"Yeah, I know the guy." Ryu nodded slowly. "We'll be ready for him, too."

"Him, and any others who cross our path," Nina agreed.

"Damn straight." Katt cracked her knuckles.

"Looks like we're just about ready to go, then," Ryu said as Jean walked out, green skin changed to teal. "As soon as Sten's done."

"It will only be a moment more, _mon ami_," Jean told him.

"Guess so." Deis glanced at Niro, who'd been silent ever since they'd started to talking with the Fusion Clanswomen. "We'll be off, then."

"Yep." Niro said quietly, closing his eyes for a moment. "Seems that way." Only when Sten closed the door behind him, fur bright red, did the old man open his eyes again. "I'll keep an eye on things for you here, then. Make sure there's still a world for you to come back to, and all that."

"We know you will," Ryu said gravely, aware of the awkward tone in the air but unwilling to acknowledge it verbally. "Everybody else in this town is a great guy, but you're the one who's going to have to run the whole show. We're counting on you, Niro." He smiled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "After all, you're one of us, right?"

"It's okay, son." Niro smiled sadly. "You don't have to feel sorry for me. I know I ain't, not really. S'nine, not ten, after all, and I'm the odd one out. You're all the ones who're gonna save the world. I'm just along for the ride. Always have been, from the start. I just..." He trailed off, then blinked, as Katt abruptly hugged him.

"Shut up," she said quietly. "Just stop. Right now."

"Yeah, what's that crap about, huh?" Bow said sternly. "Where'd that even come from? I'll eat my crossbow if _any_ of us ever thought that, even for a second."

"As amusing as that would be to see, I don't think we'll be taking you up on that," Sten cracked. "Seriously, though? Come on, Niro. You think we'd have made it this far without you making sure we had something to come back to?"

"You gave us a home, Niro," Nina murmured, hugging him as well, her eyes determined. "I _know _you understand just how much that means, to all of us. I haven't truly had a home since I left Windia. The Magic School never felt like one. But this town, this building... it is. Because of you."

"You kids..." Niro whispered, eyes starting to brim over. "You're all damn fools, all of you. _I'm _the one who owes _you _so much. I was just another bum, before you found me. I didn't have _anything_. I'd just given up. On everything. And then... you gave me all this. You taught me how to live again."

"_Monsieur_..." Jean started to say, then stopped. "No. Niro, _mon ami_. That is not how it works. If that is how you feel about us, then why are you surprised to find that we feel the same way about you? You _are _one of us. I beg you... never, ever think otherwise again."

"I ain't good with emotions, and feelings, and all that," Rand admitted, shaking his head. "But they're right. We _need _you on this team, Niro. If we didn't have this place, and you running it, it never would have worked. You're just as important as any of us."

"Maybe," Niro admitted, taking a moment to compose himself. Scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his arm as the girls released him, he opened them again, blue and clear and sad. "Maybe. But the thing is... no matter how much everybody's given me... I still can't help but want more. I'd give anything, to any God, if they could just make me young again. So I could come with you. So I could be there, with you, instead of just waiting here. But I can't, 'cause I'd slow you down. Get in the way. Be a burden, an' a nuisance. So all I can do... is just wait here. And pray to Ladon."

"A legitimate concern," Spar said, stepping forward to take the old man's hand in its own. "However, there is an answer. Trust in us, Niro. As we trust in you. We _will _return. No matter the odds against us, no matter how logically improbable it is, I _believe _this, with absolute certainty. I have found things to believe in, other than logic, because of the nine of you. I have found friendship, with the people in this town, something I never understood before. And more then friendship. They are my friends, but you, all nine of you... you are family, to me."

"What it said," Deis agreed, and despite how calm her face was, something was _different _in her eyes, as if she'd resolved some secret question that she'd never spoken of but had been struggling with for some time. "I get where you're coming from, but there's one thing you were wrong about. The number's not important. Here and now, you _are _one of us. And if destiny didn't see you coming, I don't give a shit. When we get down there, to where the Dragon Clan live, you're going in the Hall of Heroes just like everybody else. No matter _whose _arm I have to break to make that happen."

"You kids..." Niro repeated, lowering his head. "You damn silly kids. You're too good to an old tramp like me. But since you're all so damn stubborn that I know talking sense won't get through to you when you're in a mood like this... I guess I'll just have to hold you to that." He looked from one of them to another, each in turn, blue eyes clouded with either emotion or memory; Ryu wasn't sure which. "When you come back, I'll tell you my story, too. I know all o' yours, 'cept Deis, but I never talked about mine just yet. Come back alive, and I'll change that."

"Then we'll hold you to that, too." Ryu smiled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Take care of them for us, Niro. My father, and Mina, and Silvia, and... and everybody else." He hesitated, only a moment, before continuing. "And if Smith shows up again... watch out for her, most of all. We're counting on you, too."

"I'll do that," Niro promised, smiling once more. "All right, then. Get goin', kids. Like you said before, the sooner the better, an' standin' around jawin' about our feelin's an' emotions an' crap ain't helpin' the world none. I'll see you when you return."

One by one, they all either shook his hand or hugged him again, before they turned and walked away. Nobody spoke, as they continued out of Township and into Gate, and towards the canyon behind the town. Nobody needed to; the words that needed to be said all had been, and all that was left was to continue forward, without doubts or regrets. Soon enough, under the morning sun and the falling snow, they emerged into the clearing and found Ganer standing there alone, one hand pressed against the side of Valerie's snout.

"Eichichi and Salvatore are back in town," he said before anybody could speak. "We asked them to give us some time alone. They'll be back to pick me up in another hour or so." Slowly, he lowered his hand and turned to face them. "Valerie told me about what happened here. I'm proud of you, son. Of all of you. You avenged our family."

"It was all we could do," Ryu said quietly. "It won't change things. It won't undo everything that was done. To me, to you, to mom, to Yua. But he'll never be able to do that to anybody else, ever again. That's something, I guess." Looking at them together, he instantly regretted his decision to get moving as quickly as possible. "We can come back later, if you want."

"It's all right, Ryu," Ganer assured him. "Valerie and I both understand. On the contrary; this time that we had, alone together, was a greater blessing than either of us had ever hoped for. We are not so ungrateful as to demand more."

"Have you decided, then?" Valerie asked softly, raising her head to look at them with eyes still shut. "Ryu, my child... I do not wish to burden you further, upon everything that you have already endured, but you _must _decide. You are the only one who can."

"A decision has been made," Ryu replied, staring up at her. "But I'm not the only one who made it. We _all _decided. Every one of us." He put his hand on the hilt of the _Empire_. "We're going. Into Infinity, to find Evans, and kill him. If the world will never be safe until he is dead and gone, then that's what we'll arrange." He forced a cold smile he didn't feel. "We're _good _at arranging that sort of thing."

"Then so it shall be," Valerie said, voice growing firm. "The world, and all of its people, shall be in your hands. If you accept that, and understand that... than so shall I." As everybody watched, she began to shimmer, her entire body distorting like a heatwave, as she began to glow. Brighter and brighter, she became more and more indistinct, until she began to shrink, claws and wings and tail all retracting. Soon, she was the size of a human, one who was standing between them and the Gate.

She was beautiful, just as Ryu had remembered; her face had faded from his memories over time, but one glance brought it all back, as if she hadn't aged a day, even though she had. The time they'd been apart _had _aged her, brought her into early middle age, but to his eyes she was just as lovely as she'd been in her late twenties. Tall and pale, with long blue hair that poured down her back, she wore the same simple white dress she'd preferred all the time he'd known her; that, at least, hadn't changed. Her eyes were kind, an almost luminescent green, and her batlike wings bright, shining gold.

"Ryu, my son..." She whispered, as he stepped forward to embrace her. "The road you have chosen is the one of greatest peril. Your life, and your soul, and those of all your friends, stand at risk. And yet... I believe you have chosen correctly. Though it will be the most difficult thing you have ever done, or ever will, though the odds against you are nearly impossible, I believe that you will triumph. I believe in _you_, my son... and all of our friends."

"We won't let you down, mom," Ryu promised, head against hers, resting on her shoulder. "I promise. We'll save the Dragon Clan, and the rest of the world too."

"I know," Valerie murmured. "Never forget that I know, as does your father. You are our son, Ryu. And you always will be. I love you." Releasing him, she stepped back, as the Gate behind her began to glow.

"Mom?" Ryu whispered softly. "What are you doing?"

"In order to open the Gate..." Nina murmured, eyes widening.

"The key to the Gate is..." Katt said slowly. "The life of..."

"No!" Jean shouted, horrified.

"She's giving her life to open the Gate?" Bow yelled.

"Please understand," Valerie told them, as Ganer stepped forward, past them. "This is not a decision I make rashly. As I said, we both knew already."

"She told me, many years ago, on the night when she left," her husband explained, taking her into her arms. "She told me of her duty, of why she had left her people to come into this world. Of what that meant, and of the final sacrifice she would be required to make some day. If we were to be able to protect our children, she said, I would have to accept that. And so I did, as she had accepted it when she agreed to come into this world." His arms tightened around her, as both she and the Gate grew fainter and fainter. "I love you, Valerie. Wait for me, please. One day, I'll be with you once more."

"I will," Valerie promised. "I love you, Ganer, my husband. I love you, Ryu, my son. Please... tell Yua I love her as well. Goodbye." And then she was gone, as were the doors into Infinity.

Nobody spoke. Nobody could. They stood there, heads bowed, as Ganer slowly turned away. Without seeing him, he walked back to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. They stood there, together, for a moment that seemed like an eternity, before he lowered it again.

"I will wait, here," he told them, sightless eyes moving from one of them to another. "Soon, Eichichi and Salvatore will return, and bring me back to Gate. Until then... I believe I will take a nap, in this clearing. I never have before, but now..."

_Power. We need more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your heart to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and soul to God. You will become God's power..._

"Yeah," Ryu managed to say. "Yeah, that... that'd be good." He put a hand on his father's shoulder, for a moment, then pulled it back. "We'll be back. I don't know how long it'll take us, but we'll be back. I promise."

"I know." Ganer nodded. "I will wait for you, then. Until I see you return, and welcome you back, I will hold on, no matter how weak my body becomes."

They embraced, one more time, before Ryu turned to his team and inclined his head, and they followed him through the vanished gate into another world.

The massive chamber behind the gate was composed of a series of green tiled terraces, each twenty feet above the next one down and stretching both ways around the perimeter of the room, so that the next one down was smaller than the one before. With each descending level, the stairs to the next were on the opposite sides of the room, so that those who wished to go down would have to circle around the edges every time.

Only the top level was empty. Every other was filled by the army of demons waiting for them. Many were familiar shapes and forms; the twelve-tusked bipedal mammoths with massive fists were the most so, along with musclemen with twin heads somewhere between bear and wolf, round pillbugs on long tails whose catfish faces were deceptively cheerful, and equally spherical yet much more hideous horned reptiles whose gaping maws stretched across their entire bodies. There were even a few with the same form as the Demon Lord Shupukay, though much smaller, and gray instead of red.

Others were unfamiliar, but no less horrifying to behold. Humanoid skeletons seemed to be a popular choice of form, as there were many of those in different roles; some with sword and shield, others riding nightmarish distortions of horses with lance in hand, and still more crouching in their hooded robes as they clutched their scythes. Haunted suits of armor hovered, a single flaming eye glowing in their helmets, and massive golems carved from crystal loomed, hands flexing. Huge, fat green cyclops hefted spiked clubs almost as large as themselves, and tiny, artificial insects built from lost technology twitched.

Everybody exchanged a glance, then spread out, drawing weapons and readying magic.

"Well, boys?" Katt said, bending over and beckoning with her hand as she made a face. "Who thinks they can get past us?"

It took them about an hour to clear out the room, and by the time they were done, Rand and Katt were having to throw the carcasses of the slain up onto the levels they'd already passed in order to clear room to proceed. The last to fall was the apparent leader, a flaming horror with curling horns whose shoulders and upper chest simply rose from the floor as if it were water, along with clawed hands. Enough ice magic was sufficient to destroy it, however, leaving only the horns to fall to the green-tiled floor like discarded trash.

At the bottom and center of the room, stairs led downward, without benefit of rails. Carefully descending, his team behind him, Ryu realized as soon as he saw what came next that the first room had only been a part of the Gate as well; only now were they truly entering Infinity, the endless void beneath the world.

They were descending onto the top of what seemed to be a mile-wide tower of black stone, with odd extensions of bridges and platforms that should have been impossible. The effect was something like a three-dimensional maze around the towertop, with edges instead of walls, before it eventually ended in another stairway, this one leading inside the tower. What was truly mind-boggling, however, was what was _around_ the building.

The roof of the infinite cavern it had been built inside stretched beyond visibility in every direction, with clusters of stalactites every so often; to both west and east, two more staircases ended in platforms attached to them, likely the means by which the advance force of flying demons had escaped earlier. No other surface was visible, everything else, to the sides and below, simply vanished from visibility eventually. Only the tower continued to stretch down, down, out of sight, with another maze of platforms and bridges about a mile down.

There were far fewer demons here than there had been in the room above; every so often, a few would emerge from the entrance to the tower and come charging up to be slain, after which their corpses would be hurled into the void. Nobody was seriously hurt, at least not so much that sporadic treatment with white magic could not undo the damage. Another hour passed before they finally made it to the tower's entrance, and continued downward.

As it turned out, each floor of the tower was another maze, built along the same lines as the first room, but with the different levels of green-tiled floor much more variable. Often, they had to descend several tiers, only to climb back up and then descend once more, many times in the same room before finally reaching the next set of stairs. The number of demons continued to decrease, although there were always a few every hour, as they went further in further.

They eventually decided to make camp after the first time the tower's design forced them back outside, to descend around the exterior for a mile or so before thankfully returning to the interior. Jean and Rand in particular were both particularly glad to go back in, and they located an out-of-the-way nook in which to have dinner before turning in. Three shifts of the watch were organized, with three people on each, in order to dispatch any demons that discovered them. Fortunately, that only happened around half the time; just as frequently, they would pass by without noticing.

They repeated that pattern the next day, and then the next after that; by the second "morning" the roof was out of sight as well, and they could only keep heading downward with no idea how far they'd gone or how much of the tower was left to traverse. Nobody brought up the possibility of running out of food and water, but it was a question that everybody considered at least once, Ryu could tell. All the same, they kept going, without speaking or thinking of turning back.

It was a grim, solemn time, and soon their usual banter started to fade. Even Sten and Jean were unable to keep the jokes up for long in the endless tower, empty of life save for themselves and the demons. Some cheer returned whenever they made camp, but even that seemed somewhat forced, born more from desire not to eat and rest in the same dark silence that they spent their "days" in than any real lightening of the mood. They conserved their alcohol carefully, both to avoid running out and to prevent any morning headaches. Nobody wanted to dull their edge, even slightly.

It was quite possibly the most depressing week of Ryu's life, but still he kept careful track of each day. For some reason, it seemed important to know just how long it _felt _like they'd been there, even if they had no actual way to measure how much time was really passing out of sight of the sky and with no devices to tell them. Even Spar's normally precise sense of the hour was at a loss with no plants to consult; according to the Grass Man, there was plant life far below them, but everything between that point and the surface was barren of even moss or mold.

It was on the morning of their eighth day that Spar informed them that said source of plant life was almost upon them, or rather, that they were about to reach it. According to the Grass Man, it was all edible vegetation, grown inside buildings that had been apparently designed for such purposes. Though nobody spoke of what they suspected, everybody's thoughts were running along the same paths, Ryu most of all. The somber mood faded, if only slightly, and they made an effort to hurry through the next few floors as quickly as possible, an almost tangible sense of eagerness in the air.

And that was how Ryu and his friends left the tower for the tenth time and entered the place of refuge that his people had built for themselves, when they had fled the world above centuries ago to prepare for his coming.

Emerging from another staircase leading outside, they found themselves in a place much like the exterior floors, but built with a different mindset entirely. Rather than being a maze, the platforms were all broad and symmetrical, with bridges connecting them in places that made travel between levels as easy as possible rather than difficult. There looked to be five floors in all, the widest at the center and the smallest at both top and bottom, though even these were far larger than any of those seen above had been.

More telling was the fact that, for the first time since they'd entered Infinity, there were actual buildings independent of the single, endless tower that the city had been built around. Counting quickly, Ryu estimated that there were about a hundred of them, most of them individual houses, though some were clearly meant for other purposes. The most interesting, to a casual glance, were those that seemed to be built of _glass_, with magical lights attached to their ceilings; these were the source of the plant life Spar had senses, greenery inside almost overflowing.

What was different, most of all, however, were the people. As soon as the _Dragonkin _appeared, every man, woman and child on every floor of the city in the air beneath the earth instantly fell silent and turned to stare at them. There was no doubt as to what Clan they belonged to, as each and every one of them bore one of two sets of defining characteristics. Either they were blonde, with violet eyes, or blue-haired with eyes of green. Aside from that, the men appeared entirely human, but every woman bore batlike wings, in a rainbow of different colors.

The silence and the stillness prevailed for several minutes, long enough that Ryu began to feel uncomfortable. His friends had spread out around them, but none of them had spoken either, and he could sense that some of them were about to. Just as he prepared to do so himself, though, one man broke the spell and began walking towards them from the second floor down. He was old, balding and bearded with a bent back, but his hair was still blue and untouched by gray or white, and his green eyes were keen. They waited, patiently, until he stood before them.

"You are the ones," he said, then, his voice echoing throughout the entire town despite its soft tone. "You have come."

"Yes," Ryu replied, just as calmly, inclining his head. "We are, and we have."

"At last," the man said, shaking slightly, as a sigh seemed to spread through the entire community like a wave. "At last, the time has come. We have waited long here, oh so very long, for this day." He smiled then, slightly, and when he spoke next his voice seemed slightly more normal. "We know your names already, and yet... I believe everybody here would like to hear them from your own voice."

"We'd kind of prefer that ourselves," Ryu agreed. "I'm Ryu Bateson, son of Ganer and Valerie. On my right are Bow Dogi, Sten Legacy, Rand Marks and Jean. To the left, Katt Chaun, Nina Windia, Deis, and Spar. Niro Mani couldn't make it, unfortunately, but he's one of us, as well." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't know all the details of what you know about us, or how you think of us, but in the world above, we're a group of professional adventurers for hire known as the _Dragonkin_. It seemed an appropriate name, after I discovered my heritage."

"Indeed it does," the old man agreed. "Welcome, then, _Dragonkin_. Welcome to the haven of your kind, Ryu, and those who he has named his family. Those who are yours, are also ours. Welcome to Dologany, the city where Light and Dark Dragons have finally reunited after thousands of years of strife. Welcome to the home of the Dragon Clan." He bowed his head. "For every day of the five centuries since we left the world above, we have waited for this hour. Now, at last, our hopes and dreams will be fulfilled."

"That's what we're here for," Ryu said, raising his voice, and almost, almost believed what he was saying. "We're here to do what you've been waiting for us to do, ever since you left the world above. We're here to slay a god, like my ancestor did a thousand years ago. We've come to deal with Evans, once and for all."

_ Power. We need yet more of your power. God needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Sacrifice your heart and mind to God. You will become God's power..._

"Then there are things you should know, and people who you should speak to," the old man said, rubbing his hands together. "One of them is, sadly, unavailable at this time. He is very old, and his body is frail. In truth, I believe it is only the knowledge that you would soon come that has given him the will to survive this long. For now, I shall take you to the other. If you would follow me, please?"

"Sure." Ryu agreed, glancing to his left and his right, and waiting until everybody had nodded before continuing. "Can I ask who it is we're going to meet, though?"

"Of course." The old man smiled. "I will take you to the High Priest of Ladon, who has waited longer than any, for he is the eldest of us all who live here in Dologany."

"I think I've got a fairly good idea as to who he is, then," Ryu said slowly, thinking about everything he'd read in the history books about the two Dragon Wars in which his ancestors had fought. "Lead the way, then."

"As you wish." Turning, the old man started back the way he'd come, and Ryu and his friends followed them. As they walked past, the other men and women of the Dragon Clan all watched in silence, still motionless; even the smallest of children were still and quiet, their eyes shining with fascination. After only moments, Ryu found himself profoundly disturbed by their obvious reverence, to the point where he had to stop himself from saying something just to break the silence, to prompt an actual response from somebody.

Thus, when they descended to the second floor and he saw a pair of all-too-familiar faces standing by a building, hand in hand, he responded automatically without stopping to think as he normally would have.

"Ray?" He blurted, eyes widening. "You're alive? But how... and... _Smith_?" He recovered his senses just in time to stop himself from saying another name, though he still continued rambling. "What are you... _how _are you here?"

"I'm sorry?" The man said after a moment, and his voice was enough for Ryu to realize that he was a stranger, despite the astonishing physical resemblance. On second glance, his hair was different as well, a pure gold rather than Ray's strawberry blonde. "Those are not our names, Ryu, but if there is any way we can be of service, please, tell us."

"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing," Ryu replied, recovering. Looking at the girl as well, he noted that her wings were a deep blue rather than the black shade of Patty's. "I mistook you both for people we knew. Know. Sorry."

"They look like us?" She asked, as everybody else around them listened; even the old man had stopped, curious. "Then they might be Dragon Clansmen, especially if 'Smith' has wings like mine."

"She does." Ryu admitted. "Although her wings are black. Aside from that, she's a dead ringer for you, miss. And you, mister..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Your hair's different, but otherwise, you look just like a friend of ours named Ray Braddoc. A Dark Dragon."

"I, too, am of that family, as my betrothed is of the Light Dragons," the man explained, violet eyes bright with interest in a painfully familiar way. "But how is this possible? There should be no other Dragon Clansmen left in the world above save for your family."

"It's... complicated," Ryu said, closing his eyes. "But Ray... he was a paladin of the Church of St. Eva. A servant of Evans, who believed the lies of the demons until his final day, when he turned against them to help us instead. He gave his life to awaken the final stage of my Breath of Fire, so that we could save the world from the God he'd been tricked into following. His name was Ray Braddoc, and he was a hero... and he was our friend."

"Ray Braddoc," the girl repeated, slowly nodding. "The name is unfamiliar to us... but we will remember it, as will all of Dologany. The Dragon Clan will remember his name until the end of days."

"That we will," a new voice agreed, from the level below. Looking over the edge, Ryu saw what he couldn't have from above; a building far larger than any other in Dologany, built of marble like most of the rest, but far more intricately decorated. The ancient man who stood in the doorway looking up at them was short and ugly, though his white robes were immaculate, the green sign of Ladon upon his chest. "And when I promise to remember a name, kids, it damn well stays remembered."

"I take it you're the one we've come to meet with," Nina said quietly.

"The first of many,'" the old man replied, smiling slightly as he touched the carved pendant of green stone he wore around his neck. "But I'm the one you need to talk to right now. I'll take it from here, Gunther." He glanced at Ryu first, then Bow, as they descended a ramp to the third level. "Been a long time since I've seen you two. Ten years, as a matter of fact. You've grown up."

"Thanks, I think," Bow muttered, frowning. "Ten years. You know Barubary, then?"

"Know him?" He snorted. "I _fought _the bastard, once upon a time, when I led the final assault on Obelisk. Ended up a draw, though, seeing as how we both got a little distracted before the end."

"Well, that tells _me _who you are, anyways," Ryu said, crossing his arms. "Which begs the question of what you'd prefer to be addressed as."

"It doesn't tell _me _who he is," Katt complained quietly. Rand shushed her.

"Let's go with what the last group did," he replied. "Just be glad I'm sparing you the act. 'Spekkio' works, though hell if I know where it actually _came _from. Ladon was the one who suggested it; for all I know, it's the name of some drinking buddy from another plane of existence entirely."

"That's the kind of theological question I can do _without _asking, thanks," Ryu told him, shaking his head. "All right then, Spekkio. What do you have for us?"

"To start?" Spekkio raised an eyebrow. "A history lesson. I'm big on those. We'll get to what happens next _after _that."

"About the Dragon Clan," Sten guessed shrewdly. "About what you're doing down here."

"Bingo," Spekkio said, rubbing his hands together. "All right, we'll start from where 'Martin' managed to do what I blew. After Jade, the Gold Lord, resurrected the Goddess of Lies. 'Martin' fixed that problem by wiping her out for good, before he and his wife spent the next couple decades in Windia working towards world peace. In particular, reuniting the Light and Dark Dragon families. Even after they left, the efforts they'd started continued; their daughter eventually married a Dark Dragon prince, binding the families through blood once more."

"Ah, yes," Jean murmured. "Their romance was the basis of one of the most beautiful plays ever written, second only to _Alan and Cerl_. But this seems to be a wonderful state of affairs. Where, if you will pardon my bluntness, did things go wrong?"

"When we discovered Myria's legacy," Spekkio told him, scowling. "See, she might have been insane, but she was no fool. She knew that if she broke free from her prison, Ladon would have to do what he'd given her one last chance at avoiding the last time, and she knew that it might damn well _work_. So as soon as she was out, she snuck off to find those of her servants who had survived the First Dragon War, and left a seed of evil in their care. Barubary, and Habaruku, and all the others. She left them her son, Evans, who was only an infant at the time."

"An infant God," Nina said quietly. "Left to be raised by _those _two." She shivered.

"Not a pretty picture, is it?" Spekkio agreed. "And they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Those two are as bad as it gets, but at least their actions make a certain, twisted kind of _sense_, however horrible it may be. Evans is another story. He has no use for logic; on the contrary, he considers logic itself to be a weakness. _That's _how deep his narcissism runs. He refuses to consider even the possibility of questioning his own actions, to the point where anything that runs contrary to his belief in his own purpose-to end the world-is repulsive to him."

"Sounds like a real charmer," Katt joked, though it sounded half-hearted.

"To be fair, it's not really his fault," Spekkio admitted. "Honestly speaking, he never had a chance. At first, he only fed on negative emotion. Hatred, fear, jealousy, desperation. By the time he learned to take power from other things, he was already warped beyond any possibility of correction. I don't know if he couldn't, at first, or if Habaruku kept him from doing so, but it doesn't really matter at this point. His name is Evans, and he is death, for the Demon Lord of Death, the King of Infinity, gave up his title and his crown on the day he took him under his wing."

_ Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power..._

"Barubary," Ryu guessed quietly.

"Bingo." The old man nodded sharply. "In time, we felt his presence as it began to spread throughout this world, as he ascended to true divinity. You see, his physical form is only an image, an incarnation through which he appears. The reality of what Evans is, is beyond shape or form. Only when he _chooses _to take a physical form can he be fought, and slain, and he had no desire to do so against us. The only way to force Evans to fight, and risk defeat, was to present him with a conflict that he would choose to accept."

"I see," Spar said, sharper and louder than usual, as its eyes widened. "So _that _is why we are the only ones who may be able to slay Evans."

"What is?" Rand frowned. "You went a little fast there, Spar."

"You're the only ones who can kill Evans, because you're the only ones Evans will even fight at all," Spekkio explained. "Every thousand years, a hero named Ryu comes to save the world. That repetition of fate killed Evans' mother, a fully ascendant Goddess in her own right. Your existence, all of you, is a challenge to Evans' delusions of inevitability, one he cannot ignore. His own insanity compels him to face you, should you confront him."

"But when you first learned of his existence, it was still several centuries before our time would come," Sten said, scratching his chin. "So you had to stall."

"Got it again." Spekkio chuckled. "You're pretty sharp, kids. Before Evans' presence could grow to the point where he would be unstoppable, we came here, to this place where Myria's servants had fled after the First Dragon War. To Infinity, the land beneath the land. For all Evans' power, there is one thing he will never be able to overcome, unless he succeeds in his mad ambitions and extinguishes all life on this planet save for his own. The spirit of this planet itself, of the world upon which we live, is abhorrent to him, as he is to her. He cannot pass through living earth."

"So you left Drogen, and Scande, and came here instead," Nina continued. "To hold him back, until the day came."

"We built a Gate, to separate this world from the world above." Spekkio nodded. "And in order to fight his servants, we chose to live on this side of it. With the Gate keeping his presence trapped here, Evans himself was stuck, but he still had the demons to do his dirty work for him. We've been fighting them for centuries, and it still wasn't enough. We suckered Evans by putting it all on you kids, but Habaruku got us right back by starting up the Church of St. Eva as soon as we were gone. Without the Dragon Clan, worship of Ladon gave way to a new faith easily."

"And because of that, Evans is a lot stronger now than he was when you first came here," Rand said slowly. "Tell it to us straight, old man. Do we have a chance?"

"You do," Spekkio replied, smiling crookedly. "But there's a trick to it. You said your friend Ray helped you reach the last stage of the Breath of Fire, kid, but you were wrong. There's one more stage. One that only one Light Dragon in a thousand years ever reaches. The fourth stage of the Breath of Fire, that brings with it the power to defeat even Gods."

"Agni Anfini," Ryu murmured, remembering what he'd read in the history books. "Where the user and all of his friends become one with the spirit of Ladon himself."

"What, like fusion?" Katt made a face. "Except it's _all _of us, in one body?"

"Perhaps," Spekkio said cryptically. "Then again, perhaps not. Like the third stage, the form which Agni Anfini takes is different each time, depending on the user. The strength of the Dragon Clan, of the Breath of Fire, of Ladon himself, and of all the world... it will be determined by whatever it is that _your _true strength is, Ryu Bateson of Gate." He stood up. "Tomorrow, you will return here and undergo a trial to discover just what that strength is, and give Agni Anfini shape and form, just as Evans himself prepares to take shape and form as well. Before then, however, one question remains."

"And that is?" Ryu asked coolly.

"Traditionally, the hero is the only one who faces the trial," Spekkio explained. "This is a bit of a special case, though, so I'll give you the option of changing that up a bit. If you so desire, all of you will be tried, though separately. Or, you can trust in your leader, and leave the burden in his hands."

"Well, guys?" Ryu glanced at them. "Your call."

"We need to vote?" Bow asked drily, and nodded when the others all shook their heads. "Didn't think so. Unanimous it is, then. We all go in."

"So it shall be, then." Spekkio nodded as well. "A house has been prepared for you, where you will find food. After coming down here, I'm sure you'll appreciate that. As long as you're here in Dologany, at least, you won't have to worry about a demon ambush. Catch up on your sleep. Trust me, you're gonna want to be on top of your game tomorrow."

"We always are," Ryu told him, but a chill ran through him nonetheless.

* * *

The house they were shown to was nice, if a bit empty; the furnishings were pleasant, but sparse, giving the impression that it had only been filled recently. Nobody asked about that, or about how there were exactly nine bedrooms there; even Spar, it seemed, didn't want to know. Nobody spoke much over dinner, either, and once they were done they all turned in, silently following Spekkio's advice and preparing for whatever tomorrow would bring.

Only once she was sure that everybody else was out did Deis slip out her window, with a quiet skill she'd learned from ten years at the Aurian Magic School. Slithering down the streets, which were mostly empty at this time of "night," she made her way back to the Temple of Ladon, where the man who called himself Spekkio waited for her. This time, he was sitting on the temple's roof rather than its front steps, legs dangling in the air.

Neither of them spoke at first, as she climbed up to join him. He gave her a nod in greeting, which she returned, before passing over a bottle of ale. Opening it with her thumb, she took a swig and smiled approvingly before letting most of her tail drop off the front of the temple. They sat there for some time, on either side of the carved dragon's head over the doors, looking over the town of Dologany as they drank and thought of the past.

"It's nice," Deis said eventually. "This place. Nicer than I thought it would be."

"I did my best to make sure it would be," Spekkio replied, smiling slightly. "Figured if we were going to live here from now on, there was no point in not doing the best we could. It's not bad, aside from all the demons."

"How often do they try something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Most of the time, it's just a couple of punks testing to see if we're letting our guard down." Spekkio shrugged. "A real fight only crops up three or four times a year. We don't usually lose anybody." After a moment, he scowled. "Unless, of course, one of ours goes over to their side. That happens every now and then, both from the Light and the Dark."

"That's sentient nature for you," Deis told him. "It sucks, but there's no stopping it." After a moment, she chuckled. "We saw enough of it back in your day to know that better than anybody, didn't we? Ryu, the Rider?"

"You know, I'd almost forgotten that that's what they used to call me." Spekkio laughed as well. "Damn silly name, if you ask me, but I suppose it could be worse. At least it wasn't Caster."

"Ugh." Deis put a hand to her forehead. "Where did that one even _come _from? I still can't believe you talked me into putting up with that for the PR value. I should have put a stop to it right then and there the first time."

"It was a little late, by that point," Spekkio reminded her. "We all had them. It was just the way it went." He took another drink, eyes misting over. "Rider, Caster, Archer, Lancer, Berserker, Assassin... and Saber. She was the one who started the whole thing."

"That's right, she was, wasn't she?" Deis smiled again. "All right, I suppose I can forgive her for that one. How long did the two of you work together before she came up with it?"

"About a month," Spekkio said, staring up at the darkness above Dologany. "That was how long it took her to convince me to go along with her plan. Right at first, I wasn't too impressed by some willful princess with a so-called master plan to end the Dragon War. Changed my mind after the second battle of Winlan." He made a face. "Ladon, I can't believe that shithead managed to survive."

"Imagine how everybody felt about Yuna," Deis told him, no trace of humor left in her voice. "At least they're both dead now. Them, and Manson too... not to mention Aruhameral and Shupukay... these kids have been settling a _lot _of old debts."

"That they have," Spekkio admitted. "All that's left is Barubary. Once he goes down, you and me are going to be the oldest mortals still alive on this world except for the Wise Trees."

"They die, eventually, as well," Deis pointed out quietly. "I've seen it. Give it another thousand years, and you really will be second only to me. And I'm not sure I really count."

"You're still mortal," Spekkio assured her. "I'd know, if you weren't."

"I know." Deis slowly nodded. "And believe me, I plan on staying that way. But considering where I came from..." She sighed. "You understand. You're probably the only one aside from Ladon who does. Not even 'Martin' does, not really. But you..."

"Being High Priest of Ladon for two thousand years changes your perspective a little," Spekkio said, shaking his head slowly. "Yeah, I do." He paused. "Barubary might get it, too, but I don't think you're about to go out drinking and talking about the past with _him_, for some reason."

"Hell no." Deis snorted. "I _hate_ that guy. The sooner these kids do what we should have done back in your day, the better. I can't believe you and 'Martin' actually set up that deal with him."

"It worked, didn't it?" Spekkio pointed out. "And it went better than _his _turn did. Of course, circumstances were a little different, with him."

"That just might be the understatement of the millennium," Deis replied dryly. They both fell silent again, then, finishing off their bottles and opening up a couple more, before she spoke once more. "So. What's going to go down tomorrow? In general terms."

"We'll take them into the temple," Spekkio explained. "Show them to the back room. And let the guys who'll be handling it from there do what they agreed to do. You're an exception, by the way. Hope you're not terribly disappointed."

"I was kind of wondering about that, actually," Deis replied, smiling slightly. "Figured that'd be the case, but I didn't want to just ask. It would have been rude, you know?"

"And you would never even _dream _of being _rude_," Martin retorted, and they both laughed. "The fact that I doubt you're going to be changing your ways, even a little, after all this time aside... we had to stretch things just to come up with eight. Don't know where we'd have been able to get a ninth."

"Stretch things?" Deis frowned. "Just who the hell _are _these..." She trailed off then, eyes slowly widening, as she turned her head to stare down at the temple behind and below them. "You're kidding. You brought _them _back?"

"Not for long," Spekkio told her. "They're dead, and there's no real coming back from that. But inside that temple, in the rooms we've set up... well, you can get away with a bit more than you can in the rest of the world. We called them up, and asked if they'd be willing to do us a favor, and they agreed. I was kind of surprised that they did, to be honest."

"Speaking honestly, myself, I'm not really sure how I feel about that," Deis admitted, frowning. "Disturbing their rest like that, I mean. But I suppose I can see the logic involved. I can't say I can think of anybody better for this than them. I'm just wondering who the eighth..." She paused, then snapped her fingers. "Oh. Of _course_. For Jean, right?"

"Yeah, we're lucky he's the kind who learns a little _differently_ from the rest." Spekkio nodded. "You see the problem with finding one for you, even if we wanted to, though."

_"And would that be so bad, sister? To see me again? Would you really hate that so much?" _

"Yeah." Deis slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess you've got me there."

"Something wrong?" The old man asked, frowning. "For a second there, I almost thought..." He left it hanging.

"Forget it," she told him. "It's nothing. Just... old memories. Memories, and regrets. You know what it's like."

"Yeah." Spekkio agreed quietly. "Yeah, I do." He took another drink before continuing. "Two thousand goddamn years."

"Two thousand goddamn years," Deis, who'd once been called the Caster, repeated, just as quietly. "Archer. Lancer. Berserker. Assassin. And Saber."

"And Saber," Ryu, the Rider, echoed as they sat on the roof of the temple of her father, in the city beneath the world, sharing an understanding that was more than words could ever convey.

_DO THE IMPOSSIBLE SEE THE INVISIBLE _


	43. Chapter 40: The Trials Of The Past

_**Chapter 40: The Trials Of The Past **_

_ Power. We still need more of your power. God still needs more of your power. Give your soul to God. Pray to God. Praise God. Give your heart and mind to God. You are becoming God's power..._

Ryu woke up.

For a moment, he almost grabbed for his sword as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings, until he remembered the events of the previous day and relaxed. Climbing out of bed, he dressed himself before leaving the bedroom and descending the stairs of the pleasant, yet still strange, house they'd been given in Dologany.

Spar and Sten were both already up; the former was starting on making their breakfast from the food that had been left for them, while the latter lounged against a wall in the kitchen, idly sharpening one of his knives. Both glanced at Ryu when he joined them, but neither spoke, and he didn't try starting a conversation either. Something about the dragon town, despite its unique sort of beauty, made aimless chatter seem unnecessary, especially with the knowledge of what they would face today hanging above them.

Soon, the others joined them, some helping Spar with the cooking while others simply took their places and watched. Deis, as always, was last to awaken, but more than any of them she seemed pensive and thoughtful rather than her usual drowsy self at early hours. They ate their meal in silence as well, and after taking care of the dishes, left the house to find the man who called himself Spekkio waiting for them outside.

"Follow me," he said, curt and simple, before turning and starting towards the temple they'd talked outside of the previous day. Ryu did so, and the others followed, until they reached the temple doors. There were no means of opening them immediately available, but the old man was undeterred. Stepping forward, he placed his hand flat against the double doors, and they swung open inward, as if moving on some sort of mechanism.

The hall inside was a place of history; that much was evident at first glance. Marble statues lined both sides, trailing off into the darkness ahead of them, as the light from outside faded away. Stepping inside, Spekkio created a sphere of light in his hand, and the illumination grew, allowing them to see further down the hall as well as higher on the walls. Huge murals were set there, above the statues, showing scenes from the history of the Dragon Clan, and the times when they had been called upon to save the world.

Ryu, however, was more interested in the statues. The closest to the door, on the left, was of a handsome young man dressed in rough clothing, casually carrying a sword in one hand. The other was raised to shade his eyes as he looked off into some long-forgotten sunset, smiling cheerfully. Opposite him was a young girl with short hair and small wings, wearing a cloaked dress over leggings. She carried an odd, short staff or wand held almost negligently behind her back, and her gaze across the hall was hesitant, but optimistic.

"The first two," Deis said quietly. "The first Ryu, and the first Nina."

"He looks like me," Ryu murmured. "She doesn't, like Nina, but him..."

"You look more like him than any of the rest of us have," Spekkio agreed.

"These were the guys who were with them, then?" Bow guessed, glancing further down the hall. The next two were both men; one was a massive Woren clansman, much more bulky than either Tiga or Katt, who wore odd, tribal-looking clothes and carried a giant club. The other was of the Forest Clan, lean and wolfish with shaggy fur, dressed in a robelike garment with a sword carried in the same way as the first Ryu's. Beyond them were a bizarre, round suit of armor and a woman who looked like a hybrid, mostly human in appearance save for her long ears and foxlike tail. Her clothes were baggy and decorative, and she carried some sort of lost technology as her apparent weapon.

"Cray," Nina read aloud, looking at the base of each in turn; the first looked surly, the second philosophical, the third eager and the fourth defiant. "Scias. Ershin. Ursula."

"Where are you?" Sten asked Deis, scratching his chin. "Weren't you one of them?"

"That was me," she explained, indicating the armor named 'Ershin.' "Sort of. It's a long story."

"This is you, then," Ryu said to Spekkio, continuing down to the next statue. The man standing there was a long-haired savage clad in furs, holding what looked like reins in one hand and a long sword in the other. Despite his obvious primitiveness, there was something strangely appealing in his cheerful, challenging grin. The woman opposite him was just the opposite; her dress was slim and slit up the leg to allow her freedom of movement, but she was still clearly nobility, even ignoring the tiara she wore. Despite that, the saber she carried and the smirk on her face betrayed her true nature.

"Yeah, me and the rest of them," Spekkio grunted, as they glanced at the next statues. A tough, reliable-looking Forest Clansman who carried a hand axe and a long spear, one in each hand. A young, cheerful human who was stringing a bow with unconscious ease. A gigantic Builder Clansman, even larger than most of their kind, with a helmet made from what looked like a dragon's skull over his head and a heavy cudgel in his hand. A tiny, furry man, who Ryu guessed to be half Mole Clan and half Forest Clan, with cold eyes belying his cute appearance and a knife in hand.

"There you are," Rand grunted as they reached a statue of Deis in her current appearance; about the only difference was that the statue looked much more intimidating, the smile on her features that of a woman who could and would kill out of pure irritation. "Looks like you've relaxed a little, since then."

"I tend to pick up whatever the prevailing attitude of the time is, a little," she admitted. "And that was a bad one. They get me a little better the next time." It was true; further down, past seven more, was another of her, this time looking much more cheerful and relaxed. Five of those seven were familiar to them all, though much younger, as was the statue of Ox, similar to the one they'd seen in Gant. The last was a youth of the Mole Clan, his features sheepish and sleepy. Beyond the second-or third-statue of Deis, the hall was empty of both statues and murals.

"So, wait," Ryu said slowly. "Say we pull this off, kill a God, save the world, yadda yadda yadda... does that mean _we _go up in here, next?"

"That going to be a problem?" Spekkio asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Heh!" Bow chuckled. "Nah, it's just a bit embarrassing."

"Sounds exciting, to me!" Katt grinned. "So long as mine looks cute, anyways!"

"Statues of us..." Rand muttered. "Good grief."

"I do have to wonder what they'll look like, though," Nina told him, giggling lightly.

"Exactly!" Sten laughed as well. "I love that kind of stuff!"

"Indeed!" Jean agreed. "Beautiful statues will undoubtedly be created by the combination of this Clan's talented sculptors and our features!"

"I see." Spar slowly nodded. "So that is what statues are for. I always wondered. Fascinating."

"Just remember, mine had better be beautiful, or else I'll kill you!" Deis told Spekkio cheerfully. "Oh yeah, and there's going to be one more. I'll explain that while they're in there."

"Oh, boy." Spekkio sighed, stopping before a pair of doors, then turning to face them. When he spoke again, his voice was much more stiff and formal, almost like a recitation. "Before you enter, know what you are about to do. The Dragon Clan was given the Breath of Fire to fight for the existence of this world, against those who would threaten it. Each Dragon Clansman has the potential to unlock that gift, but only the chosen ones, one every thousand years, can take it to the fourth and final level. Agni Anfini, a transformation that can alter the laws of reality itself, and slay even Gods."

"Its shape is determined by the man who learns and uses it, much like the third stage. Agni Anfini, however, comes at a price. It can only be learned by one who has known the depths of despair, and endured without losing his capacity for hope. In order to gain, you must first give. A sacrifice will be required, of something vitally important. Above all, you must conquer that which is your greatest weakness, and emerge stronger than when you entered this room. Do you understand this, and accept?"

"We do," all nine of them, even Deis, said together.

"Then enter, one by one," Spekkio told them. "The order does not matter. Simply close the door behind you, so that the next one may proceed without wait. Good luck, and may Ladon be with you."

* * *

Spar was the second to last one to step through the door. Nodding at Deis, it opened it and walked through, carefully closing it behind it. As it did, it felt the Breath of Nature's contact with the food plants grown in Drogen and subterranean specimens both above and below vanish abruptly, as if it had truly stepped through a door into another world. At the same time, its ability to sense magic was cut off, just as sharply, as was the sense of Shin's mind within its own.

"Interesting," the Grass Man murmured, surveying the room-if it could be called that-it had entered. A strange, rolling white fog covered everything, and the wall behind it stretched off into endless distance in all directions but down. The only thing that was visible through the mists was what looked to be a dead tree, or at least that was what it looked like from the door. Without a word, Spar began walking towards it.

"Ah, there you are," a warm voice with an unfamiliar accent hailed him as he approached, and somebody else began walking forward; he'd been leaning against the dead tree, hidden by the fog. "Gus Aspara, 'Spar' by preference, yes?"

"And you would most likely be the one who will be overseeing this 'trial,' of mine," Spar replied easily, stopping and allowing the man to close the distance between them. "Might I know your name in return?"

"Well, of course, old boy," the man agreed in the same laid-back, strange accent. "That's only polite, after all." More odd than his voice was the fact that despite appearing to be human, his skin was a dark _blue _in color, head and hands. He was clad in expensive-looking green robes, the chest of which bore the emblem of a six-headed dragon, each head a different color. Bald as an egg, he looked to be in his late thirties or early forties; despite his friendly voice, his eyes were cold and cunning, one of them tinted by a ruby monocle.

"My name is Cort," he told Spar as he shook out his wide sleeves in a gesture that, despite no violent significance whatsoever, reminded the Grass Man of the way Katt would crack her knuckles or Sten would palm a knife. "In life, I was known as the Blue Alchemist of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit. As you guessed, I'll be overseeing your lesson today."

"I see," Spar murmured, as its mind raced back a thousand years, when it had only been a bulb. Even then, and even in that state, it had heard of the Tiamat Unit. _Everybody _had heard of the Tiamat Unit, of each specific member, and of what they were capable. And even after a thousand years, it remembered what it had heard. It waited a moment more, before speaking again, reluctantly allowing emotion to enter its voice.

"Oh, _fornication_," Spar moaned as, from the mists above, a shower of some strange green liquid doused it from head to toe.

"_That_ is a very special formula that I created at the behest of Emperor Zog," Cort explained, ignoring what Spar had said. "Fortunately, it ended up being prohibitively difficult to produce in bulk given the technology at the time, or I daresay I would have a great many more atrocities to answer for than I already do. The active ingredient is phosphorous, which I do believe will even affect a floral lifeform such as yourself."

"I see," Spar replied, crossing its arms; despite the implications, it remained perfectly calm. "And what must I do to counteract the effect, before it begins? I assume there is a way; this is a trial, after all, rather than an execution."

"Another logical conclusion!" Cort's smile widened as he began producing several vials from his sleeves, each a different color, and setting them down on the ground before him in a line. "One of these bottles contains the antidote. An oral administration within the next three minutes should do it. The rest, I'm afraid, all contain various other deadly poisons, which are all much more fast-acting, in many unpleasant ways."

"I can imagine so, from what I recall of your career," Spar agreed, looking the line of bottles over as he finished; there were eight of them in total, and it had two minutes and forty seconds. "Allow me to make another educated assumption, then. Will you now be providing me with several statements about the selections at hand, phrased in a way meant to confuse and misdirect me?"

"Something like that," Cort said, stepping back, and though his tone remained the same, his voice somehow seemed much more cold and sharp than before. "One. The antidote is in an even-numbered bottle. Two. Each bottle has been assigned a number. Three. The bottles are numbered in reverse order from right to left. Four. The antidote is a color that lies between red and blue on the visible spectrum. Five. The antidote is either a primary or a secondary color, or else it is indigo or pink."

"Which is to say, it is one of the eight colors represented here," Spar murmured drily, looking over the bottles. From the hints given, it had narrowed the possibilities down to three, but it only had one minute and fifty-two seconds now.

"Six," Cort continued, as if he hadn't heard. "The antidote is not of the same color as the original toxin. Seven. The antidote is in a bottle shaped polyhedrally. Eight. The antidote is in a bottle on the right of at least two other bottles. Nine. The antidote is in a bottle on the left of at least two other bottles." Stepping forward, he began rearranging the bottles, shuffling them around, as he continued. "Ten. The antidote is in a bottle which is stoppered by cork, rather than rubber."

"I hope you're not counting on me to forget which order they were originally..." Spar started to say, then paused as it processed the last statement, noting at the same time that it had a minute and five seconds left. "Wait. That is a logical fallacy. It is incongruous with previous statements."

"Eleven," Cort replied, glancing up; there was nothing even slightly friendly in his smile now, and his eyes glittered with a remote sort of fascination, that of a man interested in the results of his current actions and nothing more. "The antidote's stopper is held in place by silk thread. Twelve. The antidote is in a bottle made of glass. Thirteen. I am a known liar, whose word should not be relied upon without additional corroboration under any circumstances whatsoever. Fourteen. There is no antidote. All of these bottles will kill you. Fifteen. All of the bottles contain an antidote. None of them will kill you."

"I _see_," Spar murmured, mind racing. In only an instant, it concluded that the statements were a false lead, and always had been. It was meant to find the antidote through some means other than Cort's words. What that means was, however, it had no idea, and only forty-nine seconds remained.

"Sixteen," Cort said, as he began picking the bottles up again and proceeded to start _juggling _them. "My true name is Abigail, and I am a forty-seven year old female thug in the employ of a local crime syndicate. Seventeen. You have exactly forty seconds remaining. Eighteen. I am the illegitimate son of Emperor Zog. Nineteen. Of my previous statements, only those which were even-numbered have been true, and all of those which are odd-numbered are lies. Twenty. The exact opposite of the previous statement is in fact true, while that statement was false."

"You almost had me, with those last two," Spar told him, as it continued to speculate; for a moment, it considered persuasive violence, before shuddering at the thought of the probable result and discarding _that _particular notion entirely. In seconds, pure fact was exhausted, and it moved on by necessity to theory, in which it quickly focused on the nature of the trial itself. Said trial was supposedly meant to assist in each of their individual, spiritual progressions, which likely meant overcoming their own flaws. The most glaring of those, in its case, was obvious.

Snatching a random bottle out of the air, Spar drank it without even looking at it.

"Correct." Cort began making the others vanish back into his sleeves, one at a time, as he continued to juggle. In an instant, his cruel smirk relaxed back into the warm grin he had presented before, and this time it reached his eyes. "How did you know?"

"I didn't," Spar replied honestly. "I took a wild guess. Operated on a random feeling. In short, I operated on emotion, rather than logic. That bottle _felt _right."

"Correct." Cort adjusted his ruby monocle, still smiling. "Logic is the foundation of all knowledge, old boy, but like everything else in existence, it is limited. At times, one must go with one's heart, rather than their mind. You've been slowly cultivating your own emotional capacity over the last few months." Turning away, he waved cheerfully as he walked away into the fog. "I advise that you test your own limits sometime. I daresay even you might be surprised by just how far you've come."

When the fog vanished, a moment later, Spar stood alone, in an empty stone room.

* * *

"Weird," Katt muttered, staring at the fog surrounding her. "Could have sworn the building was way too small for anything like this. Is that a dead tree?" Shifting her battlestaff idly in one hand, she walked over to it. "Yeah, it is. Huh." After a moment, she began looking around. "So, where's this trial thing? Anybody else here? Hello? Goddammit, this had better not involve _thinking_. I _hate _when I have to do that, and I suck at it anyways. Look, if anybody's here, come out already, huh?"

And then her instincts _screamed_, and she dived to the side, avoiding an attack from above.

"Well, at least you're sharp, even if you're far too loud," the woman who'd dived at her said as she landed on all fours and immediately lunged for Katt again, a knife in each hand. She was _fast_, and Katt was barely able to get her battlestaff up in time to knock _one _of her hands away; the other, she was forced to awkwardly sidestep in a way that still left her open to it a moment later.

Moving almost automatically, she brought her free hand around to intercept the woman's when she slashed to the side. Instead of catching her wrist and breaking it, however, her fingers only scraped it as she turned the motion into a sideways tumble. Somersaulting away, she ended it with a leap that took her back towards the tree, and she landed on its thickest branch as easily as any bird.

"You've got some pretty good moves," Katt told her, eyes narrowing as she looked her over. Tan-skinned with long, golden blonde hair, she was gorgeous, though her violet eyes were hard and cold. She wore a breastplate, one with a six-headed dragon painted on the front, but no other armor save for steel bracers on her forearms. Her skirt was slit up the side, her boots practical, and a long white cloak covered her back. "Pretty cheap, though, jumping me like that. Where's the fun in doing it that way, huh?"

"I'm afraid 'fun' is hardly a priority of mine, Katt Chaun," the woman replied, smiling slightly, her knives still firmly in hand. "I tend to focus more on professionalism, as an assassin. Specifically, the White Assassin of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit. My name is Cerl, and it seems I'll be teaching you a lesson today."

"Yeah, right," Katt started to scoff, before pausing. "Wait. Cerl? I've heard that name before..." She trailed off as the first part of what she'd said connected. "Oh, yeah. The Dark Dragon... Empire's... Tiamat... Unit." She waited a moment more, before dropping a curse directed toward herself.

"Sorry," Cerl said, tilting her head slightly before suddenly diving forward, as fast and smooth as if she'd plumetted downward instead. "I'm taken. And besides, I prefer men."

Katt's comeback died on her lips as she realized she'd be too late to block _either _knife this time. Instead, she flipped herself backwards, bringing her feet up in a double kick. To her astonishment, Cerl brought her own boots forward and _landed on _hers, foot to foot for a split second before she jumped up, frontflipped and dived towards Katt again while she was still working on her own landing.

With no time to think, Katt brought her battlestaff up, hoping to nail Cerl upside the chin with it before she could reach her with the knives. In response, Cerl lashed out with one blade and knocked it aside, and Katt was forced to slide forward and under her in order to avoid being gutted. Even as she did, however, she knew what would happen next, and kept her grip on the battlestaff. Her instincts had been right again; the blind lash she struck out with immediately came just in time to keep Cerl from whirling and sinking her knives into Katt's back.

"Shit," she cursed again as Cerl blocked the staff with her knife, and used the force to help her leap away, as she came to two simultaneous realizations. First was that she knew now that she had Cerl beat on speed. Second was that Cerl was _faster_ than she was, and more agile as well..

"I wouldn't recommend trying your new magic, by the way," Cerl told her, voice casual, as she remained crouching just out of battlestaff range. "I'll be able to dodge it, and you'll be wide open, which will be all I'll need."

"Gee, thanks," Katt snarked, unable to keep herself from smiling, despite her worry; even if the other woman had the advantage, it was still close enough that the fight was _fun_, in a way most of hers hadn't been lately. "Let me guess. Next, you're going to tell me you were going easy on me up until now, right?"

"Actually?" Cerl smiled as well, as she made a strange stomping motion with the toe of each boot, prompting two more knife blades to pop out from them. "Yes."

"Oh, _come on!_" Katt yelled as Cerl dashed forward along the ground, knives held at her side. They clashed again, battlestaff meeting first one knife then the other, before Katt dived out of the way of the remaining two. Even as she did, Cerl continued dashing after her, and it was all that she could do to keep avoiding being gutted; taking control of the fight and attacking was completely out of the question.

Cerl had her on the run. Katt realized that, and understood the implications. That Cerl was just plain _better _than her, and that was all there was to it. Even Chopchop would have just made her laugh. And the worst part was, if it had been any of the others, she knew they would have been able to come up with something. They all had something up their sleeves other than just plain brawling, in case something like this ever happened. Even Jean was more than a one-trick pony. But not her.

"What the hell am I supposed to-_guh!_" Katt muttered, before grunting in pain, as a knife finally got through, slicing lightly across her lower ribs as she dived away.

"Concentrate," Cerl told her, voice calm and cold. "You're thinking too much, instead of acting, and it's making you sloppy."

"Screw you!" Katt roared, even as Cerl came at her again. This time, though, something seemed different. It took her a moment to catch on, but once she noticed it, there was no doubt in her mind that it was there. Cerl's strikes had a strange sort of rhythm to them, a pattern, a fluidity of motion that was present every time. She'd needed those first few exchanges to start sensing it, but now that she knew it was there, she felt like she knew where and when the knives would come, almost before they _did_.

It was something that she'd never been able to put into words, because she didn't know any to describe it. All of Katt's senses were above average, but when it came to a fight, the one she relied on most of all wasn't sight or hearing, but _feel_. The way knife clashed against battlestaff, the complex movements their bodies made around and against each other, was something that she couldn't stop sensing even if she'd wanted to. It was part of her, as much as her own hands, and now that it was working, the other woman's advantage of speed no longer seemed quite as overwhelming.

They fought for several more minutes, Cerl remaining on the offensive and Katt on the defensive, but the White Assassin was no longer able to get through. After a few exchanges, Katt deliberately left an opening, and when Cerl refused to fall for it, she knew that she could win. The next time, she met Cerl's offense with a charge of her own, and one by one swept the knives away before falling back on what she'd learned in her years of street fighting, and abruptly kicking her opponent right between the legs. Cerl didn't immediately bend over, like a male would have, but she still paused and grunted in pain, and that was all Katt needed to follow up with a full spinal headbutt.

"You would not _believe _how many people think that only works on guys," she said as Cerl fell backwards, and she leveled the triple blades at the end of her battlestaff at her enemy's throat, despite how her head was swimming. "Maybe it doesn't hurt _as _much, but it'll still _work_. Good fight, though."

"It was," Cerl agreed, meeting her eyes, all the cold pragmatism gone from hers now and replaced by a relaxed look of approval. "Don't sell yourself short like that from now on. Even if you probably didn't even know you were doing it until now."

"Like what?" Katt said, frowning, before remembering the thought that had flickered through her head. "Oh, yeah. Wait a second here, I thought it was another one of you who could read minds."

"I can't read minds," Cerl assured her. "But I can read people. You and me are alike in some ways. One of those is that we're more... simple, than the others on our respective teams. They're all good at many different things, but you and me... fighting, and killing, is all we know how to do. It's all we ever have." She got back to her feet as Katt pulled the battlestaff away. "But that doesn't mean you're not just as valuable. Or that what you do can't be turned to other things, if you try. Tell me, have you ever tried dancing? Not with a partner, just by yourself, for fun, or even as art."

"Huh?" Katt blinked, surprised. "No, not really. I never even thought of doing something like that."

"Maybe you should try it sometime," Cerl suggested, white cloak on her back disappearing into the fog as she walked away. "I think you might just find that you have a knack for it."

Katt remained in the room long after the fog departed as well, thinking about a lot of things, even if it made her head hurt.

* * *

The first thing Sten noticed, as he surveyed the mists before him, was that the sense of Sana's presence was no longer with him. Checking his hands, he noted that his fur was still red rather than brown, and raised an eyebrow; he'd been one of the first of the group to agree to try Fusion, and had grown accustomed to her voice in his mind whenever they did so, but though the spell had been broken before, it had never been quite like this.

Now even more wary than usual, he slowly stalked forward into the mists, ready to pull his daggers in the blink of an eye. Soon, he approached what appeared to be a dark, dead tree. After watching it for a minute, he drew closer, then circled it, finding nothing either on the other side or in the branches above. As he did, however, he heard movement behind him, and whirled around to plant his knives into the chest of... himself, a perfect doppleganger who fell back, silently clutching his spurting wounds until he expired a moment later.

"Cute," Sten said flatly, once it was dead. He was slightly surprised himself that seeing that hadn't brought on any unpleasant flashbacks, but it hadn't, and there were more important things to speculate on. "Real cute. But it's going to take more than that. Where are you?"

"I'm right here," a child's high-pitched voice replied from above, and Sten glanced upward. On a branch that had been empty before, a short figure sat, in hooded purple robes that covered him from head to toe with a six-headed dragon on the chest. Only his hands were exposed, his fingers long and thin, clutching the branch on either side of him like blood red spiders. In the darkness of his hood, slanted eyes and a sinister smile all glowed red as well. "You're General Sten Legacy, right?"

"Not a general any more," Sten replied, frowning; normally, he would have already thrown a knife, but something about the child on the branch made him pause. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Mote, the Red Dreamer, of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit," the boy replied, swaying back and forth slightly on his branch, as the mists changed color, becoming the same dark red as his hands. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Oh," Sten said slowly. "I see. You know, my old homeland actually has a biography on you. Written by a guy named Largo who used to be a Major. It's really pretty good. Separates a lot of the fact from the fiction." Sighing heavily, he dropped every one of his hidden knives before asking a rhetorical question containing at least one profanity.

"I'm afraid that that's between you and your tagalong friend," Mote replied, dropping backwards off of the branch. As he fell, a hangman's noose appeared around his neck, and he dangled from the branch with his head bent at an unnatural angle, continuing to speak. "Don't worry about her, by the way; I only moved her a little to the side, so we could do this properly. You really shouldn't ask me that kind of question, though. I _was _only twelve when I died."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sten replied, folding his arms and making no move to retrieve his weapons. "So. How's this going to go? I know better than to try and fight _you _one-on-one."

"You do know a lot, don't you?" Mote asked, dangling in the wind. "You've seen a lot. Done a lot. Learned a lot. But I'll bet _this _is a new one, even for you."

As he spoke, more figures began to appear in the mists around them. More dopplegangers, each and every one of them Sten Legacy from different points in his life. Some of them wore various Highlander uniforms, from different stages in his career. Others were clad only in rags and tatters, and more in the kinds of armor he'd started buying and wearing after joining the _Dragonkin_. The worst were the children; Sten deliberately avoided looking at those.

"Suppose I should just be glad that you're not throwing me back into Goonheim," Sten muttered, retrieving his knives as the illusionary replicas began closing in around him and the tree. "Even so, has anybody ever told you you're a little bastard?"

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Mote reached up, tore the rope from the tree, and raised it up above his head, dragging his body higher and higher into the air by his neck. "Or I used to, anyways. But hey, this isn't about me, is it? It's about you, Mister Legacy."

"I figured that much out, thanks," Sten retorted, picking his knives back up. Surveying the crowd of clones, he chose one who wore a private's uniform at age fourteen and lunged for him. Sure enough, the illusion tried to bring out his own dagger to intercept it, but at that age his reflexes had been far too slow, and it was too late to stop Sten from cutting his throat. Spinning, he lunged for the next one over, one of the bums. Unfortunately, that one was faster, and not only caught his wrist in one hand, but counterattacked with his own knife a moment later.

Backing up, Sten bumped one of the children, who immediately jumped for his face, teeth bared and fingers clawing. Shoving him aside, he hesitated over the killing stroke, and then a Sergeant was slashing at him as well as the bum, forcing him to run back towards the tree as they continued pressing towards him.

"Right, _that's _not going to work," he muttered, narrowing his eyes; they were still almost upon him, and would be within less than a minute. "Should have known. None of them might be _as _good as me, but most of them are close enough that I won't stand a chance one-on-one hundred. Good thing I didn't try using magic."

"Are you having trouble?" Mote called down from above before abruptly plummeting from the height he'd been at. He hit the hard, packed dirt in a spray of blood, bounced and rolled, his small body twisted and broken. "Would you like a hint?"

"Gimme a minute on that," Sten replied, pressing his back against the tree and resisting the urge to climb it. "This is a trial, right? A test. So the trick is finding the right answer. If fighting my way out isn't going to do it..." He thought about it for a moment before discarding his knives a second time. "I should have just stuck with what I was doing."

"Correct," Mote said, picking himself up and resetting all of his bones, one by one, as the dopplegangers all stopped walking and stood in place. "You know the answer already, deep down, on a subconscious level. All of you do. You just don't know that you know. All we're doing is helping you figure it out. Which is good, because that's about all we _can _do aside from putting on a good show. We _are _dead, you know."

"So I heard." Sten glanced over his shoulder at him. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad to hear you say it. I'd have wondered, with you guys, if you hadn't. So, now that I've done it, how about that hint, huh? I still don't know what the hell this is supposed to _mean_."

"Oh, brother." Mote raised his hands and lowered his hood, allowing Sten to see him roll his golden eyes. He had the face of a child, young and innocent, though his ears were pointed; his blonde hair rose to a spiked peak, and his blood-red features eerie in their calmness. "For somebody so cynically wise in some ways, you're remarkably obtuse in others. The answer was to stop trying to kill yourself, Sten. I don't know how to put it any clearer than that."

"I'll have you know that suicide is one low that even I've never sunk to," Sten cracked, though his heart wasn't in it; the boy's words had shaken him, loathe as he was to admit it.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Mote admonished him. "You might not be doing that _directly_, but I _know _there have been a couple times when you weren't thinking straight, and you practically _tried _to get somebody else to kill you. That time in Goonheim, where death scared you so badly that you deserted to get away from it... you've never really recovered from it, and I doubt you ever will. Scars that heavy are beyond even my ability to heal."

"Thanks," Sten grunted sourly. "I could have told you that. I'm still not hearing what it is I _am _supposed to do."

"It's for them, isn't it?" Mote said shrewdly. "The people you've found. You're willing to die for them, if that's what it takes. You always have been. It'd be a good way to go, wouldn't it? I know what that's like. I felt the same way, for most of my life. Ever since I was able to walk. But they don't want that. They don't want you to die for them, Sten." Pulling his hood back up, he turned and began walking away. "They want you to _live _for them. To try actually _feeling _alive. To give yourself a second chance, and forgive yourself for what you've never been able to. Give it some thought, huh?"

Sten didn't reply, this time. He simply stood there, as the pure white mists vanished, taking the dead child with them, lost in his past.

* * *

"Huh, boy," Rand groaned as the mists swirled around him, and he felt a sudden absence of Solo's presence in his mind. "I can already tell this is going to be one of those days." Shaking his head, he walked forward, and soon found himself approaching a dead tree of a kind that he'd never seen before. Putting his hands on his hips, he looked it up and down slowly. "Okay. Now what?" Raising his hands to his mouth, he shouted into the fog. "Hello? Anybody here?"

"Behind you," a deep voice growled. Rather than turning to look, Rand rolled forward, and felt something pass over his back as he curled up. Unrolling only a few feet away, he landed on his feet and turned to see who it was that was attacking him. What he saw was a massive sledgehammer coming towards his head from the left, and with a yelp, he stepped clumsily backwards, then did so again to avoid a second blow from the right.

"You've been picking up your new line of work faster than most civilians do when they first move into it," the giant who wielded a sledge in each hand told him, stopping his advance and standing still for a moment. Though still not quite as large as Rand, he was still the hugest human he'd ever seen, although his blood red skin and pointed ears cast some doubt on that. Eight feet tall, with a build that was equally impressive, he was wearing massive steel armor with a six-headed dragon enameled on the breastplate that looked so heavy, even somebody of his size shouldn't have been able to _move _in it. "Not bad, Rand Marks."

"Thanks," Rand replied, fists at his sides. "So, I have to fight you, I'm guessing?"

"You _do _catch on quick," the hulking brute said, grinning unpleasantly; his eyes were gold and fierce, like a predatory animal's, and his head was completely bald, though he didn't look all that old. "The name's Goda, the Black Warrior of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit. Don't know if that means anything to you or not."

"It does, actually," Rand said slowly, looking him over again, before adding another word, one his mother would have made him eat soap for if she'd heard him say it.

"Heh." Chuckling once, Goda charged, and while he still wasn't exactly quick, he still moved _far _faster than anybody his size clad in that kind of armor had any right to. In only a second, he was in front of Rand, bringing one hammer down on his head while preparing a rising swing with the other.

Fighting his urge to run, Rand did the exact opposite instead, and moved _forward_, so that the falling hammer came down upon his plated back rather than his skull. Even so, he was expecting it to hurt, and he was proven right; even with his mammoth-skin cloak, the hammer actually _cracked _his shell, something that had _never _happened before. That was enough to tell him what would happen if the other one hit his arm or his ribs, and so instead of letting that happen, he decked Goda right in the kisser with his left fist, putting his whole body into the blow.

Most men, even those of his size, would have gone flying after a hit like that, but Goda simply grunted and took a step back. Fortunately, that was enough for the hammer to miss, and Rand followed up with another punch, using his right hand this time. _That _one made Goda lean back, but he was already swinging again, dropping low to aim for a knee this time. Rand was forced to back off, and Goda came after him, bringing his other hammer up towards his chin.

"You don't hold back at all, do you?" He told the other man as he stepped away from that one as well, while watching for another opportunity to close the ground between them again. "You fight dirty right from the get-go."

"Holding back is for amateurs," Goda told him, pausing for a moment and remaining where he was, six feet away. "I stopped holding back long before I made a name for myself with the Dark Dragon Empire. And you're a professional as well, aren't you, Mister Marks? You sure aren't wasting any time going for anything but the face."

"With that rig you're wearing?" Rand looked it over meaningfully. "I can tell just by looking that I'd probably just hurt my fists, even with these babies on them. Don't really have any options _but _your face."

"Heh." Goda laughed again, just once, short and low, before moving in on the attack once more, swinging one hammer down from above the same way as last time. Rand responded the same way as well, only realizing after he'd started moving what kind of damage would likely result from being hit in the same spot a second time after his shell had already been cracked. Growling, he charged forward even further than before, and the hammer hit a little further down; while that was still painful, it wasn't debilitating, and he was able to counterattack again.

The two of them continued in that fashion for some time, there in the swirling fog before the strange dead tree. Neither of them spoke again, and neither of them considered backing off in order to do so a second time. They simply remained there, facing each other and only changing their stances enough to advance or retreat slightly, as the situation required.

They traded blows, hammer and fist, against each other over and over again, and despite the catastrophic amount of force put into each blow neither one of them went down. Rand's knuckles continued beating a brutal rhythm against Goda's skull, but despite numerous bruises and eventually a black eye, the Black Warrior showed no signs of faltering. At the same time, no matter how many places he managed to damage Rand's shell in, he steadfastly managed to keep Goda from hitting him anywhere else.

Back and forth, the battle raged, for how long Rand had no idea, until the Black Warrior finally backed off and lowered his sledges onto the ground.

"All right, that's enough," he grunted, smiling again, this time in what looked more like approval than anticipation.

"No arguments here," Rand said, lowering his arms as well. "Whew. I'm not cut out for doing this sort of thing too often."

"Bull," Goda told him flatly, though his smile remained. "That's your problem, Rand Marks. You still haven't grown accustomed to the way your life has changed over this last year. You think of yourself as just another runaway, a farmer's son who's done nothing else his whole life and doesn't have anything going for him but brute strength and a natural talent for white magic. Does that sound right?"

"I'd say you nailed it, yeah," Rand admitted, crossing his arms. "So what? It's the truth. That's who I am. No point in tiptoeing around it."

"Again, bull," Goda repeated. "You _know _who I was. I know you do. Your reaction made that much clear. And yet _you_ were going head to head and blow to blow with _me_. You kept up, the whole time. It doesn't matter who would have won in the end. All I needed to see, and all you needed to know, was that that was even in question at all. You didn't think about it, didn't try to talk me out of it. You just went straight for the kill. Like a professional, which is what you are now, whether you're willing to accept that or not."

"It wasn't like I had any other choice," Rand argued, shaking his head. "If I fail this trial, that means everybody else does, too, doesn't it? And the chief won't get this 'Agni Anfini' thing. So I had to do it. Otherwise, I'd let them down."

"You think the world of them, don't you?" Goda pressed. "All of them. The young ones and the old ones, the men and the women, the serious folks and the clowns." His eyes fixed on Rand's, and that hunter's gleam was still in them. "Don't lie. Heh. Tell me how you _feel_."

"Only because I have to, asshole," Rand shot back before rubbing a hand ruefully over the top of his head. "Yeah, okay. Honestly? They're the most amazing people I've ever met. All of them. I think they can actually do it, you know? Slay a God. Don't know how a guy like me got mixed up with all this, but I'll see it out."

"And that's what you're missing, Rand Marks," Goda said, picking up his hammers and walking away without looking back. "They all feel the exact same way about you. Every one of them. Perhaps you should try actually thinking about why they do, instead of just brushing it off."

Even after the mists had faded away into nothingness, and Goda with them, it was some time before Rand noticed that all of his injuries had healed themselves, as if they'd never happened at all.

* * *

"Well," Nina murmured, watching the mists creep around her. "I can't say this is what I was expecting, but then I wasn't really trying to predict what would happen, so that's not saying much." Despite her calm words, she was prepared to start casting at a moment's notice as her wings carried her forward through the fog. Her ability to sense magic seemed to be nullified at the moment; not only could she not detect anything in the room, she was unable to feel the numerous sources outside either. In addition, Spoo was no longer present in her mind, another ominous sign.

Soon, she saw two things up ahead of her, both entering her line of sight at the same time. The first was a tree, long-dead but still standing, towering over both her and the other inhabitant of the room, who she'd also seen. She was clad in gray from head to toe, light robes with sleeves that hid her hands and a great hood that covered her face in shadows; it was only through close examination of her movement as she walked forward that Nina could tell she was a woman at all. The front of her robes bore the insigna of a six-headed dragon, and a green pendant dangled from her neck.

"Unless I'm mistaken, that pendant you wear is the mark of identification given to a sworn priest or priestess of Ladon," Nina observed as the other woman continued to approach. "I take it, then, that you are here to conduct this trial?"

"That's correct, Princess Nina Windia," she replied; her voice was surprisingly warm and friendly, light and young and full of life. Raising her hands to her hood, she lowered it, revealing her head. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, pale and beautiful with long blue hair held back by a yellow band. She was smiling peacefully, but despite her placid appearance, something in her calm green eyes made Nina tense up warily. "I won't be able to stay long, but I'm glad to meet you, even if it's only for a short time."

"You know me," Nina said cautiously, wings beating, making no effort to approach the woman. "If you don't mind, I would like to be able to say the same."

"Oh, of course," the woman agreed, making a face. "Where are my manners? My grandparents would be so disappointed in me." Dipping a hand inside her robes, she bowed, still meeting Nina's eyes. "My name is Sara, Silver Priestess of the Tiamat Unit."

"Ah," Nina murmured, recognizing the name, before adding a word she'd heard quite often, but rarely used herself.

"Now, now, that's hardly appropriate, Nina," Sara admonished her before moving. In the blink of an eye she was standing before her, and from inside her robes she'd produced a rapier which was already moving towards Nina's heart. Her voice remained calm, but in that instant, her cheerful smile had erupted into a psychotic grin, as her eyes danced. "Choice of language aside, I _am _your grand-aunt, you know."

The only thing that saved Nina was halting her wings and dropping like a rock; even so, the rapier still came for her face as she fell, and though she moved her head to the side, it still cut into her cheek. Before Sara could prepare another thrust, she countered with the strongest bolt of lightning she knew how to create, a tree-trunk-thick pillar of electricity that blazed down towards the Silver Priestess. Glancing up at it for only a moment, her maniacal leer still frozen on her features, Sara dashed backwards and away, as it pursued her unrelentingly.

"I see that you're not as harmless as you look," Nina commented, preparing a blast from her focusing ring; it wouldn't do much damage, if it did at all, but it would hopefully give Sara enough pause for her to cast another spell if she got close a second time. "Not that that's particularly surprising. Fortunately for me, neither am I."

"Oh, I never believed for a second that you were, Nina," Sara assured her, suddenly darting to the side and then past the bolt of lightning before dashing towards Nina again. "Even your ancestor, the one who married my brother, was fearsome in battle by the end of her journey, despite specializing in healing magic. I expect no less of one whose talents lie in destruction!"

"I'm glad to hear you have such confidence in me," Nina replied dryly as she summoned up three raging arcs of flame, each ending in a grasping hand that reached out for Sara as they bore down on her

"I assure you, it's entirely earned," Sara told her, changing her course and moving to the side. The flaming limbs followed her, but their arc carried them into the ground before they could catch her, and she continued around them. "Although I doubt you'll believe me that easily."

"I do have an issue with accepting the honesty of those who try to kill me, I'll admit," Nina agreed, summoning up a snarling wolf created entirely from ice magic, which leapt towards Sara, fangs bared.

"Oh, you know that's not what I'm talking about at all," Sara said reprovingly, stopping and staring at the approaching wolf. After a moment, her blade began to glow with a strange white light, and then she moved again, dashing towards her opponent. "I'm talking about your actions, not mine. That cold, cynical sarcasm of yours... it's a shield, isn't it? You use it to avoid showing your true face to those who you don't trust. You're afraid of them finding out just how insecure you really are."

"I was wondering if this was to be solely a physical trail," Nina murmured, wings beating again and carrying her back up into the air as she watched wolf and priestess collide. "That didn't seem quite right. I suppose it only makes sense that a psychological evaluation is the real point. I hate to disappoint you, but you're not telling me anything I don't know. I accepted that part of myself quite some time ago. It's simply who I am, and there's no point in wishing otherwise."

"You see, that's what I'm talking about," Sara told her, still grinning madly as she plunged her blade into the wolf's head. For a moment, Nina was stunned by the sheer insanity of that action, but then she realized that it had somehow _worked_. The wolf was dissolving, the magic that gave it shape and form dispelled, and Sara was coming for her once more. "You've resigned yourself to always being that way, which is why you haven't even noticed just how much you've changed recently. You have, you know."

"Is that so." Nina watched her approach, judging her timing perfectly, before detonating the atmosphere around her. As much as it sickened her to emulate how Habaruku had fought Tiga, practicality was more important, and it _was _an effective method. She watched Sara hit the floor, robes torn and skin blasted, before she continued. "Do tell. I know you're still conscious."

"You _are _good," Sara murmured, raising her head; despite the damage she'd taken, she'd reverted to her earlier, calmer smile. "And yes, I am, although one-on-one physical combat was never really my specialty." Rising back to her feet with some effort, she put her sword away, the sheath under her outer robes now visible through the damage.

"Really," Nina replied, somewhat dubiously. "I seem to recall you having other preferences in combat, but that simply begs the question of why you don't use them."

"For one, I'm afraid the Breath of Fire is no longer available to me," Sara explained. "Being dead will do that. As for my trademark spell, well, it _is _defensive, and I didn't really feel like trying to goad you into attacking it. This seemed much faster, and more fun, even if I'm not really very good at it." For a moment, a trace of madness flickered in her eyes again, but only a moment. "And more likely to provoke the desired reaction, as well."

"Which was?" Nina raised an eyebrow.

"Determination," Sara replied, her voice still warm and caring. "You fought for your life automatically, on instinct rather than on conscious decision. You didn't always, you know. How many times did you try to commit suicide when you were younger, after you were banished from your home and family?"

"That's none of your business," Nina said quickly, coldly. "And besides, that was a long time ago."

"It was," Sara agreed, turning away, though she continued looking at Nina over her shoulder. "And you've changed, more than you know. You've found happiness again, but you won't admit it to yourself. You still think of yourself as the broken bird you were a year ago. You're not, Great-niece. You're strong, now, in both skill and in spirit. Now, you _want _to live, and to continue living, with those you've found. The sooner you accept that, the easier you'll find it to smile again. You should, you know. It really does feel nice."

Soon, the mists were gone, taking the Silver Priestess with them. But Nina remained, wings beating and thoughts pensive.

* * *

"Hoo boy," Bow muttered as he took in the mist around him, along with the fact that his ability to sense magic had gone dead, and the absence of Seny's voice in his mind. "Yeah, this is probably going to suck. Is that a tree over there?" Calmly checking his crossbow, he made sure it was all in working order before making his way towards it. Before he drew near, however, his instincts went off, and he dove to the side just in time to avoid a descending axe that would have come down right on his skull.

"Well, your senses are sharp," a deep, growling voice told him, full of arrogance and scorn. "I'll give you that much."

"I'm grateful for the praise," Bow retorted, scrambling back to his feet and doing his best to run backwards; whoever it was, they were massively built, and clad from head to toe in black plate mail that looked more like volcanic rock than metal, with a dragon's head helmet. "Really."

"You should be," the other man told him, raising his head; he met Bow's eyes and smiled faintly. His own eyes belonged to nothing human; they were like blazing coals, burning red and orange and yellow without pupil or iris. Despite his visorless helmet, he also wore a black iron crown around his forehead, pressed tightly into his flesh by the weight of the steel. He had a short beard, bright red without a trace of gray despite the lines on his face, and his double-headed axe was massive. "I don't give compliments out very often, and never to the unworthy."

"See previous statement, only without the sarcasm this time, I guess," Bow replied, stopping; he was far enough away that the enemy wouldn't be able to reach him with a surprise attack like that again, but still kept his finger on the trigger of his crossbow. "You know, I feel like I should know you, but I can't really place it. Should I?"

"I should hope so, although this is the first time we've met, Bow Dogi," the other man said with a dark chuckle. "I did make quite the mark upon the world when I was alive, after all. I am Zog, the last of his name, Emperor of the Dark Dragons. And until you leave this room, you are under my tutelage."

"Oh," Bow whispered, before adding a four-letter word, screaming and running.

"An appropriate reaction." Zog nodded as if it had been a respectful method of address, before leaping dozens of feet into the air, soaring higher than should have been possible in both height and length, clearly intending to bring his axe down on Bow's head once more.

Cursing again, Bow turned his head and arms even as he continued to run and fired his crossbow, and though shot after shot clinked off of Zog's armor, none of them gave the Emperor even the slightest pause. At the last second, Bow dove away again, and though he tried scrambling back to his feet again instantly, Zog lashed out with the axe in a horizontal swipe. The initial blow had been a feint, and though it only scraped him, the searing pain as the blade carved through the flesh and muscle on the backs of his legs was still enough to send Bow tumbling onto his face.

"Why do you run?" Zog asked, looming over him, as Bow frantically muttered the words of a healing spell. "Do you not believe yourself worthy of facing me?"

"Um, uh, er," Bow muttered as the healing took effect, turning around to look at him again. Rather than attacking further, Zog was simply watching him, though he still held his axe in one gauntleted hand. "Well you see, the thing is, there's a couple problems with that."

"Do go on," Zog told him, smiling.

"First off, there's the fact that you're, well, _you_," Bow told him, cringing theatrically. "Hope I don't really have to explain that one any further."

"Normally, I would suspect flattery, but for some reason I believe your words are genuine," Zog told him, looking amused. "It seems I made even more of an impression upon history than I thought. And here I had believed that my ever-faithful friends in the Tiamat Unit would have overshadowed me. By all means, go on."

"Secondly, I might be a pro, but I'm supposed to be a _healer_," Bow pointed out, scratching the back of his head and glancing away.

"I fail to see your point," Zog told him, sounding disapproving now. "My own Tiamat Unit counted among its numbers an alchemist and a priestess. Neither are skills one would believe to be combat-oriented, and yet the world trembled in fear at their very names. Why should I not expect the same of you, who will follow in the footsteps of those who slew both them and I?"

"Yeah, maybe," Bow admitted. "But guys like me, when we _do _fight..." Still looking away, he fired his crossbow, aimed at Zog's exposed face, the automatic weapon continuing without need of reloading. "We have to be kind of sneaky about it, you know?" Without looking to see what damage he'd done, he scrambled back to his feet and ran once more, muttering the words of a spell to increase his own durability as he did.

He'd expected a bellow of rage, but when he heard as he ran was even worse; laughter, deep and dark and approving. Glancing over his shoulder, he swore under his breath as he saw Zog leaping for him again, axe raised high overhead; from that distance, he couldn't see how much damage he'd done, but it obviously hadn't been enough. Muttering under his breath, he realized that there was only one possibility that came to mind, and despite the fact that it was really stupid, it was probably his only chance at this point.

When Zog came down, Bow was ready. Instead of diving to the side as he had before, he whirled around at the last second and dove _forward_, underneath the descending axe and straight into Zog in a full-body tackle. The Emperor grunted in surprise and went down, tumbling backwards, though his ax remained in his grasp. Unsurprisingly, a moment later he bashed Bow upside the head with the haft, but Bow resolutely climbed to his knees atop Zog's chest and aimed his crossbow at his face.

"Like I said, I fight dirty," he told him, panting heavily, before taking a good look at his target and blinking. "Whoa!"

"Oh, come now," Zog replied, smiling despite the hideous wreck the automatic crossbow had made of his features. One had apparently gone straight through his left cheek, shattering several teeth, though the shaft itself was absent. Several other, lesser wounds were visible, but the worst was the one that was still sunk into his right eye. "You've seen worse."

"Yeah, but usually only on corpses," Bow told him, keeping his grip on his crossbow tight despite his shock. "Lose the axe, unless you want to die twice."

"I'm afraid that threat is hardly an incentive," Zog told him, but he did throw the axe away. "However, my point has been adequately proven."

"Now I'm the one who's hearing flattery," Bow commented, slowly backing off, though he kept his crossbow steady; even without the axe, he didn't want to find out firsthand how good Zog was at unarmed combat.

"Simple fact," Zog replied, shaking his head. "You have pride, I will grant you, but not as much as you deserve. Even here and now, in a place such as this with a task such as yours, you place far greater merit on another than yourself." Reaching up, he pulled the bolt in his eye out without so much as cringing.

"Well, yeah," Bow said, frowning now. "That's the way it goes, isn't it? Ryu's the one. He's the hero, the descendant of heroes, and all that. So what? That doesn't mean I'm not gonna back him up all the way."

"You may have to do more than that," Zog advised him, standing again. Without so much as looking Bow's way again, he walked over to his axe. "Put aside all concern as to which of you leads your group. It is unimportant. You are all equally necessary."

"What do you mean?" Bow asked suspiciously as Zog retrieved his weapon.

"It was not the man named Ryu who slew me, in the end," Zog told him, even as he walked away, back straight and face forward. "It was one who shared a name, half a clan, and a similarity of weapon to you who scored the killing blow on me. His second in command, and most trusted comrade aside from his woman. Had he not done so, _I_ would have slain _them_, one and all. _You are all equally necessary._ Had you died before now, all hope would have been lost, for your friends and for the world... and in time, after you are gone, your children and their children will be the line of legends. Remember that, Bow Dogi."

Bow watched him walk away, and watched the mists fade after him, but still he kept his crossbow leveled at where the Emperor's back had been.

* * *

"How very strange," Jean murmured, looking around the room filled with mist. "I was not entirely sure what to expect, and yet, this was not a possibility I had considered. What do you think, Seso?" He waited for her response, and when none came, blinked. "Seso? Are you sleeping, _mademoiselle_?" It was only then that he frowned, realizing what had happened. "Even more strange, yes, Jean? It seems I truly am meant to undergo this trial alone."

Before he could consider the situation further, a sound caught his attention. It sounded like somebody was whistling, up ahead, although the tune was not one he was familiar with. For a moment, he considered drawing his rapier, but decided instead to simply keep his hand on the hilt as he proceeded into the fog, ready to draw at a moment's notice. He also made an effort to keep the words to the most powerful offensive spell he knew on his mind, so that he wouldn't have to waste precious seconds remembering what they were if he were attacked.

Soon, something grew visible in the fog ahead; a dead tree, alone and motionless. At least, so Jean thought, until he saw something else. Somebody was sitting on the largest branch, legs dangling, and from the sound of it he was the one who was whistling. Seeing him made up Jean's mind, and he did draw his blade, before creeping closer.

"Oh, hello there!" The man called down, smiling, as Jean drew close enough to see him clearly. He was an average, unremarkable-looking young human, in his mid-twenties by appearance. His hair was an untidy, honey-colored mop, and he wore a shirt, vest and leggings made of rough wool and burlap, indicating a humble life. There was no sign of any sort of weapon on him, and his eyes were friendly and guileless. "You can put your sword away. I'm not here to fight you."

"I am glad to hear it, _mon ami_," Jean replied, sheathing his sword; the young man had given him no reason to doubt his word. "I believe this is meant to be a trial for me, and such things are seldom peaceful, to my vast regret, yes?"

"I'm guessing most of them won't be, so you're right on the money there," the young man agreed. "Fortunately, I'm not very good at that sort of thing. The first time I ever actually got in a fight in my life... well, it turned out to be the last time, too, to put it lightly."

"Then you are one of the deceased?" Jean raised a hairless eyebrow. "Forgive me if this is impolite, _monsieur_, but I must say, you do not _look _dead."

"I'll take that as a compliment," the man replied, chuckling lightly. "It's because we're in here. Things work a little differently in this place. You might have noticed on account of how you and all your friends walked through the same door, but ended up in different rooms."

"That did strike me as somewhat odd as well, yes," Jean admitted. He was growing tired of craning his neck, so he began climbing the tree, and soon made it up to the branch, where he took a seat next to the young man. "Allow me introduce myself, then, so that we might be friends, yes? My name is Prince Ekaru Hoppe De Tapeta, but please, call me Jean."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," the young man said, still smiling. "My name's Alan. Common, I know, but I always liked it."

"It is a good name," Jean told him, offering a hand, and Alan shook it. "So then, _monsieur _Alan. Despite our mutual preference for peace, you _are _here in order to administer this trial for me, are you not?"

"Yeah, that's my job," Alan agreed, nodding. "To be honest, I was surprised they asked me to, but apparently there's eight of you guys, so I was the only guy they had for the last slot. I hope I do it right; I'm not really used to this sort of thing like the others."

"I am sure you will do fine, _mon ami_," Jean said encouragingly. "You are a good man, with a good heart, and that is what is most important, yes?"

"I try to be," Alan replied. "Thanks, Jean. And you're right, too. That's what your greatest strength is, you know. I mean no insult to your friends, but you're the best of them, morally speaking."

"Do not worry, _monsieur _Alan," Jean assured him. "I am not so easy to offend, although I must respectively disagree. Though each of us has their own system of morality, I do not consider my own to be 'better' or 'worse' than any of theirs. We each simply see the world in a different way, and it is those differences that define who we are, is it not?"

"I suppose so, yes," Alan said after a moment's thought. "Perhaps I should have said that you're the most altruistic of them, then, as well as the most optimistic."

"Do I truly seem that way?" Jean asked wistfully. "In truth, _mon ami_, I can be as selfish as any man or woman. I simply have a more subtle means of exhibiting my selfishness than most."

"Boy, do I know what that's like," Alan replied, chuckling slightly as he glanced at his dangling feet. "Back when I was alive, there was only one thing I really wanted. But that one thing... I never gave up on it, not after ten years, and after everything had changed. In the end, it's what got me killed... although I did get something of a second chance, and that time I managed to get it right."

"This thing of which you speak..." Jean said slowly, trusting his intuition. "It was the heart of a woman, was it not?"

"Yeah, it was." Alan nodded, meeting his eyes again; his were calm and brown, without a trace of anger in them. "The most beautiful woman in the world. I guess what I'm saying is, sometimes it's okay to be selfish. We're only mortal, after all. We're not perfect, and we shouldn't have to be."

"I am glad that you agree, _monsieur _Alan," Jean told him, smiling as well. "I am well aware of my own imperfections, and I accept them. It is simply part of life, yes?"

"Life, and afterlife," Alan joked. "You see, though, that's what I'm here to talk to you about. You're incredibly talented, Jean. Your fencing skills are a match for the Queen of the Sky herself, and you've got some talent in black, white _and _gray magic to back that up. You're eloquent, charismatic, and good-looking. You're a talented artist, and a musician as well. That girl of yours, Seso, is all over you for a reason, and it's not because you fuse with her, or because you're a Prince. But because of all of that, when you _do _feel your own shortcomings, you're harder on yourself than most people."

"I do not understand," Jean said, frowning now. "Is it not natural for a man to feel regret for failing to meet the standards expected of him?"

"A little," Alan admitted. "That's just part of having a healthy emotional range. But you take it a little too far. Habaruku's a good example. You still feel bad about what you did to him, instead of just ending it quickly and cleanly. I can understand that, even if he really did have that coming more than anybody else in the world, but it's done. It's in the past. If it affects you that much, then make sure you don't ever do that again, but don't dwell on it forever. That's not like you."

"Yes, well..." Jean took his turn to look down at his feet. "As of recent days, I have not been feeling much like myself."

"That's the problem, Jean," Alan told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Because your morals are out of line with the rest of your team, you've been feeling like you're the one in the wrong, and you've been trying to be more like them. But they don't _want _that, Jean. Any of them. They like you for who you are, and your beliefs are part of that. Don't be afraid to disagree with them. They'd feel better if you _did _try and talk them into making the right decision, instead of following along if your heart wasn't in it, you know?"

"_Monsieur _Alan," Jean said slowly, as he considered the other man's words. "You are no ordinary man, are you? Who are you, truly?"

"I'm the most ordinary man in the world, actually," Alan replied, hopping off the branch. "It's the rest of my friends that aren't. And speaking of which, I should really get going. Cerl's probably done by now, and she'll be waiting for me."

"Alan and Cerl?" Jean murmured, eyes widening. "You are _that _Alan? Of the Fusion Clan?"

"Oh, you _do _know me?" Alan paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Huh. That's cool. Anyways, give it some thought, yeah?" Sticking his hands in his pockets, he walked away, whistling before Jean could recover enough to tell him about the tragedy their romance was still known across the world as, one he had seen performed on stage a thousand times.

Lost in thought, he remained there for some time, until the fog vanished, taking the tree he was sitting on with it. Fortunately, he was used to painful landings by now.

* * *

"All right," Ryu said flatly, looking around him as the mists swirled. "Get out here, whoever you are." No response came, and after a minute he lost his patience and stalked forward, grumbling under his breath. Soon, he saw a dead tree ahead, and a man standing calmly in front of it, watching him approach. Walking over, he looked him up and down before speaking again. "I take it you're the one who's going to be taking care of this trial business for me?"

"Indeed I am," the man replied calmly, his voice deep and cold. His plate mail was made of gold with a six-headed dragon enameled on the breastplate, and the cape he wore over it pure, snowy white. His only other adornment, aside from the sword at his waist, was a jade pendant he wore around his neck. His long hair was golden, and his pale features almost unnaturally handsome, but there was something chilling in his empty purple eyes and amused smirk. "My name is Jade, the Gold Lord, of the Dark Dragon Empire's Tiamat Unit. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Oh," Ryu said slowly, glancing at the other man's sword again and seeing that the hilt matched his own. A moment passed, and then he added an expletive.

"I see my reputation still precedes me, even a thousand years later," Jade murmured. "Relax, young man. I am here to talk, to explain to you what must be done, and nothing more."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring?" Ryu met his eyes, defiance returning in spite of-or perhaps because of-his fear. "Because historians wrote down what happened when you did that, too, Ice Lord."

"You know, it's been a very long time, since anybody's called me that," Jade told him, still sounding dryly amused. "Either to my face, or to my back. Regardless of your opinions on the matter, Ryu, here we stand. You require the power of Agni Anfini, do you not? And I am the one who has been charged with instructing you on how to obtain it."

"Fine." Ryu crossed his arms. "Then cut to the chase. What do I have to do?"

"The power of Agni Anfini is the power of Ladon himself," Jade explained, spreading his arms dramatically. "By using it, you will become an incarnation of Ladon, the physical embodiment of him in this world, for a short time. That much power comes at a high price, Ryu. In order to receive, one must first give, and the exchange must be equivalent. A sacrifice is required, the greatest of all. Your immediate predecessor could not attain that state of being until after he had slain his beloved sister, my magnificent Silver Priestess, who he had challenged the world in order to save."

"Yeah, I heard that part of the story, too," Ryu growled, temper deteriorating further. "And I've got a sister. But I'm not killing her, no matter how annoying she is, and anyways, she's not even here."

"Oh, no." Jade wagged a finger. "But others are. You see, Ryu, the source of a god's power is belief. Faith. Without true belief, a god is powerless. Sara believed in her brother's destiny with all her heart and soul, which is why she forced him to kill her. She knew what even I did not, somehow. That faith in him became the power of Agni Anfini. And so, in order to attain that power, you must sacrifice one who believes in you to a similar extent. There are eight options, here in Infinity, but only one is necessary. Which one it shall be... is entirely up to you."

"Are you telling me that one of my team has to die, in order to acquire this power?" Ryu asked, resisting the urge to tear his sword from his sheath and hack the man standing before him to bits.

"And you will be the one who chooses who it will be," Jade said, nodding slightly, his features still frozen in that same smirk. "As a matter of fact... here they come, now." Somebody else was emerging from the mists. It was Bow.

"Don't say anything, buddy," he said, before Ryu could speak. Meeting his eyes, he continued, voice level. "Just pick me, and don't tell the others, huh? Let me do this." He smiled slightly. "Just this once... let me be the hero, okay?"

"Bow," Ryu murmured, but his oldest friend was already turning and walking away into the mist, even as Nina approached from another direction.

"Wait," Jade advised him calmly. "Hear them out, before you speak. Simply listen."

"Ryu," she murmured, her eyes peaceful. "This isn't the first time I've considered something like this. Many times, when I was younger, I thought it would be best for everybody if I just... disappeared. Something always kept me from actually going through with it, though. And now... I can do it for the exact opposite reason. I can die for a greater cause, for this world I always hated, and the people who showed me how to love it instead. I want to do this, Ryu... for you. Please, let me be the one." Smiling sadly, the way he'd always loved, she turned and flew away as Katt took her place.

"Hey, Ryu," she said, more quiet and calm than usual for her. "Before this happens, I... kind of realized there's something I never told you, back in Coursair." She smiled then, in the unconscious, cheerful way that had always captivated him. "Thank you. For everything. I would have died there, if it hadn't been for you. Everything I've seen and done since then... I owe you all of that. That's why I figure I should be the one. I owe you my life, Ryu. It's about time I paid that debt back, you know?" Without waiting for a response, she left as well.

"Hey, Ryu," Deis said, slithering forward on the snake's tail that he was already accustomed to, despite knowing her for far longer in her human disguise. "I know this is total bullshit, but that's the way it goes sometimes. It's gotta be done. All there is to it." She winked at him. "So throw 'em for a loop. Pick me, and watch them all go nuts when I actually go through with it. The rest of you all still have most of your lives ahead of you, but I've had more than my fair share already. And it was a good life, you know? No regrets. Plus, hey, I always did want to go out making trouble."

"Chief," Sten grunted, scratching the back of his head and look away as Deis left. "This is kind of a rough situation, so I'm just gonna say what I think you would, if this was going the other way around." He met Ryu's eyes then, resolute. "Use my life however you see fit, for the benefit of the group. We're both professionals. We knew the risks when we signed on. It's been an honor." Saluting, he departed as well.

"Ryu, _mon ami_," Jean said quietly; for once, he wasn't smiling. "It is monumentally unfair, for me to ask this of you, I know. But the truth of the matter is... I can imagine no greater pain that I could feel, than to lose one of us, now. It is selfish of me, but I would truly prefer to die myself, rather than suffer the death of another of our fellowship. I hope, some day, you can forgive me." He bowed, deeply, before walking away.

"You know, it's funny." Rand chuckled as he loomed out of the fog. "When this first started, I figure I was going to end up being the babysitter, you know? Watching out for all you kids. But then I realized... that's why you were the guy in charge. Because you were always the one who was doing that, even with me. I don't have anything to worry about, with you looking out for the others. I'll leave that to you. So you leave this to me, huh? And I'll trust you dang kids to handle the rest." He laughed again as he strode off.

"Ryu," Spar greeted him, as calm as ever. "I won't waste time. As you know, my Clan's emotional capacity is severely limited, and if necessary, we are capable of completely suspending emotion whatsoever. Thus, what I am about to tell you is purely logical. I am the member of our group who we can most easily dispense with, and the one whose loss will be easiest for the others to move past. Thus, I advise you to choose me. It will be best for everybody."

"There you have it, then," Jade said, as Spar left. "Well? Who's it going to be, Ryu Bateson?"

Ryu didn't answer him, at first. He closed his eyes, deep in thought, as he considered the situation at hand. He thought about everything he knew about the trials, and about his destiny, and those of his friends. He thought about what each of them had said, the points they had made, and he thought about everything he knew about them, about who they were and how they'd changed since he'd come to know them. In the end, the conclusion was obvious.

"Yeah, no." Opening his eyes, he glared at Jade. "Nice try, but I'm calling bullshit. That wasn't them. Any of them. You're good, but not good enough. Maybe before they signed on, they would have said those things, but now? Nah. None of them would have said what those fakes did. Not here, not now, and not to me."

"Are you quite sure?" Jade arced an eyebrow, his face still frozen in that arrogant smirk. "Although it doesn't really matter. The point still stands, and a sacrifice must still be made. One of your number must die, in order to acquire Agni Anfini, and you must still choose who it will be." He reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure it must be hard. The friends who-"

"Don't touch me," Ryu spat, knocking his arm away before crossing his arms. "Fine. One of us has to die? Okay. _I'll _do it. I pick myself."

"You haven't been listening," Jade told him, still smug. "The sacrifice is for the purpose of using that person's utter trust, faith and belief in you to power Agni Anfini. Even if you were not the only member of your company to possess the Breath of Fire in the first place... you still don't truly believe in yourself at all, do you?"

"No," Ryu admitted. "I don't." Taking the Dragon's Tear in his hand, he pointed it at himself, and watched it turn a fiery orange, the same color of apathy and distrust that it had always shown when he'd done so. "I've tried, but I just can't see it. Me, a hero? Saving the world from St. Eva? Yeah, right. I'm a no-good street orphan who's good at killing things. Like that's impressive. But see... if what you're saying is true, I'm the only one who thinks that. If the others all believe in me... chances are, they're right and I'm wrong. So even if I can't believe in myself, I can still believe in them, believing in me."

"That's not _quite_ how it works," Jade replied after a moment, blinking.

"Too bad." Ryu shrugged, still staring at the Dragon's Tear. "It's what I'm going with. My mind's made up, Jade."

"In other words, you find yourself unable to choose," Jade said slowly. "It's true, they are all wonderful friends. I'm sure you'll laugh, knowing my history as well as you do... but I understand your feelings. But they understand as well, Ryu. That is why they are all prepared to give their lives for you. Now stop acting childish, be realistic, and make a decision."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Ryu grunted, not even looking at him. "Already did. Now who's not listening, huh?"

"I retract my earlier statement," Jade told him, a note of irritation finally entering his cold voice. "_Now _you're being childish. Stop being such a petulant brat. If you're 'believing in their belief in you,' as you put it, then you _know _you're the destined one. Start acting like it. This is for the salvation of the entire world. They understand that, so why can't you? Choose, Ryu!"

"Screw you," Ryu replied, flipping him the bird for additional emphasis. "How many times do I have to say it? I choose me."

"You utter fool," Jade snarled, openly contemptuous now. "You risk everything with your stubbornness. You're losing sight of your destiny, _now _of all times, when you're this close to your final victory, and your freedom from fate? Idiot! What _is _this, some valiant attempt at storybook heroism? You know better than anybody that that's not how the world works! Evans will slaughter you if your heart is this weak! Now choose!"

"Yeah, this is getting old," Ryu said, yawning. Sitting down, he stretched out on his back, arms folded under his head. "I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me up when you're ready to actually go through with it, will you?"

"You..." Jade seethed. "You worthless incompetent! It seems you were right all along! You could never slay a God! The world is doomed because of your actions, but you will not be there to see it! As you wish, you will be the first to fall, here and now!" He drew his sword, bringing it down on Ryu's neck with both hands. "A pity, to see Ladon's line come to such a pathetic conclusion! Die!"

Ryu didn't move an inch, even as he felt the steel slice cleanly through his neck.

And so, Ryu Bateson of the town of Gate died.

"Huh," he muttered, staring up at the still-moving fog. "That freaking _hurt_."

"I should certainly hope so," Jade replied, back to his normal, arrogant calm instantly. Bending over, he nonchalantly cleaned his blade with Ryu's hair. "Decapitations have a tendency to do that, in my experience."

"So I noticed," Ryu said flatly, as he _felt_ his neck start to reattach. "Okay, I'll bite. Why am I not dead?"

"For the same reason I stand before you, despite my own demise a thousand years past," Jade explained, as they both stood up again. "In this room, the rules of life and death are suspended. In truth, I and all of _my _friends are not truly here. Everything that we have done is only an illusion, and everything that we have said is only what each of you already knows, if only subconsciously. All we've been doing is helping you realize what you couldn't, or wouldn't, by yourselves. Everything else that I said was a deliberate deception, to distract you from the real meaning of this test."

"Huh." Ryu thought about that for a moment. "So is there some sort of common thread? Isn't that how that usually goes in stories?"

"Actually, yes." Jade nodded. "Of course, the specifics of the matter are highly variable, and yet, all are similar at the core. Agni Anfini _does _require belief, but that belief must be of all who take part in it. You must see yourself as your friends see you, and they must see themselves as you and each other see them. You have had hard lives, and because of that, you are reluctant to accept part of yourself. A different part, for each of you, but a part that is there, for good or for ill. That is the truth of this trial, Ryu Bateson."

"Sounds complicated," Ryu said, frowning again. "But I think I get it. Kind of."

"Good." Jade put a hand on his shoulder again, and this time Ryu didn't knock it away. "So long as you can do that, even Evans himself will fall before you, as his mother fell before your ancestors and their companions, who slew me as well." His arrogant smile turned slightly wry. "Ladon knows I had it coming, by then."

"Yeah, you kind of did, from what I know," Ryu agreed. "You seem to be taking it fairly well, all things considered."

"Some men belong dead," Jade replied with a sigh. "It brings me no joy to admit that, but it's true. I brought nothing but pain and suffering to the world while I lived, and the fact that I was manipulated into it by the Goddess of Lies is no excuse. Nor is the fact that in order to do so, I needed to order a five-year-old child to lobotomize me and remove my capacity for emotion, so that I would be able to sacrifice my closest friends without a qualm when the time came, him among them. No... peace after death is more than I deserve."

"Maybe," Ryu said, shaking his head. "I try not to judge. I see somebody who's got it coming, I kill them. After that... it's none of my business."

"And you consider yourself no hero?" Jade asked quietly.

"I'm a work in progress." Ryu shrugged. "Are we done here, then?"

"Indeed we are." Jade bowed his head, removing his hand, as figures began to approach out of the fog for a second time, this time all eight at once, from different directions.

"Hey, buddy," Bow said, smiling slightly sheepishly. "This is a hell of a place we've come to, huh? You know, I still can't believe we're actually doing this... but I've got your back. All the way to the end of the world."

"I don't really get it, myself," Katt admitted, looking pensive for a moment. "I'm a brawler. I know how to fight, and that's about it." She smiled then. "But hey, that's what we're here for, right? If I can help you guys out, that's good enough for me."

"I've been thinking," Nina said quietly. "If I hadn't met you all, and joined you... I'd probably have spent my entire life sheltered, locking myself away from the rest of the world. But now... after everything I've seen and done in this journey... all I want is to keep on doing that. To stay with all of you, and see the world, like I never could before."

"It's been fun, hasn't it?" Deis asked, smiling. "Even more fun than I thought it would be. I may not have gone through this trial like the rest of you, for a couple of reasons... but I've still been doing some thinking of my own. Right now, though... all that matters is that I'm with you guys."

"I don't really know how to put this," Sten told Ryu cautiously. "The thing is... one day, I decided that I didn't want to be a soldier any more. To fight for my life. But being with you guys... I think I've actually found a cause that's worth doing that again." He smiled, and his orange eyes glinted. "No more screwing around, you know? I'm playing for keeps, now."

"This is something we must do," Jean said, looking surprisingly thoughtful. "I may sound foolish, but... I do not truly believe that mortal men are capable of absolute evil, by themselves. Simply weakness, which can be turned to evil by the actions of others. That is why we must slay Evans. So that he can no longer corrupt anybody else, ever again. I hope that that makes sense, _mon amis_."

"We're really something, aren't we, guys?" Rand asked, chuckling. "I know this sounds crazy, but I actually think we can do this. This Agni Anfini stuff."

"I have come to realize that there are things in this world that cannot fully be explained by logic alone," Spar told them all gravely. "Emotions... no matter how strange they are to me... are necessary. That, more than anything, is what will save this world. And I... will be part of that, with all of my soul."

"This is your power, Ryu Bateson," Jade told him, his own violet eyes showing something that almost looked like approval. "The power of Agni Anfini. Your belief in each other, and your desire to remain together. To live in this world, together. Remember that, Ryu. Remember what you learned here, today. Remember that you learned how to live."

"I will," Ryu told him quietly. "Tell the others for me... thanks. Even if you were all assholes."

"Uh..." Katt said after a moment. "Ryu? Who are you talking to?"

"Nobody at all, young lady," Jade replied, as the fog and the tree both faded away, and he vanished with them, melting into the air and vanishing like a hallucination. "You wear my sword well, Ryu. I'm glad to see that it has found an owner more deserving than I. Take good care of it."

"Ryu?" Bow asked, frowning. "Buddy? Is somebody else... here?"

"No." Ryu shook his head. "Nobody at all."

* * *

Far beneath the surface of the world, the Demon Lord Barubary slept. And as he slept, though two of his great eyes were tightly closed and unseeing, his third eye was not. For the demon's third eye did not see the dark hall he had returned to since the Gate had opened once more days ago, but instead saw that which was seen through the eyes of the destined child. Though Barubary slept, still he watched Ryu Bateson of the _Dragonkin_, as God's time grew nearer and nearer.

He watched, silent and sleeping and yet utterly fascinated, as the destined child and those who had chosen to follow him underwent Ladon's trials. He watched as Ryu met with one of the only mortals Barubary had ever considered a kindred spirit, though they had never once met. He watched as they accepted the ultimate power of Ladon, Agni Anfini, into their hearts and minds and souls. And as he watched, his hideous, lipless maw contorted into a shape that could almost be said to resemble a smile.

The rest of that day was short, and uninteresting, and it passed all too quickly, especially for one who had lived as long as Barubary. Eventually, Ryu Bateson slept again, despite his own knowledge of the nightmares that awaited him. As the destined child's eyes closed, so did the third eye of the Demon Lord Barubary, as his other two eyes opened instead. Stretching his vast limbs with a great creaking of bones and cracking of chitin, he yawned once, and then he spoke, his terrible voice carrying through every inch of the hall of absolute darkness he waited in.

"It is time," he said to himself, voice filled with an inhuman joy beyond the comprehension of any other mortal save for himself. "He is coming."

**Barubary. **

"I hear and obey, o my god," Barubary replied, instantly prostrating himself in the closest thing to a bow his warped frame was capable of. "How may I be of service?" For a long moment, and then another, there was no response.

**It is time, Barubary. He is coming. **

"Yes, my god," Barubary said softly. "It is time, and he is coming. I implore you, my god, to allow me to fulfill my destiny, and confront him."

**This pleases me, Barubary. Your eagerness to serve has always pleased me. However, I heed no pleas, and respond to no entreatments. You are **_**commanded **_**to face the destined child, Barubary, now that he has fulfilled his purpose and opened the Gate for us. He and his are now the only thing that remains between me and the world above. **

"I shall, o my god," Barubary whispered joyously. "For I am the mightiest of demons, and he will _not _pass through this hall while I still draw breath."

**No. He will not. Know this, Barubary. Should you fail me, your soul will not receive the same freedom from existence as those who please me. If you do not slay these ones, then I will have no choice but to do so personally, in order to prove my superiority over she who gave birth to me. I do not wish to do this, Barubary. Do not make it necessary. **

"I will not, my God," Barubary assured him. "I know well that the son is not bound by the failures of the mother, any more than by her successes. Valerie may have defeated me, many years ago, but I have been laboring ever since to ensure that her spawn does not do the same. I am stronger now than I was then, and even then I was feared by her, and all of her kind who continue their defiance of us in this world."

**That is why you are the greatest of my servants, Barubary. Your strength, and the fear it inspires in others, are things which please me. Continue to please me, and you will have your reward. As you were first to live upon this world, so also will you be last to die, when you and I have scoured the planet clean of all other life. **

"I would claim to be unworthy, my god, but I would not lie to you, whether you knew or not," Barubary replied, smiling again. "For you and I both know that I _am _worthy, else you would not have given me this task."

**Precisely. The child whose mind you have watched for these past fifteen years has fulfilled his destiny, Barubary. See that you follow him in this as well as everything else, and fulfill yours. I will not speak to you again until after you have done so, but I will be watching you, as you watch him. Do not disappoint me, Barubary. **

"I hear and obey, o my god," Barubary repeated, slowly raising himself back to his full height, capable of towering over not only mortals, but most of their buildings as well. The thought brought back his memories of the First Dragon War, in which he had served the Goddess of Lies, first as one of her instigators to trick mortals into warring upon each other for her amusement, and then later as her champion when said mortals had united against her and laid siege to her flying fortress. He had even fought the Ryu of that day and age, though their duel had been interrupted before its conclusion.

"Ah, my Goddess..." Barubary whispered. "If you could see me now, what would you think?" It had always been a source of shame to Barubary that he, first among demons, seemed to be the only one among his kind capable of affection for others, as incredibly rare as it was for him to do so. Myria had been one of the few who he had given it to, knowing all the while the contempt in which she held him in return, and refusing to care. Even now, a millennium after her death, the thought of her still caused his black heart to twitch hideously in his warped chest.

Another had been an even more ludicrous choice than their shared mistress for two millennia, ever since she and he had accepted the man named Yuna into their service together, the second to pledge himself to her service. Barubary had known then that the innocuous-looking mortal, with no fighting ability whatsoever, had and would cause more pain and suffering to the world than himself, the greatest and first of demons. And yet, he had still called Yuna alone his friend, once he had discarded his old name and taken up that which Myria gave him. The name of Habaruku.

For two millennia, they had served the Goddess of Lies, as her right hand and her left. Barubary, the King of the Demons, second only to their Goddess. The Demon Lord of Death, her strongest warrior, and her personal champion should she ever require it. And Habaruku, her tactician, adviser and recruiter, a genius completely unrestrained by ethics or morals willing to commit any atrocity for her amusement, or his own. Barubary had long ago grown bored with unnecessary pain and suffering, yet he still admired the artistry with which Habaruku had taken such things to new heights.

In time, he grew to consider his fellow Demon Lord his oldest and greatest friend, despite knowing that Habaruku was incapable of truly returning the sentiment. The closest he could come was a scornful parody, and yet Barubary had been grateful for that much, enough so that he had betrayed his God. He had not told Evans of Habaruku's plans to cheat destiny, and escape the death that Evans had planned for him at the hands of Ryu Bateson and his friends. He had even experienced some slight regret when he had watched him die... but also, to his shame, relief as well.

"Forgive me, Habaruku," Barubary murmured, speaking to the memory of his oldest and best friend, who had gone into the void beyond life. "But I am grateful to the destined child for causing your death. Grateful that I did not have to kill you myself."

Barubary had raised Evans, teaching him the ways of power and of destruction, but he had never felt affection for the god he had worshiped ever since Myria had given him her infant son, commanding him to care for him should she be slain. Something in Evans' nature was abhorrent, even to him, whose affection had been spared towards two of the greatest abominations the world had known... and for one other, who was also dead now. With the three of them fallen, Barubary had believed he would have nothing left in this world but its destruction to anticipate.

And yet, his time with the destined child had left its mark on him, as much as it had on Ryu Bateson. The mortal boy had been changed, irrevocably, by their shared contact through their sleeping minds as he grew into his destiny, but such things went both ways. Despite everything, despite his wish that Evans would fulfill should he succeed, Barubary considered the chances of his victory to be precisely even. Fifty-fifty, as the mortals put it. And the prospect of that filled his empty heart with more anticipation than any reward ever could.

He stretched his arms. He flexed his wings. And the Demon Lord Barubary spoke, into the sleeping mind of Ryu Bateson, the destined child.

"_COME._"

_FEELINGS FROM SO LONG AGO I DON'T REMEMBER _


	44. Chapter 41: Barubary

_**Chapter 41: Barubary **_

"Look, it's not like I'm not grateful or anything," Katt said as Spar, Bow and Jean washed the dishes from their noon meal. "Free room and board's okay in my book, no matter what's going on. I just have to wonder why the hell nobody down here's ever heard of meat, is all."

"Going to have to agree with you there," Sten admitted, idly toying with one of his knives. "Even if some of those fruits _were _really good."

"Oh, I'm not saying they weren't," Katt replied. "Just that a little steak or turkey or fish would have been even better, you know?"

"Unfortunately, dietary options are somewhat limited in a place like this," Nina told her. "On the whole, we're lucky that the people of Dologany were inventive enough to create working greenhouses. Otherwise, they would likely be subsisting on fungi, as well as lifeforms that _are _commonly found in the depths of the earth. And while I'm sure Jean would be able to prepare them quite exquisitely..." She left it hanging.

"Siman cuisine is an acquired taste, I am aware," Jean said, smiling.

"Yeah, something like that," Katt muttered, looking like she was remembering the time she'd tried the Prince's worm in caramel sauce.

"So." Shutting off the water, Bow dried his hands on a towel before turning back to look at the others. "What do we do now?"

"I figure we spend the rest of the day here, then head off tomorrow morning," Ryu replied, glancing around. "Does that sound good to everybody?" They all nodded. "Cool. Might as well take advantage of this place while we're here, but there's no point in beating around the bush, either. We've got no reason not to go straight ahead any more."

"And plenty of reasons to do so," Deis added, as somebody knocked on the door of the house they'd been given.

"I'll get it," Ryu said, walking over and opening it. The man who called himself Spekkio was on the other side, waiting patiently. "Afternoon. Don't tell me there's something _else _we still need to do. I thought we were done."

"Not 'need' so much as 'want,' in a manner of speaking," Spekkio replied calmly. "There's somebody who'd like to meet you."

"Oh yeah," Sten recalled, snapping his fingers. "When we first got here, that one guy said there were _two _people who we should see, and that one of them wasn't available right then."

"He's doing better now, then?" Ryu asked, raising an eyebrow. "Whoever he is?"

"Sort of." Spekkio glanced away, looking awkward for the first time since Ryu had met him. "He's good for visitors, anyways, as long as it doesn't run too long. That all right with you?"

"We didn't really have much else planned for today anyways," Ryu said with a shrug, as the others left the kitchen and joined them. "Lead the way, then."

"Right." Spekkio turned, and they followed him through the streets of Dologany. By now, the people had grown at least slightly accustomed to their presence; they still watched them, but no longer quite so openly. Soon, they came to a house, indistinguishable from any other, and the old man walked in without knocking before leading them upstairs and opening another door there. "Hey, Martin. They're here."

"Martin?" Ryu said quietly, surprised, but when he looked inside, the man sitting up in bed was unfamiliar to him. He looked far older than even Spekkio, though he probably wasn't, and much more frail, as slender as Spar. His head was bald, his beard long and white, and his eyebrows so bushy they almost seemed to hide his eyes.

"Yeah, uh..." Spekkio scratched his head, glancing to the side again. "I was the one who suggested that name to you-know-who when he couldn't come up with one by himself. It's not really as funny as it was at the time, now. Anyways, I'll leave you to it."

"Ryu?" The old man in the bed asked quietly, voice shaking, as he turned his head in their direction. "Are you Ryu, the son of Valerie?"

"I am, sir," Ryu said quietly, walking over, the others following behind him as Spekkio left the room. "Did you know my mother?"

"Oh, yes," Martin murmured, smiling sadly as he looked upwards. His eyes glinted beneath their heavy brows, as white as his beard, and Ryu suddenly realized that he was blind. "I knew her very well, before she left this place in order to go to the world above. I knew, when she left, that I would never see her again, that she would eventually sacrifice her life so that you would be able to save this world from our enemy. And yet, though I mourned her loss... I was proud of her, as well. It was the bravest thing I have ever seen."

"She was pretty amazing, yeah," Ryu replied, closing his eyes. "That kind of thing... it's hard to come to grips with. If she knew, the whole time, and went ahead and did it anyways... that sounds like something she'd do, all right."

"There is no shame in being daunted by destiny's requirements," Martin told him kindly. "It is a difficult burden to bear, and one that many cannot. In truth, I am not sure that Valerie would have been able to, had she not known as well of what happiness she would find before her sacrifice. She would not judge you for being more hesitant, and neither do I. We simply trust in you, Ryu. We trust that you will fulfill your destiny, as she did hers."

"That sounds like her, too," Ryu said, as he realized just who the old man was. Opening his eyes again, he met Martin's blind ones. "You're her father, aren't you? Valerie's. You're my grandfather."

"I am, Ryu," Martin whispered, smiling now. "It has been many long years since my daughter... your mother... left this place, but I have waited for you ever since. Soon, I think, I will no longer be able to hold back the end, but now that you are here, I no longer fear that."

"I never really thought about that," Ryu continued, almost absently. "My father's parents had both passed on long before I was born, and mom... by the time I found out anything at all about her past, I'd moved past that sort of thing. I never thought about what it would be like, having grandparents." He took the old man's hand carefully; it was weaker, more fragile, than even Nina's or Spar's, but still Martin clasped his hand as well. "I'm glad you waited for me. Thank you, grandfather. What... what was she like? When she was my age?"

"She was..." Martin started to say, then paused, as if trying to remember the right word. "Peaceful, I suppose, is the right word. Even before she learned of her destiny, she was always a very calm, serious girl. More than any of us, she was devoted to the duties of our Clan, and to our destiny. I suppose you could say that it was curiosity, more than anything else. She always wanted to know why, of all the Clans in the world, ours was the one given the greatest Breath of all, and the greatest responsibility as well."

"Yeah, I can see that, from her," Ryu said, as the other eight all watched and listened silently. "Did she ever find out?"

"I am not sure," Martin murmured. "One day, a day that seemed like any other... she returned home from the library, and I noticed that she seemed different. When I asked, she told me that she was ready to learn of what her destiny would be, and that she would like for me to tell the High Priest of Ladon that she was." He shook his head slowly. "She was younger than you, at the time, and so I told her no... but she was determined, and asked again every day after that until I relented."

"Spekkio," Ryu murmured.

"Indeed." Martin nodded. "We went to him together, and he told her. In truth, I think I reacted worse than she did. To be told that my daughter, who was not even an adult, was fated to leave our people behind forever one day... to go into the world above, to love a man who she had never met before, and who I would never meet at all... to bear the destined child, and eventually sacrifice her own life in order to help him achieve his destiny... no, such things were beyond my ability to accept. For a time, I considered fleeing Dologany, into the depths of Infinity, and taking her with me."

"She wouldn't go, would she?" Ryu guessed.

"No, she would not," Martin agreed, chuckling slightly, sadly. "Where I reacted with anger and disbelief... she accepted the High Priest's words. From that day forward, she devoted herself to Ladon's service. For reasons of her own, she desired to become a Priestess before the day she left. In the end, she accomplished her goal. It was only then, on the day when she received her robes and her pendant, that I resigned myself to her fate."

"Her mother had perished years before, slain by our demonic enemies, as had my father. My mother, her grandmother, never truly accepted it, as I did. She did not live long, once Valerie had gone, two years after being accepted into Ladon's service. It was the first time since our people had come here, to Dologany, that anybody ever returned to the world above, leaving us forever. On that day, I and my mother were not the only ones who mourned. She was greatly beloved by all of our people, especially the children."

"I remember that," Ryu murmured, thinking back. "Not just me... she was always good with all of the kids, back in Gate. It wasn't just them there, either. I remember... everybody in town loved her. I was too young to really understand how strange it was, the way she came to Gate. A young woman with blue hair and golden wings, walking out of the northern canyon one day, and marrying the priest of St. Eva, despite following a different faith from centuries ago. But all the townspeople... they accepted her as one of their own, eventually."

"I am glad to hear that, grandson," Martin said quietly. "Glad that she found happiness in her new life. I hoped that she would, on the day that she left us, but there was nothing I could do to ensure it. All that I had... was a gift from her mother, that I had promised to give to our daughter one day. A jewel that would allow its bearer to see into the hearts of others."

"The Dragon's Tear." Ryu held it up, staring into it, and saw it turn a light, sky blue as he pointed it towards his grandfather. "I always wondered where she got it from."

"So she passed it to you, as her mother to her," Martin realized, smiling again. "I am glad of that. Please, Ryu... tell me more of her life. What became of my daughter, after the day in which she left me? Was it truly a good life? A happy one?"

"I think so," Ryu said carefully, searching his own memories. "The way I heard it was... my father was the first one she met, when she walked into Gate. She came out at night, when everybody else was sleeping. The church was the only building with lights on, inside. So she knocked on the door, and he came. He was older than she was, almost twenty years, and he'd given up on ever finding somebody long ago... but when he opened the door, and they met each others' eyes..." He chuckled. "As corny as it sounds... according to them, it really was love at first sight. For both of them."

"He was good to her, then?" Martin asked wistfully. "I knew that he would be, and yet... the man who would marry my daughter, whose children she would bear, who I would never meet... I could not help but worry. Did he bring her happiness?"

"He did," Ryu told him quietly. "I remember how much they loved each other, even if I was too little to really understand how much it meant. Some of the villagers weren't happy at first that dad had married a follower of Ladon, but all he did was laugh. As far as he was concerned, when she was around, Ladon and St. Eva were just different names for the same God. Sometimes they'd even take turns... praying to Ladon together first, and then to St. Eva. Mom must have known better, of course. She was probably just going through the motions, and dad could always tell. But..." He left it hanging.

"But she loved your father enough to do so, despite knowing the truth," Martin murmured.

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "That was back when mom was pregnant with my sister. Even after they were separated... neither of them ever stopped thinking about each other, or about the two of us. They didn't have long together... only a few years... but they were happy." He took a deep breath before continuing. "And then Barubary came, and Habaruku. They would have slaughtered everybody in the village, if my parents hadn't stepped in. I don't know if she knew that they were coming, but..." He trailed off.

"She did," Martin assured him. "Though she could never return through the gate, once she had passed through, using the statues of Ladon, she was still able to speak to the Dragon God. He conveyed her messages to us, as she lived in the world above... and we were able to warn her, when those two managed to break through our defenses and lead their strike force into the world above. We told her to flee, to take her husband and children and run before they emerged, but she refused. She would not abandon the town who had taken her in."

"No, she wouldn't," Ryu said quietly. "That's not the sort of thing she'd do. She won, you know. Against Barubary. She beat him."

"A feat that none before had ever accomplished," Martin murmured. "To protect the two of you, she fought by the side of the man she loved, the father of her children... and together, the two of them were able to drive away the most ancient evils remaining in this world."

"Yeah." Ryu closed his eyes. "That was when she left us. The seal on the Gate was too weak, if those freaks got through. She knew she had to strengthen it again. So she remained in her dragon form, and slept there, as our guardian. Nobody in Gate except dad ever knew that she was our protector; he told everybody that she'd died that night, fighting to save us." He opened his eyes again. "That... that was the day when I lost my mother. Or thought I did, at the time."

"And from there, your life has only been harder, my grandson," Martin whispered. "I know. Ladon has told us all, of your journey. That is why I have remained alive myself, despite the frailty of my body. Before I died... I wanted to meet my grandson." He smiled, then, as tears began to fall from his ancient eyes. "Thank you, Ryu. Thank you for indulging an old man's last wish. You have a sister, you say. What of her? Is she all right?"

"My sister..." Ryu said quietly. "She's had a hard life, too. Worse than mine, even. But now... I think she's going to be all right."

"Tell her about me, then," Martin begged him. "Tell her of our people, Ryu. The two of you are the only Dragon Clansmen remaining in the world above. Protect her, when she needs it, and allow her to fight at your side when she does not. Return to her, once you have succeeded, and vanquished Evans. I believe in you, my destined child, my grandson, as both your mother and father did and do. You will save this world. I know that you will."

"I will, grandfather," Ryu whispered back, as the old man's grip relaxed, and he sank back into his bed. For a moment, he almost thought the worst, before he saw that Martin was still breathing. He was sleeping, nothing more.

"Buddy?" Bow asked quietly after a long moment.

"Come on." Ryu turned away. "Let's let him sleep." They descended the steps, and walked back out the front door, closing it behind him. Spekkio was nowhere to be seen, and so Ryu kept going, towards something he'd seen earlier on. A massive statue of Ladon, glistening black rock that showed none of the age and wear of those remaining in the world above. The Dragon God stood on a four-foot pedestal, looming over the underground city, wings spread. Despite the intimidating shape, however, his eyes were kind, without a trace of hostile intent.

"Hello, Ryu," Ladon said quietly as he stood before it, the rest of his group behind him, still remaining quiet.

"Hey," Ryu replied, sitting down at the statue's feet. After a moment, the rest of his team followed suit, scattering themselves around the pedestal in various leisurely positions. Only when they were all settled did he speak again. "You know, your high priest is kind of an asshole."

"He is not always the most pleasant man in the world," Ladon admitted. "He grew up in troubled times, when the world was much less civilized than it is now. And no matter how old he grows, or how much the world changes, I daresay that some part of him will always still be Ryu, the Rider. The man who won the First Dragon War, mainly by being willing to do anything, to make decisions nobody else could, in order to do so. The man who first defeated Myria, and whose allies created the Goddess Keys."

"Yeah, I can tell." Ryu nodded, before glancing up at the immobile statue. "So. He was the one who gave the _other _Martin his false name. Just like _you _gave him _his_, a thousand years before. Does this mean another thousand down the line, I'm going to be asking the other Martin if he's got any ideas?"

"That is entirely up to you," Ladon said calmly. "Should you wish, there is a way for you to halt your own aging, at any time you wish. Whether or not you choose to do so is your choice, and yours alone." After a moment, he chuckled quietly. "But that's not really what you're asking, is it? Yes, Ryu. The answer is yes. The first one of all, the one whose adventures set the mold for those of all his descendants, and those of the only mortal woman he ever loved... though I did not know it, at the time, for when I was first summoned into this world, it was not in my true state... yes, Ryu. That was I. You, and all of the Dragon Clan, are my descendants."

"That's why," Nina murmured, eyes widening. "Why there's always a Nina, as well as a Ryu. Because we're descended from the first Nina, and the first Ryu. Because when a God falls in love with a mortal woman..." She left it hanging.

"The world changes," Ladon said quietly. "In truth, there is another word for my kind, aside from Gods. In that time, and that place, we were known as the Endless. Simply by existing in this world, we change it with our very presence, like the ripples created when a rock is thrown into a pond. What you refer to as 'Destiny Bullshit,' is a direct result of our existence. Mine, and Myria's, and now Evans' as well. If we had never come to this world, none of this would ever have taken place."

"What about you?" Rand asked Deis quietly.

"I'm kind of a special case." She shook her head slowly. "I was around back then, just like Myria, but when we're first summoned to a world, it's in mortal form. We don't really remember anything before that all too well. Myria hated that, so she reverted as soon as possible, but me... I like it better, this way. Mortal. I don't think I ever plan on going back. If I did... I'm not sure I'd still be _me_, instead of who I was before, you know?"

"I believe I do, _mademoiselle_," Jean said, nodding gravely, and the others followed suit, some looking more confused than others but all accepting.

"So, what?" Ryu glanced at her, smirking slightly; it was the best way to break the tension, with her. "You're my aunt now, or something?"

"Technically speaking, I guess the word would be Grandaunt," she shot back, smirking as well. "And yes." Her smirk faded. "Of course, so was Myria."

"When I was summoned into this world, it was actually in two parts," Ladon explained. "Two men, who I became. One who was good, though he still possessed the capacity for destruction, and one who was evil, though he was still capable of positive emotion. Only when the two were rejoined did I remember who I was, and from those two parts, from mine and Nina's two sons... the Light Dragons and the Dark Dragons were born."

"I get it." Ryu slowly nodded. "That's why it's always the Dragon Clan, most of all, every time. Because we're not natural to this world. We wouldn't have existed if you guys hadn't come here. It's all like that, isn't it? All of this. It always has been. Light Dragons all have blue hair and green eyes, just like one of your daughters, and Dark Dragons have blonde hair and violet eyes, like the other. Like you said... ever since you came here, it's been changing this world."

"Yes." Ladon replied quietly. "And not for the better, I think. The truth of the matter is, Ryu... for three thousand years now... everything that you, and your ancestors have done, has been damage control. We do not belong here, we who are called Gods, and the only reason I remained was in order to help this world survive against my mad daughter, and now her son. When I know for sure that neither of them will ever be able to threaten your world again, then I will depart as well, and only the Dragon Clan will remain to show that we were ever here at all."

"Don't you think that's a little hasty?" Bow asked quietly. "I mean, sure, you've made some calls I wouldn't agree with, but you're still a good guy, Ladon."

"Yeah, come on, man." Katt shook her head. "Nobody's perfect, you know? So you screwed up. We all do, some times. Doesn't mean you should _give _up. Just do better next time, yeah?"

"I have met far worse men than you, _mon ami_," Jean told the statue, his voice calm and serious. "Mortal, immortal... all that matters, truly, is to have a good heart."

"Do not blame yourself for the sins of your kind," Spar said. "And if you have committed sins of your own, then as Katt said, the proper course of action is to ensure that you do not repeat them."

"Don't know if I'm ever going to worship you, or anything." Rand shook his head. "I'm Namandian, you know? I believe in the faith. But you know... that doesn't mean I can't call you a friend, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Nina agreed. "I can't truly believe in a God, in the religious sense. But even if I can't offer you my devotion, Ladon... I'd like to continue spending time with you, every now and then, greatfather."

"You know, when I first heard you talking to me, I thought I'd snapped?" Sten asked, looking up at the darkness high above them. "I mean, I'd followed you all my life, but that's different than actually hearing God _talk _to you. I didn't mind, though. Because even if I thought I was crazy now, you helped me. Gave me some good advice. I don't really do the whole 'morality' thing very often, but you're good in my book."

"You know where I stand on the matter," Deis said somberly, meeting the statue's eyes with her own. "Nothing's changed since then. And it's not going to."

"There's something I think I've figured out, now," Ryu told the statue of the God. "I didn't really get it, until I thought about my mom, and everything she did. The thing is... this isn't really my story, or yours, or any of ours. It's not Martin's story, or Spekkio's, or Deis'. It's not Barubary's story, or Evans', or even Myria's. It's all of our story, and none of ours. This story... it's the story of this world, and all of our stories are just small parts of the whole. Even after my story is over, the big story will still go on. I'd feel better if you stuck around to keep an eye on things."

"And what will you do, once you are done?" Ladon asked quietly.

"I'll do what I always wanted to." Ryu smiled. "Me and my gang will earn an honest living. Strategically applied violence, for fun and profit. Mostly profit. And..." He reached up, and put a hand on one of the statue's foreclaws. "I'm not promising anything, but it seems to me like people are going to need another faith, to replace the Church of St. Eva. It'll have to be a gradual transition, of course, but if everything goes well... it seems to me that they could do a lot worse than you. We'll see what we can do. Right now, though... we've got some old business to settle. Once and for all."

"You do indeed," Ladon agreed, his voice growing more determined now. "The last two who remain to oppose you. Evans, and his champion."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded slowly. "And as crazy as I still think it is, to fight a freakin' God, if you say we've got a chance now that we have this Agni Anfini thing, I can work with that. Is there anything more you can tell us about that? Spekkio said its shape would be determined by who we were, just like the third stage, but I haven't actually used it yet, so I don't know what that is."

"Nor do I," Ladon admitted. "Neither of us will be able to, until the moment comes. Agni Anfini is only for use against the Endless, and so you will have to triumph over Evans' champion by your own strength. Only once you confront my grandson himself will we know. All that I can tell you is that whatever it is that is most important to you... that which is your greatest strength... that is what Agni Anfini shall reflect."

"To be honest, I'm not really sure what that is myself," Ryu admitted. "But okay. Fair enough. As for Barubary..." He ran his thumb across the hilt of his sword. "I wouldn't even if I could. A God is one thing, but him... no. That one's _personal._ We're going to settle that score once and for all with our own hands." Standing again, he nodded towards the statue. "I'm guessing we probably won't get another chance to talk, until all this is over, so wish us luck, okay? We'll be counting on you to be there when we need you."

"I will be," Ladon promised. "And I will trust in you to succeed. Good luck... and good hunting."

Ryu couldn't see his own face, but he saw the way everybody else's smiles turned sharp and their eyes glinted at that, and knew he was doing the same as he raised a hand and led the way back to the house. The rest of the day was quiet and uneventful, and after dinner they all turned in, knowing what they would be doing the next day.

_COME. _

The next day, they rose, dressed and ate breakfast before proceeding to the lower level of Dologany. There, in the side of the massive tower which the city beneath the earth surrounded, a pair of double doors led back inside. All of the people there watched in silence as the _Dragonkin _approached the doors, where Spekkio waited, standing before them.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ryu replied. "Unless there's anything else."

"Not really." The old man shook his head. "There's an old suit of armor and a sword that's customary, but to be honest, even considering that they're not exactly normal, they're kind of showing their age. Nothing lasts forever, and all that. Besides, I think you've got that angle pretty much covered already, anyway."

"I know people," Ryu said dryly. "We'd better get going, then."

"Fair enough." Standing aside, Spekkio inclined his head respectfully. "It's all up to you now. Good luck."

Returning the nod, Ryu opened the doors, and led his team onward into Infinity.

In the room behind the doors, several hundred green sludges, scavengers native to Auria that were only dangerous to small children and the extremely sick and elderly, all turned to stare with gelatinous golden eyes.

Nobody said anything for a few long moments.

"So," Ryu muttered quietly under his breath. "Deis. You've met Barubary before. Is he the type who thinks he has a sense of humor?"

"Oh, yeah." She sighed. "He thinks he's hilarious."

A few minutes of cleanup later, they proceeded onwards, as they had before they'd reached Dologany. The lower half of the tower was much like the upper portion, at first, but after the first day things began to change. Lost technology become more and more abundant, the kind they had seen in Sima, Highfort, Windia and Evrai, as well as beneath Township.

Soon, all stairs had been replaced by elevators, and sometimes by teleportation pads that simply _moved_ them from one place to another. Needless to say, these new features made navigating the mazelike structure even more aggravating than before, both on the outside and the inside of the tower. Eventually, the halls were entirely built of metal, and the doors as well, mechanical devices in their own right that only opened after Deis spent some time working with the strange glass panels and rows of letters and numbers that seemed to control them.

New breeds of demons began to appear as well, along with those which they'd already fought. Sneering turtles with shells made of shining crystal in every color of the rainbow were walked on leashes by paladins in golden plate mail, their helmets hiding their true faces. Bearded, beaked avian humanoids in robes with magic wands hovered alongside bright red reptilians bearing a strong resemblance to the savage Kimoto Clansmen in the world above.

The worse of all, for many reasons, were the occasional Dragon Clansmen who'd been corrupted over the many centuries the Clan had spent fighting their demonic enemies. Fortunately, those were few and far between, but at least once a day they would encounter one fully transformed into the third stage of the Breath Of Fire, and would have no choice but to slaughter him or her as mercilessly as the rest. Each time, they reverted to their humanoid form upon death, which Ryu tried not to look at.

They spent their days as they had in the upper half, the relief brought by the break in the action Dologany had given them fading as quickly as it had come. They simply kept going further and further downward, with no idea whatsoever how much more was left, sleeping in out-of-the-way nooks and crannies whenever they needed to and taking the watch in shifts of three whenever they did so. They'd made a sizable dent in their supplies by now, even with supplements from Dologany, but not so much that anybody was actually worried.

It was on the morning of the fourth day that they stepped through a mechanical door like any other, and found that the hall beyond was vast and dark, without a single trace of light within it.

And then Ryu took a step forward, and _felt _the sheer amount of power in the air around him, and knew who it was who waited there for him.

"_Whoa_," Katt snarled, narrowing her eyes. "Is this who I think it is?"

"Who else could it be?" Sten snarked, but his eyes were sharp as he glanced around the darkness ahead of them.

"Oh, yeah," Deis growled, clutching her cane tighter. "It's him."

"Did you feel this, the first time you met?" Spar asked, as calm as ever.

"No way." Bow shuddered. "We'd never have gone near the guy if we did. No, he must have been trying to keep quiet back then. This time, though..." He left it hanging.

"This time, he's showing off," Nina guessed. "I assume he's been looking forward to this. That would fit what we know about him."

"Enthusiasm is commendable, under normal circumstances," Jean murmured, shaken. "However, I cannot quite say that I approve of this particular method of expression."

"I'll give him a point for being straightforward, I guess," Rand grunted. "At least he's not screwing around like the rest of them."

"No, I suppose he's not," Ryu agreed, drawing his sword. "Let's return the favor." The others all nodded, and they walked ahead, Nina and Deis summoning floating spheres of magical light to see by. Even with those, however, they were unable to see anything around them save for the door they had just walked through, until it closed automatically behind them and left them in the darkness. There was only darkness, in all directions. Even the floor was completely black and nonreflective, apparently made of some rock in that color. For about a minute, they simply walked forward.

And then, on a simultaneous impulse, they all stood still, in the instant that they all heard deep and dark laughter echoing around them.

"Hahahahahaha..." An all-too familiar voice chuckled, the voice that had plagued Ryu's nightmares for as long as he could remember. "There you are. Finally, you have arrived. I've been waiting for you. Come closer, just a little further... if you're not afraid, that is."

Ryu didn't reply, not just yet, and neither did any of the others. They exchanged a glance, and nodded, and did as he'd asked.

"Permit me my sense of drama," the demon's voice continued as they proceeded. "It is one of my few remaining vices. A day like this comes along so rarely, that I simply can't help but enjoy it as much as possible when it does. The darkness doesn't frighten you any more, does it? Like it did when you were younger. When we first met. You're not going to scream for me, like you did then, are you?" He chuckled again. "Oh, well. More's the pity."

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Ryu? A very long time indeed, since first we met. Even then... no, even before then... I knew who you were, and what you would do. I knew that one day, you would be the one who would open the Gate for us. I knew that you would fulfill your destiny. In a way, you could say that I trusted you, young one. I trusted in your destiny... and in your bravery as well. I knew that you would not flee your destiny, but that you would confront it, without doubt or fear. I knew that from the moment you attempted to fight me, a helpless child."

"Do you remember me, as I remember you, Ryu Bateson of Gate? Do you remember your nightmare come to life?"

And then, they saw him, waiting for them ahead.

Even now, four feet taller than he'd been when last they met, Barubary's sheer size was intimidating enough. Twenty feet tall, he was a solid mass of gray carapace, with vestigial wings and ridiculously massive arms. His lower body rested on six black, multi-jointed insectoid legs spaced evenly around him, and his back and waist were twisted in a way implying the ability to completely turn around to face backwards without moving his lower torso if he wished. His chest and belly, along with his neck, were the only parts uncovered by carapace; instead, pulsing red muscle was exposed.

From the back of his lower torso, a long, whiplike tail thrashed, formed of segments of gray carapace attached to each other ending in a barbed spike. His arms were gigantic slabs of muscle with huge plates of gray chitin overlapping their full length, ending in great black claws that were spaced like human fingers and a thumb. From his hunched back, his neck extended, ending in a hideous, masklike visage with multiple sharp extensions of chitin spreading back over the top.

His maw was a grinning vise of needle fangs that split his entire skull in half horizontally, and above it, two bright eyes glittered maliciously, with a third one set above and between them. This one was closed; it was the third eye that had always haunted Ryu in his slumber, along with the demon's words. And then, as Barubary grinned, it opened vertically, and for a moment Ryu saw himself through the eye of another. An eye with a layer of purple flesh visible around the edges, under the chitin. A bloodshot green orb, with a blazing orange iris and a jet black pupil.

"Good morning, Ryu," Barubary's dark voice rumbled, as he towered over them. "Did you sleep well?"

"Morning, Barubary," Ryu forced himself to respond in the same casual tone, looking up and meeting his eyes. "Not really, but I figure I can make up for it tonight."

"Ha!" Barubary barked. "Bolder than ever! It seems I did an even better job with you than I thought!"

"And what the hell's _that _supposed to mean?" Katt yelled back, staring up as well. "Like your messing with him has anything to do with who he is?"

"Oh, but it does, young lady," Barubary replied, eyes darting towards hers now. "I have had only the best intentions in mind for Ryu since the day we met."

"Oh, please," Bow groaned. "This again? I hate to say this about _any _of you guys, especially _you_, 'old buddy,' but I actually expected better of you than to rip off Habaruku's gig. We've already heard about what you consider 'helping' us to be like."

"Ah, yes, Mister Dogi," Barubary murmured, glancing at him. "I remember you as well, though we didn't quite hit it off as well as I did with Ryu, so to speak. I'm glad to see you've grown some teeth, all the same. But you're wrong. Habaruku and I have... had... very different ideas of what it meant to help somebody."

"Let me guess," Sten replied scornfully. "You played his demon godfather, out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Cheeky, all of you!" Barubary laughed again. "I like it! But for _that _to be true, young man, my heart would need to _possess_ goodness, now wouldn't it? On the whole, I think... not. And yet... I am capable of a certain sense of duty, you could call it. Duty... and respect, for the first being in millennia to actually defeat me in combat, and the first mortal to do so at all. The most amazing mortal woman I have ever met."

"You _dare _to bring his mother into this?" Nina whispered, her eyes and voice both dark and cold and full of wrath.

"And why would I not?" Barubary asked in return, still sounding amused. "You seem to think that, like Habaruku, I feel nothing but scorn at _best_ for all who live aside from myself. On the contrary, I am speaking truly when I say that I felt no less for Valerie than the highest admiration and respect. Nothing less... and a great many things more, once she had defeated me. In all of my years, there has never been another quite like her."

"_Mon dieu_," Jean, of all people, murmured, looking sick.

"Are you..." Ryu sputtered, eyes widening in shock. "Are you saying... you had a _crush _on _my mom_? Is that seriously what you're telling me?"

"You cannot understand," Barubary told him simply, shaking his head. "As her son, and a dutiful son at that, there is simply no way for you to be able to see her as I did. I wonder, did Ganer see it, when he fell in love with her, as she did with him? Did he know what a beautiful destroyer she truly was? The most marvelous, incredible, merciless and lovely living catastrophe I have ever seen, in all my time upon this world? How could I _not _feel the way I did, after seeing her true glory, and falling in battle before it?"

"_Dude,_" Bow said, making a face. "That's just _wrong_."

"Despite the fact that that statement is not quantifiable, I find myself in total agreement," Spar murmured. "Dear _Ladon_, I had no need for _that _particular mental image."

"And this surprises you, coming from one such as I?" Barubary replied scornfully. "You should know better, by now. The morality of demons, if it can even be called that, is an entirely different thing from that of mortals, but even that is not my own. No, the code by which I live is mine and mine alone, and has always been, even before I took up service with the Goddess Myria. I pledged to her my allegiance, as well as my worship, and in return she gave me a title I had no need for... but I retained my beliefs, and have ever since."

"Well, _that's _different," Rand said flatly. "I'll give you that much. Not going to brag about who you are? Yours was 'Death,' wasn't it? The Demon Lord of Death, or the Demon King of Death, or whatever?"

"Yes, I was made King of the Demons," Barubary agreed, seeming to hunch in on himself, almost like drawing in a deep breath. "But in time, I surrendered both title and crown to he who is now both King and God, and Death as well. For I had no need of such things. My existence alone is enough." And then he seemed to exhale, and the pressure of the power around them increased even more, as he spread his arms. "I am _Barubary. _And I was First."

"First what?" Ryu shot back, frowning slightly on the emphasis he'd placed on that last word. "The first demon ever? We already knew _that_."

"No," Deis said quietly, her green eyes blazing. "It's more than that. I always wondered, about you. Now I know. _That's _what you are. You're the First."

"Indeed I am, Sorceress of Wisdon," Barubary replied, pulling his arms back in again. "I have lived for longer than the concept of years had any meaning whatsoever. I existed before civilization, before religion, before thought itself. Before the first humans crawled out of the jungles, and started to dress in skins, I was. Before the different Clans began to evolve to join them, I was. Before the Endless came to this world, I was. Before sentient life _existed_ outside of my mind, and mine alone... _I was. _I am Barubary, _and I was First._"

"Yeah, okay," Ryu shot back after a moment, gripping his sword even tighter. "As much as I'd _like _to say something smart, I have to admit, that's actually impressive. I'd be an idiot if I didn't." He shook his head. "But it doesn't change a damn thing. Doesn't matter how long you've been alive. Here and now, today's the day it ends."

"And you asked if _I _was going to boast?" Barubary chuckled again. "I would mock your hypocrisy, if I did not know you were speaking from the heart. You truly believe you will be able to triumph, at last... not only over me, but over my God as well. Wonderful! I've been waiting for that strengthening of your resolve, as much as I have for you to open the Gate! You've grown up, Ryu! And whether you like it or not... no, rather, perhaps it is even _amplified _by your hatred... I _am _proud of what you've become. On Valerie's behalf, and for my own sake."

"You actually mean that, don't you?" Nina said slowly, shaking her head. "You're not even trying to mess with our minds. You're being completely honest about that. You really do think everything you did to him was for the better."

"I worried for you, Ryu," Barubary continued, smile somehow even more hideous than before. "Truly, I did. A young boy, out in the wilderness alone, with only one friend, just as helpless? Living on the road, sleeping in ditches and alleys, scrounging up food by any means necessary? Such children rarely survive to adulthood, and that was necessary, both for my God and for my own satisfaction. I _needed _you to live, Ryu, not only to open the Gate, but also so that we would meet again, and settle what we started the last time we met. _That _is why I have watched over you all these years."

"You realize that that does not make your actions any less disturbing," Spar informed him clinically. "In fact, I daresay it only increases that."

"As I said before, I care little for the opinions of others," Barubary replied. "Believe me or do not, it changes nothing. But I am truly glad that you lived, Ryu. I'm glad that you opened the Gate. And I'm glad that you now stand before me, prepared for our final conflict. I may be a demon, and I may be the enemy of all life, as is my master... but I have never tried to hide what I am, or anything about me. I am evil, and I know it, but I do not lie, Ryu. And so, I am speaking with absolute honesty when I say that had it not been for my influence, I doubt you would have survived."

"You _changed _me?" Ryu growled, fury rising. "It wasn't enough that you tried to slaughter everybody in my home, that your buddies Habaruku and Aruhameral destroyed my life, that you _stalked _me ever since I was _three?_ You had to go and _do _something to me, too?"

"Oh, shit," Katt muttered, staring at him. "_That's _why. He's talking about why you're like me, Ryu. When a fight gets _real_, and you get more... you know, intense."

"The word is berserk, Katt," Deis said, looking from one of them to the other. "Although the state that's common to your Clan is a bit different from the usual case. It originates from joy, just as much as fury, if not moreso. Deriving pleasure from challenge, from conflict. I _wondered_ why Ryu exhibited the same signs. None of his ancestors ever did, not quite the same way. Now it makes sense. It wasn't natural to him. It's a side effect from the mental link between these two. Probably because it was set up at such an early age, when his mind was still developing."

"Are you saying that all those times I snapped, when I was a kid..." Ryu said slowly, his entire body shaking. "All those times when I just stopped thinking... all those times when I hurt people, badly, worse than they deserved because I was stronger and angrier than I should have been, and I _liked _doing it even though I _knew _how wrong that was, just as long as they didn't make it easy for me..." He glanced at Katt, and knew the same thought ran through her mind as his, the thought of how much that shared feeling had contributed to their mutual attraction. "That was all because of _you_?"

"You think that's..." Rand trailed off in disgust. "You sick bastard!"

"And it _worked_," Barubary exulted. "You lived, despite the odds, and you grew strong, Ryu. I fulfilled my duty to both my god and your mother, in the same action. And now it is done. Your part in the destiny of this world is completed. You opened the Gate, as I always knew you would. This world will belong to Evans, as will all who live upon it, as absolute destruction emerges from the doors you opened! Life will become death, and every single living soul will become a part of God himself. All because of you, Ryu."

"No," Jean said coldly, holding his rapier before him, as all the others took up similar stances. "Such a thing will _not _come to pass, monstrosity. Not while we draw breath."

"Yes..." Barubary hissed. "That's absolutely correct. The only hope remaining for this world lies in all of you. Only if you can slay God himself will this world be saved from its fate. And that will only happen over _my _dead body! Come on, Ryu! Come, all of you! _This _is the moment in which the fate of this world will be decided! The moment which the spirit of the planet itself has been waiting to watch, ever since your story began! The moment _I _have been waiting for, for countless millennia! I'm not going to hold back on you like I did ten years ago!"

"_Okay_, then," Sten muttered under his breath as they spread out, as Barubary turned his body sideways so that he was looking at them over his left arm, holding it before him as if to shield himself. "Now we just have to figure out how the _hell_ we even _fight_ something _this _huge."

"Let's start off with a bang!" Deis suggested, raising her cane and launching three hands of flame. Nina followed with a wolf of living ice, arcing a bridge of frost in the air as it leaped, and Sten with a series of atmospheric detonations as Rand raised a hand and caused the earth to shake around them with bone-shattering force at its strongest point, where Barubary stood. Katt followed suit, throwing caution to the wind and releasing her entire magical store in one gigantic bolt of lightning.

As the final step, Ryu transformed into the Gate Dragon, and released his fury, the fury that Barubary himself had given him. A storm of thousands of blasts of pure blazing light burst from him, from his jaws and from his claws and from his wings and from the very air around him, crashing over Barubary's massive form like raindrops.

As the spells erupted, Barubary remained where he stood, turning his body to the left and raising one massive arm to shield his face. He stood there, as fire and ice and air and earth and lightning and rage all ravaged his gigantic, twisted body.

And as the last attack faded, and Ryu returned to his normal form, he laughed and whipped his claws towards them in a gigantic backhand blow. Though they remained out of range, the force of the attack created something all too familiar to Ryu's eyes; a blood-red crescent of energy, the same kind that had been Tiga's trump card. One ten times as large and as wide as Tiga's had been. It hit them like a tidal wave, and every one of the Dragonkin went flying, bleeding, howling in pain.

"Not bad!" Barubary roared. "Not bad at all! That actually _hurt! _It seems I may have misjudged you; perhaps Ryu is not the only one who has grown his teeth!" All three eyes leered at them over the top of his arm as his jaws gaped open, and between hundreds of needlepoint fangs, a massive bolt of electricity blasted out towards them.

"Shit!" Sten yelled as most of them dived aside, the more agile of them dragging Spar and Nina with them. Only Rand and Jean were both too large and too slow to escape, and though they only took glancing hits, they screamed and writhed in the throes of electrocution all the same.

"It has become abundantly clear that a fully magical assault will not suffice," Spar said clinically as he and Bow healed them both, and then the others. "It seems we must attack physically as well, no matter how daunting the prospect seems."

"Yeah, seems that way." Sten grimaced. "Any ideas?"

"I've got one," Rand said flatly, getting back to his feet. He glanced at Jean, and the Creeper Prince nodded slightly before running forward in a headlong charge as Rand moved over to where Ryu and Katt were standing.

"_En guarde, _monstrosity!" He yelled, flourishing his rapier.

"What?" Barubary replied, sounding amused, before raising one clawed limb and bringing it down like a flyswatter. A moment later, he raised his other arm, just in time to shield his eyes as a succession of crossbow bolts ricocheted harmlessly off.

"So what's the-" Ryu started to ask, before grunting as Katt grabbed him by the waist with both hands and lifted him over her head.

"Aw, no," Sten groaned as Rand picked him up one-handed, and both men screamed as their friends hurled them straight towards Barubary's head. Even as he flew, however, Ryu raised his sword, and managed to turn his flight into a buzzaw cut, actually raising sparks as the blade ground into the surprised monstrosity's carapace, to the right of his eyes. The fact that, a moment later, he heard Katt scream as well helped a little too, as did seeing her handplant off of Barubary's upper muzzle and do a frontflip before bringing her staff down on him.

"You gonna try and get us up here?" She taunted as the three of them continued their assault, and as those down below blasted him with magic again. "Gonna hit yourself?"

In response, Barubary pulled his head back, and then lunged forward with his entire spine, as if intending to headbutt the _floor_. It was only at the last second that Ryu realised that that was in fact what he intended to do, and he flung himself backwards, as did Katt and Sten. Due to the angle, he was unable to turn his landing into a roll, and hit the dark stone floor hard, actually bouncing.

"Okay, maybe not such a good idea," Rand admitted, healing them.

"No, no, it'll work," Sten told him, the three of them climbing back to their feet. "We did some damage. We just need to figure out a way... where's Spar?"

"Talking when you should be fighting?" Barubary laughed, before slamming them with another blood crescent, and following up with a blast of fire from his maw that blew them away, scorched and screaming. "You know better than that!"

"Behind him," Deis whispered urgently as Bow and Rand healed them all. "Spar's creeping up behind him. Using that whip of his as a climbing rope."

"Of course!" Ryu snapped his fingers, rising again. "His arms won't be able to reach us back there. They're shaped the wrong way. The only way he'd be able to get us off would be to fling himself on his back, and he'd have trouble getting back up after that. We need to get back there. Problem is, he won't fall for the same trick twice." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out one of the balls of concentrated Wise Fruit. "All right, when I blast him, Katt, Sten and Jean run for it."

"What's this?" Barubary suddenly arced his back. "A flea, looking for blood?" He flexed his wings, and they slammed together like a vise, causing a familiar howl of pain to echo through the cavern.

"Damnation, Spar!" Nina swore fervently, as she and Deis both blasted Barubary once more, with twin pillars of electricity this time. "That didn't mean _you _should try to climb him!"

"Balls aren't all it takes to win a fight!" Katt snarled in agreement, but despite her anger, her eyes showed just as much approval. "We gotta get it off of him!"

"Allow me," Ryu growled, downing the ball. Instantly, his magical power returned, restored to full after only one dose as the townspeople had promised. Without waiting a moment more, he transformed, and unleashed his blazing power upon Barubary once more. Again the monstrosity shielded his face, and in doing so unconsciously relaxed his wings, allowing Spar to tumble limply off of his back.

"I got him!" Bow yelled, even as he fired again the moment Ryu returned to his humanoid form and Barubary lowered his arm. Unfortunately, the enemy simply closed his eyes, and all of the bolts bounced off of the chitin lids, even as he opened his maw and breathed a cold wind even more frigid than a northern blizzard. Everybody before him withered before the ice, shaking and trembling in pain, even as the white mages gave healing and the black mages warmth. Despite that, Ryu saw Katt, Sten and Jean run around Barubary's sides, and smirked before charging him as Jean had.

"Hahahaha!" Barubary laughed, watching him approach. "Do you still wish I had not shown you the ways of _true _courage? Do you, Ryu?" He raised his left claw, to crush him as he had when he was a child, but before he could, Rand intervened. Rolling into a ball, the huge Farm Clansman had charged at full speed. At the last moment, Deis created an explosion beneath him, launching him into the air towards Barubary's head. Surprised, the monstrosity was forced to bat him away instead of Ryu, swatting him out of the sky before he hit.

Though every automatic instinct in Ryu's body screamed at him to attack the exposed torso, the red expanse of unarmored flesh and muscle before him, he forced himself to ignore it and continue around the side, towards the back. As he saw Spar's whip dangling, somehow attacked to a point between Barubary's wings, he saw Jean finish climbing to join Katt and Sten up there, where the two of them were ripping savagely at the bases of his wings. For the first time, Barubary actually showed signs of pain, arcing his back and howling.

"Good thinking," Ryu grunted as he climbed, desperation driving him to pull himself up faster than he ever had before on a rope. "Taking off a wing won't _kill _him, but the blood loss'll slow him down. And if we get both..."

"That was what we thought," Katt agreed, as the black mages slammed Barubary with fire and ice again. "All right, let's-aw, no." Her eyes widened as Barubary lunged forward with his entire body, even further than he had before. "Off! _Now!_"

"Aw, _no!_" Sten shouted as they all leapt away. Barubary _had _dove forward, curling his head and arms and back, and he was _rolling _onto head and arms and back across the floor. Had they remained on him, they would have been crushed into paste; as it was, his path took them towards the rest of the team, who scattered as he finished by bringing his lower body and all six jointed legs down, landing squarely with an impact that shook the cavern around them. Even as he did, he slapped Deis and Rand, sending them both flying to crash almost as painfully as those who'd been on his back had.

"Hahahahaha!" Barubary laughed as they all pulled back, bones knitting and bruises fading under their healers' power. Slowly, he turned, spiderlike legs bringing him around, and gave them a grin even more savage than his usual rictus. "Yes, yes! Just like that! Interesting! How wonderfully interesting, all of you!"

"Having fun?" Ryu shot back, mockingly, though he held his ground, glancing at the team to do the same; something about Barubary's stance, and his words, signaled a break in the action, one he was all too glad to accept so that they could all catch their breath.

"Aren't you?" Barubary replied, three eyes all glittering. "Don't try and deny it, Ryu. The screaming child I once knew so well has grown so much, and gained such strength! And not just you, but _all _of your kindred! You might actually be able to do it, as your mother did thirteen years ago! Yes... best, I think, if I do not repeat my mistake of that night, and allow my pride to restrain my actions."

"Holding back?" Ryu replied scornfully. "As if you even know how? Don't make me laugh. That's not the way you do things. Anything."

"Ah, you see?" Barubary chuckled. "You know my nature, as I know yours. And thus you know what I would find... distasteful, in a fight, on principle for one of my stature."

"Healing," Deis snarled. "You can use white magic. I can tell."

"Oh, shit," Bow muttered. "If he can do _that_, then..." He trailed off; everybody knew what he was thinking.

"We can still beat him," Katt argued, determined. "Yeah, okay, he'll patch himself up. He can't do it forever, right? We can wear him down. We'll last longer than he does. Right?"

"Maybe," Sten growled. "But that's not the sort of thing to put your zenny on."

"So why bring it up?" Ryu asked, raising an eyebrow. "You'd prefer not to do that, but you're not stupid enough to fight us without going all-out. Okay, I get that. What's your point?"

"My point, as you put it, is a _challenge_," Barubary explained, as they all trembled under the _feel _of his power around them once more. "I will limit my actions, if you wish... but only if you do so as well. How about it, Ryu? You think you have the power and the courage to slay God himself? If that is the case, then _nothing _less should daunt you! Come, and let us settle this between us, just as we did when you were a child! You and me! _One on one!_"

"Are you crazy?" Katt yelled. "Or do you just think _we _are? Like hell we'd agree to that!"

"It's completely out of the question!" Nina agreed, but her voice held a hint of worry, and she glanced at Ryu's eyes.

"Buddy?" Bow said quietly, as everybody else turned to look at him, as he remained silent. "You're not... are you seriously thinking about doing it?"

"This isn't about me, Barubary," Ryu said quietly, meeting the demon's three eyes. "It never was. If I'm the only one here who you can see, that just shows how blind you really are. I never would have made it this far without everybody here with me. I forgot that, once, not too long ago, and I paid for it. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

"Your trust in your friends is admirable," Barubary replied in the same tone, looking back. "But it can become a weakness, just as much as trust in only your only strength can. If you allow yourself to rely solely on them, without your own power... if you use them as a crutch, rather than as a blade... you will fail, just as you did before. Your destiny awaits you ahead, when you face God... but in order to do so, first, you must surpass _me. _And while you will challenge God with the full weight of destiny behind you, _our _fight is _personal,_ Ryu of the town of Gate."

"Guys?" Ryu said quietly. "What do you think? I know this is crazy, but... hypothetically, let's just say if there _was _a way... what should I do?" None of them spoke, for several long moments, until finally, Bow cleared his throat.

"If you think you can do it?" He said, putting his hand on Ryu's shoulder. "I'll back you up. Like I said. I'm with you, buddy, all the way."

"Same here," Katt agreed quickly. "I hate to give this shithead what he wants, but... he's kind of got a point. I know if somebody did this shit to me, I'd want to take that offer, and not just because one-on-one's when it's the most fun, you know?"

"If there was a way?" Nina said slowly, her eyes still troubled. "Then... I wouldn't say no."

"I have faith in you, _mon ami_," Jean told him simply, honestly. "If you believe you can triumph, than I do as well."

"Heh." Sten chuckled once, short and sharp. "Me, I think it's stupid. Impractical. But you're the boss, not me. You think it'll work, then that's good enough."

"I know what it's like, kind of," Rand said slowly. "When it's personal. So as much as I want to tell you not to... I won't."

"It is entirely illogical," Spar told him, before shaking its head and smiling wryly. "But then, that's never stopped us before, has it?"

"Thanks, guys." Ryu glanced at Barubary, who was waiting for them with silent, savage patience before glancing at Deis, who had remained silent as well. "That just leaves the question of if there _is _a way I'd stand a chance. Agni Anfini's not going to fly, but is there anything else?"

"If you could maintain your dragon form..." She said slowly. "If you could keep it up for the rest of the fight, without reverting, like your mother did..."

"But he can't," Katt pointed out, before frowning. "Can he?"

"I did for a little, once," Ryu recalled, thinking back. "When Martin awakened the second stage of the Breath of Fire. I took some Wise Fruit the moment I transformed, and then some more a few seconds later, and that was enough to keep it up for a good half a minute. That's not going to be long enough, though... and I can't just keep doing that over and over. That would leave me wide open."

"But once you've stabilized yourself in the first place, all you would need would be a constant supply of magic," Nina realized, snapping her fingers. "All we would have to do is reverse the Drain spell, so that we were _giving _you magical power, instead of taking it."

"Me, Nina and Spar can all do that," Deis explained. "And if we really focus, we might be able to Drain from the rest of these guys as well. If we all hang back, take those concentrated supplements when we need it, and keep on giving you power..."

"Then..." Ryu said quietly, as realization dawned. "I won't be fighting alone. Not really. The only thing that'll keep me in the fight will be your guys' power, not my own. I'll be fighting with _your _strength." He smiled, suddenly. "That's what the difference will be, between Tiga and this. As long as you guys are with me... as long as I can count on you... I won't lose."

"Well?" Barubary bellowed. "How long do you expect me to simply watch and wait, children of destiny? Make your decision! If anything goes, no mercy and no rules, well then, that can be fun too! Just don't blame me for following suit! If that is the case, then enough wasting time, and let's be on with it!"

"That won't be necessary," Ryu shouted back, pulling a pair of the white balls of Wise Fruit from his pocket, as the others all took out one each, even Katt. Sheathing his sword, he slowly walked towards Barubary, keeping the magical medicine firmly in hand. "You're right. This isn't about fate, or destiny, or God. Not this time. You're different, Barubary. Different from all the other scum. I'll give you that much." He smiled without fear, despite all the years of terror in the night. "And because of that, I'll give you what you want, too. I'll grant your wish."

And then, as he downed the first white ball, he felt the Breath of Fire return to him, and he transformed once more.

"_Yes!_" Barubary bellowed exultantly, spreading his arms. "Good, good! Absolutely wonderful, Ryu of Gate! I _knew _you wouldn't disappoint me! Your courage is true, as is your will! Come on, then, and slay your nightmare with your own strength, and nothing more, against mine!"

In response, Ryu simply roared without words; there were no more left to say. All that he had left was his power, and his wrath, and his belief in those who stood by him. And so he unleashed everything he had upon Barubary, a storm of blazing light that ravaged him from head to tail. In response, Barubary opened his own maw and screamed a response of fire and ice and lightning, all three together at once. Elemental fury and pure bright power raged against each other, and though both behemoths buckled, neither fell.

As soon as the magic they had summoned faded, Ryu felt his own power do so as well, and brought his right claw up to feed himself the final white ball. But Barubary was moving as well, his whiplike tail lashing out and slapping the arm, knocking the medicine away. For a moment, as he watched it fly away, Ryu almost felt despair, as the Breath of Fire within him withered further and faded away.

And then, like a lightning bolt, another surge of power slammed into him, replenishing what he'd burned away in only seconds. A second, and then a third, followed suit, and with the magic came the feeling that had become all too familiar in less than a year. The feeling that he had come to rely on more than his own strength, which he had trusted to keep him alive for all of his life. The sensation that he'd thought he'd lost forever ten years ago, until he'd found it again. In the brother who'd watched his back all his life, the two girls he'd come to love, and the friends... the family... who had found each other, as he'd found them.

As the Breath of Fire surged to new life, stronger than ever before within him, Ryu raised his head. And his roar was echoed by eight more behind him, as he summoned another storm of light and fury and threw himself forward against the twenty-foot-tall monstrosity whose size and power he now matched completely.

And Barubary laughed, with approval and delight and genuine pride in those who sought to kill him, as he breathed fire and ice and lightning once more, and met Ryu's strength with his own both magically and physically. The Dragon of Gate and the greatest of demons met at last, slamming into each other like charging bulls, and their magic continued to rage around and against them both as they fought.

Quick as a whip, Ryu's head snaked out on the end of his long neck, aiming for the wound Katt and Sten and Jean had made before at the base of one wing. Barubary had expected that, however, and intercepted his bite with one gigantic claw. Even as the massive limb slammed into the side of his head, Ryu sank his teeth into it, and such was his power that even the gray plates of chitin as thick as a wall cracked beneath his fangs.

His own claws shot out as well, both those on his hands and on his feet, and finally they tore into the weak point that he'd seen as soon as they'd met again, that he'd always known would be too well guarded for an attack to actually work. Until now. The front of Barubary's torso, the only place on him that was uncovered by carapace, red flesh and muscle exposed to his rending claws. All four sank in, and tore bloody paths through, until Barubary stunned him with another ringing blow, this time with his other arm.

It took him a moment to realize that the second blow had been to his back, and that the pressure of it was only increasing, and by then it was too late. Barubary was embracing him, pulling them closer together with bone-crushing force. And as he did, his own nightmarish jaws gaped open, as his head lunged for Ryu's neck.

Only two things saved his life, for had Barubary's teeth closed on his throat, he would have died then and there. The first was the blazing light he called forth with another roar, releasing the demon's other claw in order to do so. Barubary met it with power of his own, as he had before, but doing so gave him pause for a moment, long enough for Ryu to act.

The other thing was his own tail, nearly as long and powerful as Barubary's, and tipped with an even more deadly barb. It whipped up, towards the limb that clutched him, and the spike on its end struck at the space between two of the chitinous plates, digging in painfully and mercilessly. Barubary howled in pain, and the tail pulled back, dragging the claw away long enough for Ryu to put more space between them.

Both stood there for a moment, regarding each other as they breathed heavily once more. At the same time, with the same breath, they both attacked again, with blazing light and blistering elements, before throwing themselves at each other once more. This time, Barubary was the first to attack, raising one gigantic claw into the air and bringing it down towards Ryu's head, which he twisted to avoid, on the end of his long neck. In response, he brought his own right claw up and gripped the side of Barubary's skull, forcing it to one side.

Roaring, Barubary brought his own right claw around and slammed it into Ryu's side, claws digging and muscles clenching. Even as he felt ribs begin to crack, Ryu continued to press against Barubary, sinking his left claw into the flesh and muscle and rich red blood under the demon's right arm as he shoved him with the other, forcing him slowly to the side. Tail cracked against tail, both flying out like barbed whips now, lashing wildly, as their eyes met. Again they inhaled, and again they roared their fury, as the struggle continued.

Slowly, ever so slowly, inch by inch and foot by foot, Barubary moved. Though the greatest of demons' unbelievable physical strength was superior even to Ryu's own, even in this form, Ryu had him pinned. Even when Barubary's left claw wrapped around his back and pulled him forward again, he turned that pressure against the demon as well. Only when Barubary's head was firmly locked to one side, and his legs beginning to finally give way, did Ryu strike with his head. His jaws closed around the wounded wing, and with all the muscles in his neck straining, he ripped it from its socket.

Barubary roared again then, in agony as well as in fury, and his limbs involuntarily relaxed, allowing Ryu to finish what he had started. Both arms and claws straining, he _threw _the gigantic demon onto his back with a crash that shook the entire cavern. Stunned, claws and jaws both falling away, Barubary nevertheless continued to attack with the one weapon he had left aside from the magic he breathed with every roar. His tail began to savagely strike at Ryu's face, faster and harder than it had been before, and he was forced to retreat out of range, lest he lose an eye.

He waited there, as Barubary began to climb back to his six insectlike feet, before charging once more at the right moment. He'd seen the way to win, in the demon's own deformed body, and the weaknesses that his shape brought along with his strengths. Clutching Barubary's by the bases of his arms, where they joined his shoulders, he continued forward, actually carrying him along the dark hall with all the strength in his legs and wings and arms and chest.

Surprised, Barubary struggled, pitting his strength against Ryu's, but the hold on his upper arms made it impossible for him to do so fully. He pulled his head back, then lunged forward towards Ryu's own, but the Dragon of Gate had been ready for that, and began lashing at his enemy's eyes with his barbed tail, forcing him to pull his head back. When Barubary's own tail replied in kind, he was prepared for that too. Even as he continued to push, he watched carefully, waiting for the moment. And when it came, he struck.

His fangs sank into Barubary's tail, catching it and pulling it tight; he doubted he would be able to rip it free as he had the demon's left wing, but that wasn't necessary. All he needed to do was immobilize it, and he had, and a moment later he finally reached the side of the dark hall. Slamming Barubary against the cavern wall, he continued to slash at the demon's face with his tail as he kept on pushing, climbing onto the demon's bent lower body with his legs as well. With all four limbs straining, he forced Barubary back against the wall.

As mighty as Barubary's body was, it was a strength born of mutation, of a hideous _wrongness _that no other form of life on the planet had ever echoed, or ever would. And because of that, his warped skeleton had never allowed him to straighten his back.

Roaring in mindless rage, Barubary struggled against him, digging into Ryu's wings with both mighty claws as his tail strained against the dragon's teeth. As fire and ice and lightning all raged around him, through him, Ryu thought only of the one task before him. Forcing Barubary's upper body further back, and his lower body as well, against the surface of the wall. Locked together, the titans struggled for what seemed like an eternity.

And then, with a crack that echoed through all of Infinity, Barubary's back finally went fully rigid as his spine snapped, and the strength fled from his arms and his tail and his legs.

Stepping back, Ryu watched him for a moment before roaring once more, blasting him with blazing energy one final time, and then reverting to his humanoid form.

"You did it, buddy!" Bow yelled jubilantly as the others all ran forward to join him where he crouched, exhausted, down on one knee. "You got him!"

"Holy _shit_ that was awesome!" Katt told him, grinning. "I knew you could do it!"

"You are victorious, _mon ami_," Jean said gravely, despite his own smile. "There is no longer any doubt, in any of our hearts and minds."

"Good work," Nina said quietly, looking almost as exhausted as Ryu felt, though she smiled as well. "Katt's right. That was... really something to see."

"Wow," Deis muttered absently, running a hand through her hair. "It actually worked. Who'd have thunk it."

"Pretty clean job, all things considered," Sten said, ignoring her. "Nice. Neat. Efficient."

"Yeah, looked like it to me." Rand clapped Ryu on the shoulder, almost knocking him into the ground. "Whoops. Sorry."

"Do not drop your guards," Spar said suddenly, sharply. "He still lives."

"Ha..." Barubary chuckled, unmoving, as he lay in a heap in the darkness ahead of them, limp and lifeless. "Not for long, I assure you. Do not worry yourselves. Your leader's victory is complete. You have won, Ryu Bateson. You have killed me."

"Yeah," Ryu replied quietly, raising his head and looking up. Though he was clearly immobile now, Barubary's three eyes still glowed, golden in the darkness. "I did. You're dead, Barubary. Finally, I can be rid of you." He closed his eyes then, looking away, before snarling in fury. "So why aren't I _happy?_ Why do I want to yell at you to heal yourself, like I know you still can? To get back up, and fight me again?"

"Ryu..." Katt and Nina both murmured together.

"Because that is who you are, Ryu of the town of Gate," Barubary told him simply. "Because this is your life. Conflict. Battle. The dance of blood, that I have taught you so well. I will never touch your dreams again, but you will always remember when I did." His constant grin seemed to widen. "Do not fight your own nature, Ryu. Embrace it. And if you wish, turn it to good. Use that rage and joy that have always been part of you, and constantly seek out those who need your help. There will always be evil men in this world, and there will always be those who you can save from them."

"You..." Ryu slowly said, before raising his Dragon's Tear, and pointing it at Barubary. He wasn't even surprised when, rather than the black color of hatred that every demon had shown before, the tear turned a deep, blood red. "What the hell are you saying?"

"I am saying that you are strong, Ryu," Barubary continued calmly. "Never again doubt your own strength, of both body and of soul. You have proved both beyond a doubt, today. You are stronger than any of us, than even I, ever thought. You, and all of you. But strength alone is not enough to slay Evans. Do you realize that? Do you have the answer? Are you _ready_, Ryu Bateson?"

"Yeah." Ryu slowly nodded. "I am." Finally standing again, he looked from one of his group to another, and each nodded in turn. "We are. We're ready."

"No, you are not." Barubary's eyes glittered with what looked like amusement. "But you will be, once you have rested, and recovered. Do so, here in this place. This dark hall is feared as my domain, and mine alone, by all who live within Infinity. None will dare to disturb you here, even now."

"You..." Ryu started to say, before trailing off and shaking his head. "You don't make any sense. Don't you even care if we kill your god?"

"My god?" Barubary laughed, sharp and dark. "No. Evans was my _responsibility_, the last responsibility given to me by my mistress. The first woman I ever loved, though I knew she would never return anything more than scorn, long before your mother was born. It is to her that I now turn again, now that the duty she gave me is fulfilled, now that neither son of the women I loved have any further need of me. Though she may be dead, still I pledge my life and my death in the name of Myria, and still I hope that somehow, my soul will find hers once more in the void beyond life."

"Would that even work?" Bow asked Deis quietly.

"Honestly?" She shook her head, looking troubled. "I really have no idea. Evans won't get him, though, I can say that much. And anything's better than that."

"Was it worth it?" Ryu found himself asking, without knowing why. "All of it, Barubary? No regrets?"

"Perhaps," Barubary replied in that same slow, calm voice. "Regrets... no, I have no regrets, at least none related to my own actions. And yet... perhaps we were wrong. Perhaps we never should have meddled with the destined child. If we had remained here and waited, without seeking to find the one who would open the gate... we would have triumphed in the end, when our God became strong enough to break through with his own power." He chuckled. "How ironic, that our own impatience will lead to our downfall, and all of our deaths."

"It's a little late for that," Rand grunted, folding his arms. "Hope you're not expecting forgiveness."

"Of course not," Barubary replied scornfully. "Forgiveness would be an insult, at this point. No... all that I ask is recognition, of my strength. As I recognize yours, and your courage as well. Rest here, and when you awaken, proceed into the final depths of Infinity. Fulfill your destiny, kindred of the dragon. And never forget the path you walked, that brought you to this point, that made you who and what you are today. Remember always... that I was Barubary... and I was First."

Slowly, the golden light in his eyes died, the lower two first, and then finally the third. Only when that final eye was dark did Ryu feel the sense of Barubary's presence fade from the dark hall around them, and from his mind as well, never to return.

"He..." Spar said slowly, as if not sure what words to use. "He was our enemy. Perhaps our greatest enemy of all, even more than Evans. And yet... he was..." It trailed off.

"There was nothing in this world quite like him," Jean finished for it. "He was monstrous, and he was magnificent. He was both great and terrible, as few before him have ever been, and few after shall ever be."

"Come on," Sten told them all. "Let's do what he said, heal up, have some dinner and get some sleep. As stupid as this might sound, I don't think he was lying about this hall being safe."

"No." Ryu shook his head, still staring at the demon's corpse. "No, he wouldn't. No matter what else he did... he never told a lie. Not once." A moment more, and then he turned away. "Yeah, okay. Food and sleep, for now. And after that..." He left it hanging, and nobody needed to ask what he was thinking. They all knew.

It was time to finish things, once and for all.

_FEAR THE VOICE IN THE DARK _


	45. Chapter 42: God

_**Chapter 42: God **_

Ryu woke up.

"Hey, buddy," Bow said quietly as he sat up and stretched; like everybody except for Deis, Rand and Spar, who'd been on the last watch, he still looked groggy. For obvious reasons, making a campfire wasn't exactly feasible in the depths of Infinity, and so they'd been forced to do without their morning coffee. "How'd you sleep?"

It had been a week since the death of Barubary, and they had proceeded further down the tower of Infinity ever since, leaving his dark hall the next morning and continuing as they had before. The only thing that had changed had been the environment; on the other side of their fallen nemesis' resting place, advanced technology had given way to a much more disgusting environment. Infinity itself had become a sort of biological horror, the walls and floor and ceiling all made of rotting, disgusting black flesh that throbbed and bled and occasionally even moaned. Despite this, they had pressed on without pause, only taking extra care to make sure open wounds never touched any of it.

"Had another dream, again," he said, scratching his chin and idly noting that he needed a shave. "A normal one, that is. Or at least, I assume that's what normal dreams are like."

"Interesting?" Nina asked, stifling a yawn.

"You could say that," he grunted as he did a couple more stretches, working the kinks out of his muscles. "We were singing. All of us. Including Niro."

"What, like barroom songs?" Katt blinked sleepily. "That's nothing new."

"Not exactly." He shook his head. "Think more like opera. Or so I assume. I've never actually seen one."

"Interesting," Spar commented after everybody thought that one over for a moment.

"Yeah, it kind of was," Ryu agreed. "At least until the Demon Lords showed up on stage. That was when it just got downright disturbing. Also, I'm pretty sure actual opera doesn't sound so..." He groped for a word. "Metallic, I suppose."

"Metallic music, _mon ami_?" Jean asked, frowning. "I must confess, I have never heard of such a thing."

"Probably for the best." He walked over and joined the group, taking his share of the travel rations they were having for breakfast. "Anyways, at least I slept well. How about the rest of you?"

"As much as can be expected, on the road," Deis muttered; despite not being as groggy as everybody else, the Sorceress had never really gotten used to not being able to sleep in, and probably never would. "Pretty sure we're all good to go, anyways."

"Good." Ryu nodded. "Because I've got a funny feeling. I think today's going to be it."

"Instinct?" Rand asked.

"Partially," he admitted. "But that's not all. It's been seven days since we killed Barubary, and it was seven days to reach him, from Dologany. It took us two weeks to get to there, and they said that that place was halfway down. Do the math, and we've got to be close."

"Makes enough sense to me," Sten agreed, flipping a dagger. "This is it, then, huh?"

"Yeah." Ryu looked around the circle of those who had become his most trusted friends, and more than friends, and found that he didn't even need to ask the question that was on his mind; it was already answered, in the looks in their eyes. Instead, he finished his food, and stood, as did they all. "Today, we end this. No more destiny bullshit. No more higher powers taking control of our lives. No more people we care about being sacrificed. We _end _this. And we go back up, and _live_."

"Sounds great to me," Bow said, smiling slightly.

"Damn straight," Katt chimed in, winking. "I've been waiting for this."

"I believe we all have," Nina agreed, more somberly, but with just as much determination. "For far too long."

"Let's just do it, and get it over with, then," Rand said quietly.

"That's the only thing you can do, with dirty work like this." Sten shrugged. "We know how that goes, by now."

"Today is the day we fulfill our destiny, _mon amis_," Jean murmured, resolute. "For the sake of this world, and for our own as well, we cannot fail."

"We _will _not fail," Spar said firmly. "That... is what I have come to believe."

"Just keep thinking that way, then," Deis advised them all, smiling cheekily. "Let's do this."

"Let's." Ryu nodded sharply, as did the rest, before walking out of the nook they'd slept in, and walking forward to meet their destiny.

Earlier on in the rotting black pit of flesh, they'd encountered the same kinds of demons as in the floors above, but now that they'd reached the lowest depths, only the most dangerous and powerful examples of the breed dared to bar their path. Gigantic, bat-winged and horned abominations created from living purple flame rose from the floor, and mutated black chimarae prowled the corridors, even more hideous than the normal breed. Grey stone gargoyles patrolled, a hundred times more dangerous than those of Windia, and the ghosts of fallen, traitorous Dragon Clansmen haunted their own hell.

Despite all of the threats arrayed against them, Ryu and his company slew them all, and continued on. What sword and battlestaff and rapier and knife failed to kill, storms of elemental fury demolished utterly, as Bow, Rand, Spar and Jean all healed their wounds. They'd made heavy dents in the supply packs given to them by the citizens of Township, but they still had enough for the final fight ahead of them. They only stopped once, several hours later, for lunch, and then pressed on. There was no leaving the tower to journey along the exterior now; they simply went down, and down, inside it.

And then, in the dim light cast by magical glows summoned by Nina and Deis, they saw a pair of massive double doors blocking the end of the hall ahead of them, constructed of solid gold and at least twenty feet tall. Both were emblazoned with religious symbolism all too familiar to Ryu, after a life spent unknowingly devoted to the church of his enemies. The Church of St. Eva.

"Looks like this is it," he said as they all paused for a moment to look around. It had been a couple fights since they'd all been healed, and most of them bore light wounds, shallow enough that they hadn't wanted to waste their magic on those alone. He glanced at Deis. "Anything more we should know that you can tell us?"

"If he's like his mother, then watch out when he starts talking," she said carefully. "Part of what made her _her _was that it was hard to disagree with her, even if you know better. Something in his voice will make you _want _to listen to him. You can fight it, just like the Soulstorm, but it won't be easy."

"Gotcha." He nodded. "One more general healing before we all go in, then?"

"No need." Bow began rummaging through his pack. "Hans gave me something special. I've been saving it just for this. Figured it would be the best time to use it. Aha!" He produced a small, brown plastic bottle, slightly larger than a one-shot of alcohol. "All right, pass it around. Just a taste'll do you, so make sure there's enough for everybody."

"Holy _shit_ that smells good," Katt commented as he opened the bottle. "Strong, but good. What's the matter with you?" This was directed towards Deis, whose eyes had widened as soon as she'd smelled it; as the scent wafted around, Spar and Nina both had similar reactions.

"Is that what I think it is?" The Sorceress asked Bow as he took a quick sip, and his wounds began to heal.

"You got it." He winked, passing it to Katt, whose tail twitched as she took her own taste. "One hundred percent pure vanilla extract."

"Holy _shit_, man," Sten muttered, staring at the bottle as if it were filled with diamonds. "Do you _know _how much that stuff _goes _for? Especially on the black market?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is more important than zenny," Ryu pointed out as the others passed it around, each of their wounds healing as soon as they took a sip. His was last, and there was just enough in the bottle for him to finish it; the taste was strong, but it wasn't bad. As his cuts and scrapes closed up, he tossed the bottle aside, and looked towards the double doors. "Katt? Rand?"

"Yeah, we're probably the only ones who'll be able to get the damn things open," Katt grumbled, reaching up to the massive handle over her head. "What a waste of good gold."

"Show-offs, the lot of them," Rand agreed, taking the handle of the other door in his own hand. "Anybody who suggested this in Namanda would be given a whole day under the waterfall." Together, they pulled, and the doors opened, revealing the outside of the tower.

It was almost insultingly simple, as opposed to the door. All that awaited them on the other side was a stone pier, like any other in a seaside dock in any country of your choice. Its length was the only strange thing about it; it extended out from the tower for what looked like a mile before ending, the dark depths of Infinity beyond it.

"This is it, all right," Nina said as they walked out onto it, glancing over the side. "The tower ends below here." From here, it looked exactly as it had when they'd been forced to journey around the mazelike scaffolding of the upper levels; the exterior surface was the same all the way up, with no trace of the hideous biological contamination they'd been forced to travel through for the past week. "I can't say this is quite what I expected."

"So, what?" Sten cracked nervously, looking around. "It's a dock. Does this mean we're gonna have to go fishing now? See if we can hook Evans and pull him up?"

"Well, I did bring my rod," Ryu joked back half-heartedly, as the doors swung shut behind them. "Didn't really think I'd need it, though."

And then they heard _his _voice, with their ears and their minds, and with every inch of their bodies, _feeling _its sound as he spoke.

**Welcome, tired pilgrims, into my circle, **he said as they looked up and saw him. **I have been waiting. **

He hovered above them, an elderly but still strong man clad in black robes trimmed with gold, his own emblem upon the chest. His feet were bare, as were his hands, and both hair and beard were wild and long, a simple blue cloth headband around his brow. He floated in the darkness, slowly descending towards them with his legs dangling and his arms spread in welcome. His smile was kind, and his eyes were closed, but he still looked upon them.

And then his eyes opened, and they were completely transparent, as if made of clear glass. Through them, optic nerves were visible, and beyond them worse, gray and red and pink flesh and blood and brains inside his skull.

"Evans," Ryu said quietly, calmly, despite his revulsion.

**My destined ones, **Evans replied, just as calmly, his voice still _tangible _in the air itself and in their own minds as well. It echoed inside their heads like Ryu's own thoughts, but _stronger_, threatening to override those thoughts with Evans' words. **Nikanoru. You have come so far to show your devotion to your God, all of you. Though I owe you nothing, still you have my thanks, for opening the Gate, Nikanoru. **

"We have not come to show you devotion, mad one," Deis told him, calm and cold. "And you are no God of ours."

**But I am, **Evans replied, as calmly as a parent correcting a foolish child. **I am God. And you have fulfilled your destiny, Nikanoru. You have opened the Gate. Because of you, I will bless the world, as it has never been blessed before by the false Gods who came before me. I will give this world, and all who dwell upon it, the blessing of despair. I will free them from the pain of hope, in a world full of suffering. All who live will be freed, and they will accept despair. They will look upon me with devotion and gratitude, and thank me as I give them death. **

Despite the force of his will and his words, despite the absolute authority and heartfelt belief in his words, everybody exchanged a silent look.

"Yeah, so, what you're saying is that you're completely nuts," Katt said, tilting her head to one side. "Good to know. I mean, what the hell else are we supposed to get from your rambling? And who the hell's 'Nikanoru,' anyways?"

"Yeah, normally, I don't really like talking shit about people, but this guy's really something else," Sten agreed. "I mean, I literally didn't think it was possible for somebody to be this stupid. It's kind of scary, actually. Even without this 'Nikanoru' shit."

"Devotion and gratitude?" Bow scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like anybody would think _that _about a freak like you? Keep waiting for this 'Nikanoru' of yours, whoever he is, pal. Not gonna happen."

"The absence of logic here is truly astonishing," Spar commented. "It almost defies comprehension, as does this 'Nikanoru.' No context at all."

**Oh? **Evans mirrored Katt, head leaning to one side in mockery of her confusion. **You do not know what Nikanoru means? That is the difference between you and I. I am God, and I know all. Nikanoru is a word, which I have created only now, at this moment, for you alone. It means those who have already died, for death is their destiny. It is your name. **

"No, no, no, no, no!" Jean said, shaking his head. "That is not my name! My name is Prince... no. My name is _Jean, _and I am one of those who have come to kill you. We are the kin of the dragon, Evans, and we will kill you."

"The kin of the dragon," Nina repeated slowly, calmly. "Yes, that's exactly right. You are the one who is already dead, Evans. The Nikanoru you have awaited are not here."

"Maybe his brain's rotted from all this time he's spent down here," Rand suggested, cracking his knuckles. "I don't care if it's Nikanoru or Baba Deri, but it doesn't mean shit. You're going down."

"I've seen this before, you know," Deis told him wearily. "Myria used to try it too. It didn't work for her, and it won't work for you. So how about we cut this 'Nikanoru' crap and get down to business?"

**Do you truly believe that? **Evans asked them, his gentle smile vanishing now, his face growing stern. **Do you believe that the strength of the destined children is a match for that of God himself? No... you believe that you are **_**greater **_**than God, do you not? Oh, my Nikanoru... I am disappointed in you. You must be shown the error of your ways. **

And then, in the blink of an eye, the space of a breath, all nine of them were encased in crystals that appeared from the air around them. Diamond prisons, a single massive shard for each of them, molded perfectly around their bodies, so tight that Ryu found himself unable to even move an inch. Despite this, he was still somehow able to breathe; all that he could move was his eyes, tracking Evans as he hovered closer to them.

**What did I tell you? **Evans shook his head sorrowfully. **You are already dead. Within my power, life is as nothing. It is meaningless, powerless, pointless. All that is left to you, is the pain of death. For those who have displeased me will not receive a death without pain. No... for you, who dared to defy God himself, the pain of death shall be eternal. Only when all the world has followed you into the void beyond life will your suffering be at an end. But fear not, for that day will come soon, all too soon. **

**You see, my children, my Nikanoru... life **_**is **_**suffering. To live is to feel pain, and fear, and hatred, and sorrow. Only in death can people be free of these things, these punishments for the sin of existence. You have sinned greater than any, by defying God so, and so your punishment will be greater. But I take no joy in it, my Nikanoru... no, I feel nothing for you but pity. For the pain you have brought upon yourselves, and the pain which you have already been cursed to endure, in this world full of suffering. **

Ryu couldn't move. He couldn't so much as twitch. All he could do was watch, in horror and in despair, as Evans slowly floated downwards, continuing to rant. As he floated past Ryu, only a foot above the stone dock now, towards the eight other crystals behind him.

**Bow Dogi, **Evans said solemnly. **A pitiful rogue, born into suffering through the sins of his parents, who defied the world for their romance. They paid for their rebellion with not only their own deaths, but the pain of their son, who was abandoned and left to wander, a small child who grew up poor and weak. How many times was he nearly killed, by those who cruelly sought to abuse him for their own gain? **

** He knew, all his life, that the only reason he had survived his childhood was because of the friend he made. The partner who watched his back, who slept in ditches and fought for their lives every day they lived even more desperately himself. Alone, he never would have survived, for he was far weaker than his friend. The only friend he truly had, for many, many years. The friend who became like a brother to him, in time, and who was the only reason he retained the capacity to trust in others at all. **

** Eventually, his life began to change, though only after many years of starvation, abuse and danger. Over time, he began to trust others aside from Ryu, but even then, it was only a certain amount of trust. He had simply lived too long, the way he had, to truly believe in the optimism he fought to retain, in regards to others. And yet... he desired that trust, more than anything in the world. He wanted to believe that Ryu was not the only one. That some day, he would find other men and women who would accompany him down the next road, and the next, and the next. **

** And now, his life is over. **

Ryu heard the shattering of crystal behind him. He knew what it meant. He felt it, as Bow died in that instant, shredded to bloody bits by the razor shards of the crystal fragments as it detonated inwards upon him. But he couldn't scream. He couldn't cry. He couldn't even look. He could not move, though his mind writhed in hatred and despair. All he could do was listen, as Evans moved on to another crystal.

**Katt Chaun, **the God of death said next. **One whose life was fated, from the very beginning, to be even harsher than Bow's. For while his parents were killed, before his eyes as he watched from an alley at an early age, hers abandoned her willingly when she was even younger. A happy, friendly girl who struggled to retain that part of herself as she wandered the roads. As she huddled under a tree in the rain, night after night, starving and exhausted. As she crawled away, beaten and bloody, night after night, barely managing to escape those who sought to abuse her. **

** She knew that the only reason she survived was her strength, the power of the Breath of Spirit. A power born of what she was, rather than who. Over time, that strength began to shape the course of her life. She fought more and more, violence as a way of living, and grew to enjoy it, though she knew that eventually it would catch up to her. Whenever she wrapped her bleeding, broken knuckles at night in the cheapest room she could find, she knew that she would die young, when she finally fought somebody who would kill her. She accepted that, as a fact. **

** And yet, she hoped. She hoped that one day, her travels would bring her into contact with others like her. She hoped that she would meet other outcasts and renegades, who would understand what she had been through, why she was the way she was. When she finally met a man who was so much like herself, who felt the same fury and joy together whenever he fought, she went with him without a moment's thought, trusting in him to fulfill that dream of hers. She even fell in love with him, when that dream of hope came true, only to be torn away by another. **

** And now, she will be with him, and all of them forever, never to lose them again. **

He heard the crystal shatter. He felt Katt die. And he screamed in silence.

**Rand Marks, **Evans continued. **A farmer's son, raised in a land of plenty, who never lacked for anything. Or so it appeared. In truth, most of his life was one of pain, as he was abused both physically and emotionally by a mother who he still loved, and who loved him in return despite her rage against the world. It was that love which led him to endure the beatings and the scorn for many long years, before finally realizing that she would never change, that the mother he'd known before his father died was gone, and would never return again. **

** Only then did he finally work up the courage to leave. He left his mother, his home, and his land all behind, setting off down the road to see what the future held for him. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and the zenny in his pocket, and not much of that, but his peaceful nature and great strength helped him to survive. The only thing he sought was excitement, adventure, even danger, for he sought a life completely different from that which he'd had before. **

** In time, he met a girl who reminded of himself, though hers was a road of violence rather than of peace. And yet, like him, her strength was all that she had, all that had kept her alive. She was far younger than him, so no romance arose between them, but her friendship arose feelings of a different sort in him. The feelings of a father, of the urge to help her, to protect her, and to trust her. He wondered, as they met others as well, if this was what he had been looking for all along. For a family, who wouldn't be like the one he'd fled. **

** And now, his life is over. **

The crystal broke. Rand died in an instant. And Ryu remained, frozen and powerless.

**Nina Windia, **Evans said, moving on. **She was born a princess of one of the oldest royal houses in the world, one of the first Clans to arise, one of the first nations to develop... and one of the closest allies of the Dragon Clan, until they disappeared, and Windia moved on without them. Because of this, her innocent childhood was torn from her in blood and pain one day, and though she survived, she was exiled from the only home she had ever known and the only family who she'd ever loved. **

** She grew up alone in her exile, in a far away land, and her broken heart became darker and colder with every year. Despite her beauty and her genius, she made no efforts towards friendship; her roommate and her sister, who alone of her family continued to visit her, were all that she had. Every day that she lived, cold and alone, she considered the solution. A way to be free of her life of sorrow, a way that would ensure that the royal family would never be plagued by her black wings ever again. **

** In the end, her lack of self-confidence was what saved her, for that final solution was the one thing that she could never summon up the willpower for. And because of that, one day, a new world she had never known opened up to her. A world where she could use her talent for destruction, the destruction that came with her black wings, for good. To help those who she would grow to care about, who she would come to trust, despite her life alone. She would even find love, in the man who changed her world, who showed her a life worth living, who saved her from loneliness and despair. **

** And now, that wish she finally put behind her has come true. Her life is over. **

In a burst of sound and a spray of blood, Nina died. And there was nothing Ryu could do to save her, or any of the others.

**Sten Legacy, **Evans said, his voice kind and warm and compelling. **He grew up fast, and grew up hard, in the military of his native country, lying about his age and enlisting early after the deaths of his family. He rose through the ranks faster than any before him due to his brilliant mind and his cold heart, becoming a general at a young age, but there is always a price to be paid for such things, and his came just as quickly as his rise. The horrors of war warped his mind, and he fled in disgrace, his life shattered forever. **

** He lived in squalor and dissolution, an untrustworthy wandering rogue of sharp wit, sharper intellect, and knives that were sharpest of all. He created a new Sten Legacy, one entirely unlike who he had been before, so that he could convince himself that his past was behind him. It was a lie, of course, just like everything else in his new life. He lied to himself just as expertly as he lied to others, for lies had become who and what he was. And though the visions and memories of war and death remained, he frantically tried to lie to himself about those as well. **

** In the end, his cold, hard life ended because of one who was unlike himself in every way. A chance encounter with a group of travelers, and a young man whose life had been as hard as Sten's, but who still retained his optimism despite that. A man who gave him a chance, who trusted him with no logical reason, simply the belief that Sten deserved that trust. And by doing so, he and those who accompanied him showed Sten something he had never had before. They showed him a life of happiness, of trust, of simple pleasures and honest friendship. **

** And now, his life is over. **

The crystal shattered. Sten died. Ryu remained.

**Ekaru Hoppe De Pe Tapeta, **Evans said. **A fool, who knew himself to be a fool, and continued to live as one regardless. Born to royalty and responsibility, he cast aside both at a young age, through fear of ascension to the throne of an elderly father. He knew himself to be unworthy of the crown, and so he made no efforts to learn rulership. He chose a different path, a path out of stories and songs and plays that he had always loved so much. A path that never existed in this world, that could only exist in dreams and fiction. **

** And yet, he survived, despite that. No matter how many times reality showed him its harsh nature, no matter how many times his innocence brought him only pain, he survived and continued upon the path he believed would one day bring him a bright future. A path which he walked alone, leaving his father and sister behind, for though he loved them, he knew they would never understand why he chose that path. He roamed his country, and though he did so for the sake of adventure itself, somewhere deep inside him, there was another reason. **

** There was something he was desperately seeking, without even knowing that he was. Something which he finally found one day, in a reunion with a long-lost childhood friend, and those who had changed her world, as they would change Ekaru's. Those who were outcast like him, who lived their lives by their own beliefs, renegade and vagabond. Though his ways were not quite like theirs, and theirs were not quite like his, or each other's... through ten different paths that came together as one, he found those who understood him, and who he could understand. **

** But Ekaru's world remains a lie. He will only find that wonderful world he believes in death. And now, he will. **

Jean died. Ryu screamed, endlessly, in the silence of his mind. And Evans moved on.

**Gus Aspara, **the God continued. **Strange and alien to all others, even in a world full of so many different peoples, in so many ways, it stood alone with the others of its kind. It lived for a thousand years in its childhood, without sight or speech, a bulb that required the protection of its parent for survival for an entire millennium. From that parent, it learned the way of their Clan. Neither male nor female, their bodies evolved from plant life rather than animal, they lived according to logic and intellect, with no need for emotion or happiness. **

** And yet, despite that, something in Gus Aspara was different from all others of its kind. For some reason, the world in which it lived proved to be a source of fascination to it, an object of study which it observed with emotion as well as logic. Once it reached adulthood, it could no longer resist that lure, and so it set out, to travel the world on an endless search for new stimulus, for novelty and adventure, so that it might learn more than any of its kind ever had. And yet, this world was harsh on such fools, and its naivete proved its downfall. **

** Only when it had experienced the worst that the world had to offer was it freed from captivity by those who had seen such things as well. Men and women, as different from its kind as all others, but who were willing to look past that to what they had in common instead. They showed it something the Grass Men had never been able to, and taught it of things that it had never imagined. With them, it learned of trust, of friendship, of love, and of happiness. Because of them, it learned emotion, as well as logic, and learned to enjoy that life. **

** And now, its life is over. **

Spar died in an instant, delicate body maimed by the crystal's explosion. And Ryu remained, frozen and powerless.

**Deis, **Evans said, coming to the last aside from Ryu's own. **The Sorceress of Wisdon, ageless and eternal. She came to this world long ago, from a place beyond reality itself, and she grew to love this world more than she ever had that place outside of existence. As her father and sister returned to their true state of being, she denied her own and chose to remain mortal, to stand upon the line between mortality and immortality, rather than becoming either. Though she knew that should her life end in violence, it would be a death as true as any mortal's, she cared not. **

** For millennium after millennium, she continued in the task that had become hers. To sleep until the hour of destiny, wake in order to guide those heroes who destiny had chosen, and sleep again when their tasks were complete. For she knew that she would outlive them all, and by forcing herself to leave them behind before they left her, she told herself that she was numbing the pain of losing those close to her, a pain that would accompany her for the rest of her seemingly endless life. **

** In such a way, she committed the ultimate sin. Though it was necessary, in order for the ascent of the one true God, the sin remains hers. She and her friends murdered the mother of God himself, her own sister, who she still loved, and the guilt of that sin has plagued her until her final day. And yet, despite that guilt, she dared to try and find happiness. Awaking early, she became friends with those who were so much like the companions she had once known, and yet so different. For the first time in her ageless life, she considered changing her ways. **

** And now, after three thousand years, it finally ends. **

Deis died, mutilated and shredded. Only then did Evans return to Ryu, hovering back in front of him, without so much as a drop of blood upon him.

**Do you see, my Nikanoru? **He asked, the voice of authority, of ultimate truth, reverberating through the crystal prison. **Do you understand the difference between you and I now? The difference between the destined child, and God? I have killed them all, as I said that I would. I spoke only truth. And you, despite all of your defiance... quietly watched them disappear. That is the difference between you and I, Nikanoru. **Nodding once, he turned away then, and began floating down towards the end of the pier, further and further away.

**So, what do you think, Ryu Bateson? You, who had the most pitiful, pathetic life of them all? A life so fragile, so weak, easily crumbles in the hands of God. Destined child, hero, heir of Ladon, king of dragons... it matters not what you call yourself, or what any others call you. None of them matter. None of them can change what will happen. This is God's will, Ryu, and all things of mortals will be swept away before it, like flowers before a typhoon, like dust before a flood. **

** I have decided upon your fate, the fate of one who blasphemously thought that he would kill God. You will not die, as your friends did, for your sin is even greater than theirs. You have slain my champion, my greatest warrior, and so in recognition of your strength, the fate which was promised to him will now be yours. You will remain there, in that crystal, when I depart to bring salvation to the world above. As the world explodes before my will, you will remain here, in contemplation of your own weakness and failure. **

** I will kill them all, Ryu of the town of Gate. I will kill those who dwell within Gate, who forgot that you were one of them, who abandoned you into a world so cruel. I will kill those who live in Auria, in Tantar, in Windia, in Nanai. I will slaughter all of Sima, and visit horrors upon Highland that they could never dream of in all their years of war. I will boil the oceans around Prima, burn the Sea of Trees. I will sink Guntz and Tunlan into the sea, and bless both Farmland and Scande with plagues that even that wasteland will succumb to. **

** And I will save your own town for last, Ryu. Township, a town of those who forsook my faith at your command. They will watch the world die around them, before they waste away in the ruins I will leave to them. The doctor, the entertainer, the blacksmiths, the hunter and the fisher, the magician, the princess, the shopkeep, the banker, the sculptor, the engineer, the carpenters, the painter, the cook, the child, the brewer, the shamans of fusion and their elderly grandmother. I will watch them die, one by one, and so shall you. **

** Four I shall save, for last of all. Your father, your sister, your sacrifice, and your watchman, who remained behind. Ganer, Yua, Mina, and Niro. When they have seen all others die, I will bring them here to you, and show them your failure before killing them before you, one by one. Only then will your own suffering finally be at an end. And you will die, praising me for ending it. **

Evans continued to ramble on, but Ryu stopped listening; in truth, he had only been listening partially before, automatically, his ears picking up the words as he thought of other things. Of rage, and grief, so strong that they overwhelmed his capacity for thought at all. Black sorrow and blacker wrath consumed his thoughts and actions. All he thought of, all he felt, was hatred for the God who hovered before him, who had taken everything away from him, and left him with nothing.

Slowly, dully, like an animal's simple stimulus and response, he realized something. The crystal prison had been built to fit his body perfectly, molded to his skin and clothes like a glove. And yet, he could breathe, somehow. And when he did, when he inhaled as deeply as he could and held that breath, he heard his prison crack around him, and felt the sting of the edges cut into his skin.

He knew what would happen, even if he successfully broke the crystal. He knew what the razor edges would do to his body. But he no longer cared. He had no ability to care left at all. All he thought of, all he felt, with body and mind and soul, was hatred. And so Ryu took another deep breath, and then flexed his muscles, the powerful chest and shoulders and arms and legs he had built up over a life of fighting for survival against those stronger than him.

The pain increased, as the crystal began to buckle and crack, more and more. More and more, the edges cut him. But he continued, and as Evans turned to look at him again, surprised for the first time, he succeeded. The crystal prison shattered around him, taking its toll upon his body as it fell apart. Shards of crystal sliced through flesh and muscle and blood, ripping him apart. They cut through his ears, his mouth, his nose, and even his eyes. But he said nothing, even as his sight left him in unimaginable pain. Even as his legs buckled, as his left arm hung from his shoulder by bone alone.

Only when it was done did he scream. Not in pain, but in fury. And he charged, blind and ruined, down the pier towards the God he had worshiped for all of his life, despite the agony of what he knew would be mortal wounds. Enough of the fragments remained in him, embedded in his back and chest and especially in his guts, that he knew he would die. He would join the others soon enough.

But not alone.

**Ryu! **Evans thundered, as he ran. **Are you saying that you can defy my power? Is that what you mean with this display? Ryu, Nikanoru, you really do upset me. Cease this foolishness, at once! **

Ryu continued to run, the voice echoing inside his mind despite the gaping wounds that had once been his ears, and paid no attention to the words of God.

**Enough! **Evans declared, and brought his power to bear upon Ryu once more. **You will **_**break, **_**just like that crystal, Ryu! **The pier began to erupt, fiery explosions rising from the stone before and around Ryu, surrounding him on all sides and beneath his feet.

Ryu continued to run, lowering his head and crossing his arms before it to protect it. Even when the explosions blasted and burned him, even when his maimed left arm was blown off entirely, even when the force of the explosions drove the crystal shrapnel even deeper into his guts... Ryu continued to run.

_It doesn't matter,_ his own words came back to him, thought so long ago when he'd first met the man who called himself Martin, and told him of the way he'd lived his life._ None of that matters. I'm still alive, and as long as I live, there is will. There's hope. Never give up. Don't look back for a moment, or the past will catch up to you, and drag you under. Don't look back. Don't look back. Keep your eyes forward, on the future, and fight and scream and drag yourself towards it, no matter _what's_ in your way. And screw the odds._

Against the full force of God's will, Ryu continued to run. With nothing left to him but pain and hatred, he emerged from the field of explosions, and reached the end of the pier. He jumped into the air on legs that were little more than broken bones with clumps of meat still sticking to them, and drew his sword with one arm that was little better. Without sight or sound, without thought or doubt, without anything but sorrow and fury, he attacked.

And with a single horizontal slash, with the blade of the forsaken, he cut out God's eyes.

And God screamed, like a child that had hurt itself for the first time, that had only then learned the meaning of pain, as Ryu landed before him.

"_You are no God of mine,_" he said, as blind and bloody eyes met blind and bloody eyes.

**You... **Evans whimpered, as he slowly sank back into the abyss, his voice growing fainter and fainter as he fell further and further, clutching his face. **How dare you... how could you... how could I... how could this _happen? _This is impossible... this cannot be! It's a lie! It's not true! You lie with your very existence, Ryu! How dare you! How _could _you, Ryu? How could a mortal like you do such a thing to me? Why? _Why? _Inconceivable! Impossible! You're nothing more than Nikanoru, and I... I... _I am God! _**

And then the earth shook, and the air as well, as the presence of God before him _exploded_, filling the entire abyss around them. Ryu felt his power, so great and vast that even Barubary seemed as nothing by comparison, driving him to his knees, paralyzing him completely simply by its existence. The breath left his lungs, the strength left his muscles, and despite his hatred, Ryu found himself unable to move.

Evans was under no such constraints.

He was colossal, a fifty-foot tall abomination that could never have evolved naturally, that put Barubary's warped frame to shame with his form as much as his power. There was no logic or reason to his shape, covered in purple scales; two massive legs, like tree trunks, crouched on four-clawed feet to either side of a hundred eyeless serpents, mouths bristling with fangs as they snapped and spread out beneath his body in every direction both before and behind him. A hideous, limp and bloated tail extended from above them on his back, curling around him to lay to one side, fat and useless.

His waist was a mass of putrid purple flesh, rotting and vile. Above it, strange, pointed, blood-red growths twitched and writhed to either side of an empty black pit, neither horn nor fang nor claw nor spine but something else entirely, each seeming to be fully mobile despite their rigidity. A reptilian eye of a similar color blinked above each side, set into the shoulders of massively muscular arms that rose to either side, frozen in a pose like a victory stance. Neither ended in hands; they simply trailed off, though batlike wings were grafted unnaturally to each, spreading above and behind Evans.

The black void of his chest was covered by six skulls, in two rows of three, one set above the other, all attached to lumps of flesh. Each was different, a hideous face of bone that bore no resemblance to anything human, and all their eyes glowed as their teeth gnashed with hatred. Directly above them, with no neck, was Evans' head. Four twisted horns rose from the sides of his skull, the lower two larger than the upper, and his maw had the tusks and snout of a boar, and the fangs of a predatory lizard. His eyes, regrown, were empty white spheres, gleaming with madness.

_**Ryu!**_ He roared, the facade of calm logic completely vanished. **Destined child! Nikanoru! I am_ God, _and God is immortal and invincible!_ Die! _**He loomed above Ryu at the end of the pier into the dark abyss, and his will exploded around Ryu, as it had during his charge. The explosions ravaged his dying body, and he felt the life drain from him, as he knew it would. Still, he lingered. He stared up at Evans with scorn and disdain, as his life bled away.

And with his last breath, he summoned up the power of Agni Anfini within him, without even knowing how. The final form of the Dragon Clan, the last power of the Breath of Fire, the gift of Ladon that gave mortals the power to slay the Endless. He felt it fill him, Ladon's will and spirit, and he felt the Dragon God's thoughts as he watched them all die helplessly, his power drained away by lack of worship over the last millennium.

He saw the history of the world pass before his eyes, from the moment when Barubary first opened his eyes and realized his own existence to the instant in which he had become one with Ladon. He saw the continents change and shift. He saw forests grow and die. He saw oceans rise and fall. He saw civilizations take shape and form, as one Clan after another joined the world, the youngest and the oldest peoples side by side. He saw magic and technology change the world, and he saw war and devastation do so as well.

He watched the First Dragon War, and the Second, and he watched everything that had come before both. He saw the moment when Ladon himself had first arrived upon their world, and he saw as the Dragon Clan was born from the mortal woman he fell in love with. He saw everything that had come before them, the story of their world and of all the people who lived upon it, in that one moment. He saw Ladon's story, and Spekkio's, and Martin's. He saw Deis' story, and Myria's and Barubary's. He saw the tale of the Breath of Fire, from beginning to end.

And then, in that moment in which he and Ladon's mind were linked, he saw the world as it was in that same moment, and the people upon it.

He saw the streets of Auria, near the equator in the east, where he'd spent his adolescent years in the Ranger's Guild with Bow. He saw Elder Allen and Duke Kilgore, along with Headmaster Yoji from the magic school, in a heated conference with the town's leaders about what was happening to the world. Silvia was there as well, calm and composed, though her eyes betrayed her worries; she looked like she hadn't been getting much sleep, and she wasn't really paying attention, which Ryu knew to be a true rarity.

He saw the city of Coursair, in the northeastern country of Tantar. He saw Baba Deri, the massive lumberjack he'd met in the Tagwoods who'd turned out to be an agent of Ladon, cut through demons like a knife through butter, wielding a new axe even more massive than his first one. He saw the lupine Forest Clan emerge from the trees as well, coming to the defense of the society they'd mostly abandoned, with the savage Harpy Clan in flocks overhead, ancient enemies fighting together against a common foe. He saw Andre, the musclebound Director of Human Resources from the coliseum, defend the citizens with the rest of the staff and the local Rangers' Guild behind him.

He saw Winlan, capital of Windia, the oldest nation remaining in the world. He saw the King and the Queen, Nina's parents, directing their armies in defense of their realm. He saw Capitan, the architecturally chaotic capital of Nanai, fight back as well, in a way they'd been unwilling to when his group had saved them from an infestation of monstrous Creon insects. He saw the lodge on the border between the two nations, where he'd stayed many times over the course of his life, and saw its owner and occupants defending it as well, with the unexpected help of reptilian Kimoto bandits.

He saw the strength of Simafort, the lost technology powering the fortress somehow restored to functionality and operated by Princess Petape, Jean's younger sister, turning the lake around it into a death sentence for any demon stupid enough to approach. He saw the ancient, senile King sending his troops out to defend the towns and villages, actually managing to get through his entire speech without a single error.

He saw a group of witches decimating the enemy with their magic, one of which was the one named Nimufu, who was actually attempting to _seduce _a particularly brawny demon, and apparently _succeeding _in doing so; her success seemed to inspire several others of her group to do the same. He saw the outcast, cannibal operators of the Wildcat Cafe and the extremely large-in several ways-family of bouncers in their employ, and for once, found himself without sympathy for the carcasses they were dragging into their restaurant.

He saw Highland defending itself and more; it looked like entire companies were in the process of being dispatched all around the world to relieve other nations, while those who remained in Highland were crushing the enemy with absolute military superiority. Strangely, Princess Elforan was nowhere to be seen, which caused Ryu a moment of worry even in his current state. Instead, Colonel Turbo Pattan, Sten's best friend from his youth, was personally leading the efforts and carving a bloody path through demon after demon.

He saw the Island of Guntz coming to the defense of the Isle of Tunlan, the latter of which was completely vulnerable, with no real military strength whatsoever. Fortunately, despite their low numbers, the Builder Clan were more than up to the task. They came on ships of steel, each one of them bearing some massive weapon of Lost Technology that spewed metal insects by the hundredfold, cutting down everything in their path.

He saw Farmland devastated by the demonic invasion, its peaceful inhabitants caught off guard by the invasion, their fields ravaged and their homes assaulted. And yet, they fought back as well, with little more than their own massive strength and the determination to save the lives of their families. Their hated enemies, the outlaw Orc Clan, fought alongside them as well, as did warrior monks from Namanda, their ancient elder tearing through demons with his bare hands despite his age.

He saw the wasteland of Scande, and how even its few, isolated occupants rose up in defense of their way of life in that polluted exodus. He saw the undersea city-state of Prima, the largest city in the world, and the only major one he'd never visited. He saw the World Council in frantic deliberation over their course of action; Watts, Surfy, Lacquer and Mrs. Rivab were all there, providing information to the gathering of Clans and nations who decided the world's law, and trusted in them to ensure the Council took the correct course of action.

He saw the Isle of Giants, and if he'd ever doubted the ability of the survivors of the Second Dragon War, it vanished instantly. The man named Martin and the previous Nina were twin whirlwinds of destruction and death, one with claymore and one with rapier, soaked from head to toe with the blood of the thousands they'd slain and still going strong. Bo, Karn and Gobi were almost as destructive; with bow and arrows, knives and pike they slew demon after demon until for the first time Ryu had ever seen, the legions of Infinity broke and fled, screaming in terror.

Last of all, he saw Gate, and Township parked next to it, the latter defending the citizens of the former against the onslaught. At the moment, it seemed they were finishing off the latest wave; fighting in squads of four for the most part, they took on everything that dared approach without a second of hesitation. The three carpenters wielded sledgehammers with deadly force, along with Mrs. Haseco, who fought by her husband just as effectively. The brothers, Azusa and Maclean, busted heads along with their old Ranger buddy Hanz. El stood with them as well, wielding a halberd with calm skill.

The blacksmiths, Lemington and Baretta, wielded the weapons they made with just as much skill they'd shown creating them. With them, Salvatore and Eichichi fought together, the former wielding a saber and the latter carrying the same oversized, cylindrical weapon of lost technology Ryu had seen her countrymen bearing earlier. Barose, Ganer, and Gigli formed the last unit, the three old mages creating elemental storms of absolute destruction as they protected Kay, who was clutching her handbag with determination, waiting to see to everybody's wounds once the battle was done.

Most surprising of all, a sight that actually touched Ryu on some strange level, was the one defender who needed no backup. Patty Smith fought with no trace of her earlier attitude, completely devoted to the death of every demon she saw. Flying on the black wings of a Dragon Clanswoman, she cracked her whip with enough power and wrath to snap a demon's neck with one lash. It was she who ended the battle, finishing off the last four demons by herself, and prompting a ragged cheer from the exhausted-looking defenders.

At that moment, something strange happened. The door of the house next to his burst opened, and the six granddaughters of Gigli all burst out, looking distraught. Seso was sobbing openly, being comforted by Spoo, whose vacant features were showing a similar emotion, the first he'd ever been able to perceive from her. Sana and Solo were more angry than sad, though he couldn't actually hear what they were shouting. Seny looked numb, even traumatized, and Shin had a similar expression on her own face, that of one given a rude awakening from her entire worldview.

Before Ryu could see how the townsfolk responded, he left the town behind, and came to Dologany. He saw his people there, the Dragon Clan, still fighting off every demon who attempted to pass through their city, as they had all their lives, and the lives of their ancestors. With Spekkio at their head, even more fearsome with both sword and spell than those who'd lived on the Isle of Giants, they fought and killed and died to defend the people of the outside world, people who they had never met, and who they never would.

And then he saw one last place, his gaze returning to the outside world once more. A quiet glen, secluded, with a ring of trees sheltering it from the wind; he had no idea where in the world it was.

The only person he hadn't seen in Township was there, slowly approaching, hobbling on his cane, a sword belted at his side. Niro Mani walked into the glade, alone and unguarded, back in the same unwashed rags he'd worn as habit when they'd first met, though he'd added chain mail over them along with a conical helmet. He approached the center of the grove, where a pair of tombstones sat side by side. Small tombstones, the kind that were made for children, and Ryu suddenly found himself glad he couldn't read the writing on them.

"This probly ain't the best time to do this," the old man said, his voice reaching Ryu's ears, the first to do so. He stood solemnly in front of the graves, head down and eyes closed. "But everybody in town gave me the go-ahead, so here I am. Fools'll probly get attacked the second I'm gone, too. But they're tough folks. They won't die, any o' 'em. I'll just have to make up for it when I get back. Probly have enough dead demons lyin' aroun' to start a plague all by itself, by the time we're done. I'll have to remember to figger out some way to make sure that don't happen."

"I did it, you know?" He continued, shaking his head. "Founded my own dang town. Actually, I'm the mayor, believe it or not. Who'd have thought I'd finally pull it off, at my age? And it's a good town, you know? Good people. Crazy, o' course, every one o' 'em, in pretty much every way under the sun. But they're good folks. They don't deserve what's happenin' to 'em, right now. Nobody does. Still, they'll survive, and they'll rebuild. I've got confidence in 'em, you know? Faith. Bet you never thought I'd say that ever again."

"I suppose I should say..." He hesitated, taking a deep breath, before he kept going. "I've sort of taken up with Gigli again. She's livin' next door, her and her grandkids. Hope you don't mind; I don't think you would. Maybe if I'd chosen right, all those years ago, maybe if you'd been her kids with me, instead o'-"

Before he could finish, a flaming horror rose from the ground behind him, screaming insanely. As it reached for him, claws dripping fire, Niro turned around abruptly and rammed his sword through one of its eyes without a moment's pause. They stood there, frozen in that tableau for a moment, and then the demon died, withering away into nothing but smoke. Sheathing his sword, Niro turned and regarded the tombstones once more.

"Sorry 'bout that," he apologized, shaking his head. "Anyways... the thing I really wanted to talk to you 'bout is... I've sort o' found another family, in my old age, an' I hope you understand that too. A bunch o' brats, for the most part. Roughnecks an' punks, outcasts an' renegades. Killers. I'll come right out an' say it. They're a group o' mercs, the _Dragonkin,_ and even if we got standards, the fact remains that we're in the business o' killin' people for money. I'm workin' as their clerk and agent, but that don't change the fact that I'm just as responsible as them."

"But they're good kids," he said quietly, smiling. "They're real good kids. They're still better people than most would be, after the kind of lives they've all had. And you know, it's not like they _like _what they do. It's just the only way they've ever known, most of them, and the rest aren't really strangers to it either, so they don't see a problem with doin' it for a living. What's important is that they're doin' it together, you know? That they have each other. That's what they really care about."

"The way I see it these days is, is that really so bad?" Niro asked, looking up towards the sun above him. "Maybe I'd have had a problem with it, when I was younger, but now... is it such a bad thing, to just want nothin' more than to live the only way you know how, with the people you care about? See, we don't really do the whole 'greater morals,' thing. Sure, we got standards, but everythin' else... well, it's nice, but it's for other people. Us, all we want is to make some zenny, clean an' professional. Even if we're killin' people to do so... is that really too much to ask?"

"What we want, when you get right down to it, is to just keep on doin' what we've been doin', all this time," Niro continued, smiling in the sunlight. "Just livin' the way we like, doing what we're good at. And we are good at it. That's why we chose this life in the first place. Is it so bad, being proud of your talents? Isn't that enough to believe in, enough to justify what we're doin'? Each other? I just hope you understand."

"See, the thing is... it's not about the lifestyle, really, when you get down to it." Lowering his head again, he kept speaking. "It's not about the killin', or the independence, or the zenny, or the reputation. What we really want... the reason we're really doin' it... is because it's common ground. It's something all ten of us can understand, somethin' all of us can do. And that's important, you know? That we all live on the same page."

"I think that's what it is, in the end," he finished, head still bowed. "What brought us together, what made us choose this life, this place, these people. All ten o' us come from all over the place, all walks o' life. We got a Prince and a Princess in ranks with a couple of orphaned street kids. What we all got in common, though... is that we need this. We _need _each other, and we all have, for a long time. We've all been looking for a place to belong, for people who understand. For something we either never had, or lost a long time ago."

"Anyways, I gotta be getting back." Shaking his head, he reached into his rags and pulled out a pair of roses, laying one on each of the graves. "I'll come back and see you again sometime soon, once this is all said and done. Maybe even bring them with me, too. I think you'd like that. I'm... I'm happy again, kids. Those nine punks... they've taught me what that's like. And they'll come back. I know they will. I got faith." Without another word, he began trudging off.

_Agni Anfini is the power of a God, _Ladon's voice entered Ryu's mind, as they both pulled back, and saw the world from further away. From space. With stars and darkness all around them, Ryu saw the world he'd lived in all his life below him, glowing and beautiful. _It is my power, the power of Ladon. For moments such as these, moments when an Endless must be slain, I give the power of the Endless to mortals, and trust in them to do what must be done. With that power, those I choose have the potential to destroy this world, as much as they do to save it. _

_ The power of absolute destruction is yours now, should you wish it, Ryu Bateson. Your ancestor chose that power, and he and his companions and I as well became a God of Destruction, one who destroyed a Goddess ascendant. But the form which Agni Anfini takes is different each time, depending on the user. The strength of the Dragon Clan, of the Breath of Fire, and of all the world... it will be determined by whatever it is that _your _true strength is, Ryu Bateson of Gate. Is that your strength? Destruction and death? _

_No, _Ryu thought back. Somehow, sometime during everything he'd seen, his hatred for Evans had drained away. He still hated the God of Death, more than he'd hated anybody or anything else in all his life, but that hatred no longer consumed him, no longer filled his every thought and drowned out his consciousness. _No, that's not my power. It never was. I was never defined by my ability to kill. I practiced that ability, honed it to its utmost, used it nearly every day of my life in one way or another, but it never defined me. That was never who and what I was. _

_ If I decide what shape and form Agni Anfini will take, if it takes the shape and form of my power, of the source of my strength... then forget about me. I don't care about myself. The only power I need is _them. _Bow, and Katt, and Nina, and Deis, and Sten, and Jean, and Rand, and Spar. _They _are my strength. They always have been, and they always will be. If they can stand with me, we'll be able to slay even a God. I believed that before, and I believe it now. That's all I need. That's the only thing I ask of you. _

_ If Agni Anfini is the power of a God, the power to alter reality like you said... please... bring them back to me. _

In the instant that he made that decision, his world became blinding light, so bright that it consumed him, mind and body. And in that instant, he and Ladon were no longer alone. He felt them join him again, as he'd feared they never would. As bodiless as himself, eight more souls came together, in that endless expanse of blinding light.

_Buddy. _

_ Ryu. _

_ Boss. _

_ Ryu. _

_ Chief. _

_ Ryu. _

_ Mon ami. _

_ Ryu. _

_ Go, now, those who are kin of my descendant, and thus who are kin of mine as well. Go, become yourselves. And never become anything more but what you already are. _

The light faded, but Ladon's spirit did not fade with it. It remained with them, as they returned to the depths of Infinity together, to the God of Death who still loomed there, impossibly huge and monstrous. The sense of Ladon's will, the will of the Dragon God, accompanied them in the form of that same blinding light, a light that Evans recoiled from.

**Deplorable, **Evans roared, as the light covered the expanse of the dock, leaving only the end on which he crouched. **This is truly deplorable, Ryu! Nikanoru! How can you still defy the will of God? This is unforgivable! Now you are truly damned! I will rend the flesh from your living bones, and even when I finally grant you death, it will only be the beginning of your torment! Worlds so far from here that the light of their sun cannot even be seen will tremble in fear at the mention of your fate, and compose songs about the beauty of the pain I will inflict upon you! **

The light faded. The words of the God of Death echoed throughout all of Infinity.

And they stood before him.

Ryu was at their head, and now, he needed no magical support to remain in his transformed state. He was the Dragon of Gate once more, the form that had been born from his mother's bloodline and his father's magical strength, and the Breath Of Fire that was the pride of his people, restored to its full power by the touch of Ladon's will. His strength did not flee from him, did not waste away in seconds. He stood there, back strength and wings spread, with his family around him, each of them transformed just as he had been.

Bow bore no resemblance to his normal shape or form whatsoever, now. He stood tall, a gigantic suit of mechanical armor, a man made entirely of lost technology. His skin was steel, his blood chemical, his nerves electric wires. He had no real head; instead, his face was set in his chest now, a vaguely canine steel mask with a horned nose and bright blue crystal eyes. A feathered red crest flared atop it, and a red half-cloak descended from his massive, mechanical shoulder-pieces. One arm was a metal fist, the other a massive barrel, its open end dark.

Katt's form was ferocity itself, even at a single glance. A lean and lithe feline woman, covered from head to toe in blue far shorter than hers had been before, she wore a ripped and torn red leotard, skintight. Her tail was long and whiplike, ending in a tuft of the same blonde hair that swept down her back, wild and long. Her boots and gloves were much longer and more ornate now, violet and gold, though the latter still left her fingers exposed, blood-red claws gleaming. Her ears were ridiculously long and pointed, each bearing multiple earrings, and her red eyes were coldly savage.

Rand had become something ridiculous, at first glance, until one realized just how _big _it was. A pink and green rodent, by the shape of its head, it was perfectly spherical save for arms, legs, head and tail. His arms were pathetic, but looked fairly dextrous for claws, and the talons on his legs were long and deadly. More importantly, he was nearly fifteen feet tall and wide, his leathery green skin looked rocklike, and the pink plates down his back were if anything even more durable. Even his cute face, with flared-back ears, had a horn on his nose and a massive, curved blade rising from his forehead.

Of them all, Nina was the one who looked most akin to a deity now. The gown she wore was so heavy and elaborate that it should have immobilized her, but she hovered in the air uncaring of the massive gold framework and blue jewel at the center, over layers upon layers of white and blue and green and violet silk, on feathered wings in every color of the rainbow. She wore shoulders of two more blue gemstones, framed in curved blades of gold, indicating her true spirit. Her face and features were like Deis', ageless and eternal, under neck-length blue hair held back by a golden crown.

Sten seemed to be a deity of another school entirely. Below his waist was only blazing, eternal flames, the same flames that formed his forearms and hands, his hair and his beard. Like Nina, he wore a golden crown, along with a great deal more jewelry all over his body. His only clothing, shoulders and a waistband of blue leather, were similarly adorned. His torso and arms were muscular and covered in short white fur, and his fingers huge and grasping, emerging from the fire. His face was simian, but warped into grotesquery, with protruding fangs.

Jean's weight had vanished, leaving him so slim yet muscular as to be practically hourglass-shaped. His white and blue plate mail was perfectly molded to his body, save for its heavy boots and flared shoulders. Over it, he wore white silk, immaculate and trimmed with gold. He also wore a violet scarf, pinned by an emerald brooch, and carried a shining claymore with a red hilt, which he rested lazily upon with one hand. His hands were slim and delicate, as sky-blue as his head, his features cocky and rebellious with red cheek stripes. He wore no helmet, but a huge red mohawk topped his crown.

Spar, like its leader, had become a dragon, one of a different kind entirely. Like in its normal form, it wore clothes made from its own leaves and petals; all were sharp and elongated and curved now, and harder as well, an almost metallic green tunic with pink shoulders. Its arms were long and spindly, ending in clawed fingers made from black thorns. Below the tunic, its body coiled up, a long, serpentine length of thorned black vine that ended in a rosebud tailtip. Its neck was long, plated in a steel gorget, its head long and green and savagely reptilian with a flared head crest of pink petals.

Deis was the only one of the nine to remain in her original form, at least at first glance, but there something _different _in her glowing green eyes. Her eyes and her shadow, looming behind her, the dark reflection cast by something fifty feet tall and monstrous beyond imagination. Something made of writhing serpents and monstrous malformity, something with six swaying arms that was _wrong _simply by existing. The look on her face, the glow in her eyes, was that of a woman constantly holding herself back from becoming that which was her shadow, by will alone.

They stood before the God of Death together, transformed by the power of Agni Anfini, the will of Ladon himself, which created the form of the godslayer from the heart of Ryu's strength. Each was as Ryu had always seen them, as what he'd always believed they were, and as they had always seen each other, as they had seen him. The Dragon. The Sentry. The Feral. The Guardian. The Queen. The Trickster. The Hero. The Elemental. The Demigoddess. Those who had named themselves kindred of the dragon, of Ladon himself, the nine of them stood before Evans.

And as one, they opened their mouths, and roared their defiance, "_You are no God of ours_."

Evans' howl of fury in response was accompanied by explosions, hundreds of them, just as he had attacked Ryu before. This time, however, all it did was cause their formation to break, as they attacked; those of them who could not fly over the explosions either dashed between them, too fast to follow, or simply stood their ground and remained resolute. At the same time, every mouth on his surface, from the one in his head to the hole in his chest to the skulls of its teeth to the worms at his feet began emanating a white gas, which they could all tell would be freezing to the touch.

Ryu's opening blast, the same with which he'd assaulted Barubary, was no more than a diversion, though it burned into Evans' flesh all the same. As its power overwhelming broke against the titanic monstrosity before them, Katt was in motion as well, blasting down the dock towards the God of Death like a lightning bolt, darting between one explosion and then the next without so much as taking a scratch. In an instant, she was there, launching one foot up in a rising kick that went all the way up Evans' frontal surface, blazing a path of pain despite the ice creeping over her leg.

Only when she reached the top did she rebound off, but rather than flipping back and away, she did the impossible and reversed her course in midair. Hanging there for a moment, she followed up with a flying kick from her other boot that slammed into Evans' face like a comet, prompting a roar of pain. As she flew back through the air away, truthfully this time, Jean approached the God of Death next, almost as quick and agile as her now. His claymore flipped itself into the air of its own volition, and he caught it one hand before delivering a massive diagonal blow that left a rainbow trail.

He had made no actual contact, but despite that fact, a massive gash opened in Evans' flesh far away, and the God of Death howled again, a howl that was echoed once more when Sten took his turn to attack. The flaming spirit held both arms up before him, and a pair of spheres appeared in each palm, blazing red power given physical form. He threw them underarm, one after the other in quick succession, and each burned into Evans's flesh before vanishing.

Bow had stood his ground, resolute despite the devastation around him, and was now raising his right arm, the one that ended in a barrel. Fire erupted from the open end, as a massive metal sphere blasted out too fast for Ryu to follow, punching a crater in one of Evans' red torso eyes. Deis attacked next, her green eyes blazing with determination, as she summed up the chains of golden light which Habaruku had assaulted them all with. They wound around Evans, searing his surface with their touch, and again, the God of Death screamed.

Spar reached Evans next, its lean, draconian form as capable as dashing and dodging beneath eruptions as Katt's and Jean's. As it approached, it raised its claws, and both limbs and head began _spinning _suddenly, revolving so fast as to be circular blurs of color and motion. It slammed into Evans at full throttle, and the sound of tearing skin and grinding flesh filled the cavern even as it started to ice over. Nina followed up with what an attack that looked pointless at first, simply holding out her hands and whispering, but a wave of brilliant light washed over Evans from her, and again he screamed.

Rand was last to attack; like Katt, he was doing the impossible, hopping into the air over and over to increase his height. Only when he was on the same level as Evans' head did he move forward, lowering his shoulder and charging, blasting through the air as a gigantic living projectile. Like her, he hit with such force that he bounced off, denting the porcine features inward even as he flew away, shoulder and torso and part of his face covered in frost.

"Look!" Katt yelled, her voice a snarl of rage, and everybody knew instantly what she referred to. The wounds they had inflicted were not bleeding, but neither were they empty and dry. Instead of blood, the injuries were leaking misty white spirits, howling in agony as they escaped from the flesh of the God of Death to rage overhead in a mindless storm.

"The souls of those who worshiped him, which he absorbed to gain his power, superior even to that of Myria!" Jean declared, his own voice ringing with valor. "They escape him with every injury we inflict! Should we free them all, so shall the greatest part of his power be gone from him as well!"

_**Never! **_Evans raged, and something _changed _around them. The light with which they saw, a light with no source at all that Ryu could see, began tinting itself into different colors, one after another with increasing frequency and speed until everything was a blur. With it came the will of the God of Death, striving to undo their transformations, to revert them to their original forms by his raw power alone. **Disappear, and never show yourselves before me again! **

It was overwhelming, even more than the Habaruku's Soulstorm, and for a moment they all buckled under the weight of that awesome force. But then their eyes turned upon each other, and they stood resolute, until the light returned to normal and Evans' will faded. Not a single one of them had fallen, and as Evans stared in disbelief they moved to attack again, Ryu beginning with another raging storm of his own raw fury.

Neither Katt nor Jean moved, however; they both stood absolutely still, almost as if in a trance. Glancing at them both, Ryu could _see _the power gathering around them, physical force condensing and concentrating. Sten, on the other hand, was already moving. With one hand, he summoned up three gigantic blazing arms of living fire, and with the other he created three tornadoes that inhaled the fire and absorbed it into themselves. Three flaming whirlwinds all slammed into Evans in succession, carving paths of blistering pain across his surface.

Deis' spell almost seemed to echo Ryu's attack; a storm of comets blasted into Evans, flaming rocks from deep space summoned into being to ravage his entire titanic form. Spar, similarly, created something from nothing; in its case, gigantic trees that rose from the dark depths of Infinity around the dock to slam Evans with their massive branches almost like boxers.

Bow was next to attack once more, his arm raising again, and this time he fired with emphasis on quantity rather than precision. Multiple massive shots smashed into Evans with overwhelming force, one after another in rapid succession. The wolf of ice which Nina summoned was as monstrous as any of the team, a twenty-foot beast from an age long past whose hideous saber fangs could have bitten through plate. It lunged at Evans, and only at the moment of its impact did a lightning bolt of similar proportions strike the wolf itself, causing a titanic explosion of electricity and icy shrapnel.

Rand's contribution to the spellcasting was no less potent. Lowering himself down on all fours, he concentrated, and the dock itself seemed to come to life, a ripple spreading down its length like an ocean wave. It reached the end, and lashed up in inanimate fury, actually throwing Evans into the air. Although he only hung for a moment, and landed upright, still the impact was titanic, and more souls leaked from the God of Death to join those above.

**Perhaps another tactic is required, **Evans mused, and as his eyes flashed, more souls poured from every one of his mouths like the freezing gas that still hovered around him. These, however, rather than joining the Soulstorm, charged towards the Dragonkin, screaming in hatred; they wore the hideous visages of fallen demons, Evans' worshippers who had gone to their deaths entirely willingly. **You have your allies, Ryu, Nikanoru... and I have mine. **

"Of all the faces I hoped I'd never see again!" Sten snarled, his voice crackling like flames. The four souls leading the charge were, indeed, all too familiar. A vaguely humanoid monstrosity, like a combination of crocodile, lion and ape, bulging with muscles. A hideous witch, serpentlike coils beneath a wizened torso with grasping claws, her face a scarecrow's leer. An abomination of plant life, thorns and vines and weeds all growing off each other, topped by a scowl set in the center of a flower. The skeletal remnants of a rotting dragon's corpse, eyes glowing with madness.

"_Kuwadora, Kuwadora!_"

"_Shupukay-Shupukay-Shupukay-Shupukay-Shupukay!_"

"_Aruhameral, Aruhemaral, Aruhameral..._"

"_Necromanson, Necromanson, _Necromanson_!_"

"Oh, no you don't!" Ryu roared, his voice accompanied by the storm of blistering wrath that his form brought with it. Though some of the enemy souls buckled, none of them fell, and most of them simply continued towards them, the leading four among them.

"Let's see how _your _side likes this one, then!" Deis suggested in two voices at once, her normal one accompanied by the horrible whispers of her shadow, before creating a wall of silver light between them and the charging souls, blazing with power. Howling, the ghosts of their enemies raged behind the wall before turning towards the sides and top. "Hold them back before they reach us! Don't let them touch you, or else..."

"Instant death, I suppose," Nina said calmly, her voice serene, with no trace of hatred or anger. "Well, there are ways to deal with that." She held her hands out, and as light gathered around them, the enemy souls began to vanish. One by one, Evans' fallen followers flickered away, dissipating like morning fog. Nodding at her, Sten began doing something similar, but instead of banishing the souls, he switched them out with others. The victims of the Soulstorm found their tormentors suddenly among them, and responded appropriately, while those which appeared within the enemy were no less vicious.

Spar opened its mouth next, and when it roared, vibrant spores emerged upon a strong wind, pink and gold mixed together. Blown towards the charging souls, its breath took its toll; their rage draining, the demon souls who felt its touch slowly stopped, confused and disoriented. Bow was dispelling more of them, an angelic form with a rainbow trail passing through them with a similar effect as Nina's power.

"Goddamn you fools!" Rand bellowed, his voice even deeper than normal, like shifting rock. His eyes flashed, and more of the demonic souls began to follow the example of those attacked by Spar, looking around them in surprise and disbelief. "Haven't you realized you were tricked by _now? _How this _thing _is using you? _Wake up!_"

At that moment, Ryu noticed two things. One was that the souls of the four leaders remained undeterred; flying over the top of Deis' wall, they were descending, screaming. The other was that four _more _souls from the mass of the enemy were moving as well, speeding after those four, and that those who had been turned by Spar and Rand were following them in a mass just as angry. Four more leaders, just as familiar as their most hated enemies, led the mass of the repentant, and crashed into the Demon Lords before they could reach the _Dragonkin. _

"_Magnificent!_" Augus Conte's twin bear heads roared his approval, double clubs held in the arms of his muscular form slamming into Shupukay. "_What an amazing battle!_"

"_A show beyond any I could have dreamed of!_" M.C. Tusk agreed, trumpeting as his huge fists beat a brutal barrage against Aruhameral, a bipedal mammoth with rows of tusks. "_Glorious, glorious!_"

"_Don't get the wrong idea, assholes!_" Joker Heart snarled at them, as he spewed withering, acidic poison gas over Kuwadora, his round reptilian form still hideous. "_We just want some goddamn payback on these bastards! You can all just piss off, but you'd better shitting win this first!_"

"_What they said,_" Trout Barm, of all people in the world, gave them a cheerful smile with catfish features as his stout golden pillbug soul slammed into Necromanson's, shattering ghostly bones as he led the others onward. "_The whole world is behind you now. Don't screw it up!_"

Deis' wall vanished, as the furious mass of betrayed souls swarmed over those of the four Demon Lords, bearing them away into the depths of Infinity. As Evans stared in disbelief, Jean and Katt moved once more at the same time, breaking their motionless trances. Both repeated the atttacks they had opened with, flying kicks and shining sword, but this time each contained ten times the force. A massive wound ripped open upon Evans from one side to the other, and another from top to bottom, before they finished with a second kick and a sudden thrust that blew holes straight through him.

_**Enough! **_Evans raged, and everybody fell to their knees as his eyes burned into theirs, _pulling _at them with a force beyond thought, beyond emotion, beyond rationality. It pulled at them, at their hearts and souls, seeking to draw them into itself, out of their bodies and into his. **You **_**will **_**become God's power! **

"Not today," Bow growled, his voice hollow and mechanical, yet still clearly his own, filled with emotion and defiance. "Not ever!" One by one, they stood again, and though they all felt somewhat diminished, it was nowhere near enough to stop them. Ryu met Deis' eyes, and as they both roared their response, blazing storm of light and falling swarm of comets crashed together as one overwhelming blast that devastated Evans' flesh.

Katt and Jean were moving as well, still together as they charged once more, summoning up magic around them this time. The Woren girl's entire store of magic erupted around them, bolstered by Jean's own ability, in ice magic beyond any Ryu had ever seen; even from his distance, he could tell that all temperature around the two of them was abruptly _gone_, an aura of absolute zero that actually drove away the freezing gas surrounding Evans. Claws and feet and razor-edged blade lashed out again, and Evans was the one whose wounds were covered with ice now, to his howl of disbelief.

Bow and Sten attacked together as well, and the Highlander's magic boosted both their attacks, igniting the archer's shots while accelerating both those and his own flaming spheres with the power of the wind. As they slammed into Evans, Nina and Spar summoned up even greater magic, the Grass Man calling up the gigantic trees once more, only for them to be struck by lightning as they assaulted Evans. The electricity coursed through the God of Death even as the wooden giants burst into flame, and continued their assault even as they burned.

Rand and Deis focused their power together, and a massive rumbling from above prompted hundreds of pointed stalactites to plummet from the darkness, impaling Evans repeatedly. Even before the shaking began dying down, Ryu and Bow attacked, blazing blasts of light mixed with metal fire ravaging Evans even more. Katt and Spar moved together next, the former grabbing the tuft on the end of the latter's tail and snapping him out like a whip as its claws and head blurred into spinning motion, ripping through the worms beneath Evans with a gratuitous amount of flying chunks of flesh.

Nina and Rand combined their talents for electrical magic, as they had once before against Kuwadora, but ten times as strong now, a blistering field of lighting that made Evans' bones stand out inside his dark form and allowed them to see every break they had inflicted. Likewise, Sten and Spar followed up with a double attack they had used before, pummeling Evans with a barrage of ice chunks mixed with atmospheric detonations.

The God of Death was a ruin now, his titanic form a battlefield of scarred flesh and hideous wounds that leaked more and more souls with every moment, a hemorrhage of his power that continued even without their attacks now. Still, he was far from done; the two rows of skulls jerked apart, up and down, to open up the dark void at his heart. From there, a massive beam of light blasted out, pouring absolute destruction over them all.

Even as it broke over them, burning them away, Bow and Rand were already responding. Combining their talent for white magic, the former's quick intellect and years of study merging with the latter's natural talents and love of life itself, the power of restoration repaired the damage even as it occurred. When the blast finally dissipated, they all stood in defiance still. In the next moment, Ryu and Spar both blasted forward together, ripping into Evans with fangs and claws and lashing tails, dragons united in heart and mind.

Deis raised her cane to the heavens, but not against Evans; her bolt of lightning struck Katt instead as she charged, and the feral girl carried the electrical charge into her own attacks, lending each strike additional force, which she took full advantage of. Jean stood before Nina, knight and queen, as they both raised a hand against Evans, and their gesture of rejection was accompanied by not two angels but two dozen. Created from holy magic, wielding sword of judgment, the angels slammed into Evans on rainbows and light, and each one caused more and more souls to depart his form.

Sten and Deis combined their wills together, and a truly titanic eruption of both air and fire exploded around Evans, covering his entire form with raging flames. As he screamed and burned, from head to toe, Bow fired a single metal sphere which Katt jumped _onto_, riding the shot with perfect balance as it screamed towards Evans. At the last moment, she jumped off, and used its momentum to blast into him with a double-booted kick even as the shot itself hit as well.

Hopping into the air again, Rand grabbed Sten before blasting forward in another shoulder charge, and the two of them blasted straight into his chest, shattering the skulls and punching a hole through his dark heart. A breath later, as Evans' will recoiled in pain and horror, Jean and Spar raised hand and claw together and took back everything of theirs that Evans had stolen from their hearts and souls less than half a minute ago, returning it to the _Dragonkin. _

And then Ryu was blasting towards Evans, his fury raging in power and light around him, as a massive sword appeared in his hands. A blade created by Nina behind him, one made of fire and flame. And with one blow, he finished it, cleaving Evans' head from his body, severing the abomination's skull entirely. For a moment, nobody moved. Nobody even breathed. The world itself seemed to have paused. And then Evans screamed, as the last of his souls bled away, leaving him withered and empty, a hollow shell of scales and skin draped over a framework of broken bones.

They stood together, nine as one, as they had when they'd first revived. Katt and Jean went into that same meditative trance once more. Bow raised his arm, ready for rapid-fire. Deis and Nina and Sten and Spar and Rand all prepared their spells, lightning and air and fire and ice and earth. And then Ryu roared, and with his blazing fury came all of theirs as well.

**Why? **Evans whispered, as he began to disintegrate under that wave of absolute destruction. **Why? Ryu... Bow... Katt... Rand... Nina... Sten... Jean... Spar... Deis... grandfather. Why? Why do you want to stop me? Why do you want to kill me? Why don't you understand? I do not hate you. I hold no malice towards you, or towards any man or woman in the world. It is simply a matter of fate. The destruction of the world is fate. The death of all who live is fate. Why can't you understand that, Nikanoru? **

"Destiny is overrated," Ryu told him quietly, as the others all watched in silence.

**I don't understand, **Evans said quietly, his voice the confused murmur of a small child who had encountered something new for the first time. **Why do you resist your fate? Your fate of destruction? You, and those who follow you, and all others in the world above... why don't they want to die? Why don't they want to become part of God? I don't understand it at all. **He began to fade then, as he toppled backwards towards the endless depths of Infinity, like a ruined building succumbing to gravity at last.

**I think... I will sleep now, **the God of Death told them as his abominable form shimmered and faded, an illusion that had been dispelled. **I think I will disappear. I will dream of destruction, of death... and I will try to understand. Goodbye... my Nikanoru. **

And then he was gone, and they stood alone at the end of Infinity, upon the end of that dock above the endless darkness. They stood there for a moment, in breathless silence, and then on a simultaneous impulse they all looked up, as they saw the impossible one last time. Far above, too far to be seen, there was a sparkle of light that was growing brighter. A hole had opened in the earth, miles and miles above, just barely wide enough to let in a beam of sunlight that covered them all.

As the light of the sun washed over them, one and all, Agni Anfini began to dissipate, Ladon's consciousness and will leaving them. One by one, they began to transform back into their normal forms. But even as they did, their minds and wills remained as one until the last moment, and even as that faded as well, they all felt one last touch of Agni Anfini's power. The last thoughts that went through the minds of those they had chosen as their kindred.

_Gandaroof... I understand now. I understand why logic alone is not enough, why emotion is necessary. Why emotions are the most important thing in the world. I... like it. I like having emotions, Gandaroof. I think... that emotions like this... are what changes the world. _

_ Mina... sister. Because of you, we saved the world. Because of your wings. I still wish I had been the one. I still wish you had not sacrificed myself. But Mina... thank you. I won't ever run from my life like I did before, ever again. I will fight the destiny of my black wings, until the day that I die. To prove that you were right, Mina. I will show all the world that you were right, to believe in me. Thank you, Mina. _

_ It was worth it. It was worth waking up again. It was worth all of it. It still is. _

_ It feels kind of strange. We really did it, Silvia. Somebody like me... I helped save the world, just like you told me I could. Thanks, guys. All of you... you're my family, now. I'll never think of you as anything else, ever again. _

_ Guess I've got no choice now, huh, Elforan? It's hard to believe that somebody like me could do something like this, after everything else I've done. Turbo probably won't believe a word of it. But here I am, and I can't deny it any more. What really gets me, though... is that I don't care about the reward any more. I really don't. To have come through this, to have won... and to have all of us here still alive... that's enough. That's all I need. _

_ We did it, mom. We won. Thanks, guys. _

_ It doesn't seem real. Even after everything, it still doesn't seem real that we did something like this. A dumb street kid like me, fighting with everybody else here like that. But maybe that's what makes it so special, huh? That's what I think. Maybe it's time I tried thinking more often, if I'm going to have thoughts like that. _

_ Father, Petape... now, I will truly be known as a Prince of which the royal family can be proud. I will be known as a brave man, who helped to save the world. When people will call me that, and tell you that that is who I am... when you can feel proud of me... that will make me happy, I think. _

_ Let's go home. Let's go back to where everybody is waiting for us. Back to my father, and to my sister, and to Niro. Let's go home, everybody. _

_ It is finished, _Ladon thought, last of all, as the last of Agni Anfini's power faded away in the sunlight they stood under. _Well done, my heroes. My kindred. It is done, and you have succeeded. You are victorious. Well done, indeed. _

"We did it," Katt whispered, a smile of disbelief on her face, as she stared up into the sun like one freed from starvation and thirst. "We really did it."

"Mission successful," Sten agreed, his own smile proud. "Good job, everybody."

"We are victorious," Jean said without a trace of doubt, the smile on his features simple and jubilant. "Our adventure is complete."

"We're done," Bow muttered, shaking his head slowly, smiling almost ruefully. "It's over."

"Yeah, it is," Deis said, with absolute certainty, her smile a mystery. "We're finished, now. We made it."

"Our rigors are beyond us," Spar concluded, its smile barely visible, almost hesitant. "Now, the only thing that will decide the course of our lives will be our own choices."

"We really did do it, didn't we?" Rand said with a chuckle, his smile calm and peaceful, in a way he hadn't looked for some time. "Who'd have thunk it."

"We're _free,_" Nina whispered, tears of joy streaming down her smile.

And Ryu said nothing. He simply smiled, like they all did. For the first time in his life, that was all he needed to do.

_I WILL NOT FIGHT FOR YOU DARK MASTER_


	46. Epilogue: Live For Today & Author's Note

_**Epilogue: Live For Today **_

The elevator ride up was a silent one. Every one of them knew what awaited them once they reached the top of it, and none of them were looking forward to it. Even so, it had to be done; there was, quite simply, no other way. And so they resigned themselves, and when the elevator reached the top, they stepped off and approached the double doors without hesitating.

"Everybody ready for this?" Ryu asked them, looking over his shoulder, and only when he received eight nods in return did he push the doors open, and lead them out into the streets of Dologany once more. As they'd all feared, everybody in the city immediately went silent, turning to stare at them, as they walked out. There were hundreds of them, practically crowded elbow to elbow, and none of them said a word, or did anything but watch them as the _Dragonkin _came slowly forward.

"This is very awkward, yes?" Jean asked the others, calm and polite, as the people closest to them stepped back and out of their way, but only barely.

"Just a little, yeah," Katt muttered under her breath.

"Where's Spekkio?" Deis grumbled, looking around. "_He'll _know what to do about this."

"Looks like _somebody's _coming our way," Bow told her, glancing towards the back of the crowd; there was a disturbance, as if somebody were shoving his or her way through by main determination, and it was accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Come on, come on, cut it out!" Patty Smith was yelling as she approached them, a trail of disapproving murmurs in her wake breaking the silence as well. "They'll hate this, all right? I told you they'd hate it. Move, already! Ack!" She stumbled between the last two citizens, surprised, and by the time she recovered her balance she was standing in front of the _Dragonkin. _

"Hey," Ryu said calmly, meeting her eyes, his face carefully blank.

"Oh," she replied, in the same tone, doing the same thing. "Hey." Again, there was silence for several long moments.

"You got down here in less than a week?" He asked, eventually, taking the hint from his team that he was on his own for this one. "I knew you were fast, but damn."

"Helped that there weren't any demons left," she admitted, flapping her wings. "Plus, I've got these, so I was able to cheat. And one guy can move faster than a group your size, anyway."

"Yeah, there weren't any on our way back up, either," Ryu recalled. "Guess the ones who were left all got lost after we took out their God. Guess you can get through to the species after all. Who'd have thunk it."

"They're not coming out into the surface world any more, either, so don't worry about that," she explained, almost casually. "That was when I figured I should go ask Ladon if you'd won. When the reinforcements stopped coming. If there's any left up there at all, they're under a rock somewhere. The World Council was _not _amused by the surprise war."

"No, I imagine not," Ryu agreed, wincing. "How bad is that going to get for us, exactly?"

"Ask Mani, not me," she said, shrugging. "He's your agent. Didn't look to me like he was panicking _too _badly when I headed off, though."

"I'll take that as a good sign, then." Ryu nodded, then fell silent once more, out of things to say. Patty followed his example, until finally they were both shifting their gaze around and scratching the backs of their necks, and Ryu decided just to get it over with. "How's grandfather doing?"

"He..." Patty started to say, then paused, before looking down. "He passed away this morning. Before anybody else was awake. That's part of why I was in such a hurry. I wanted to get down here in time to meet him, at least once, before he did. I'm glad I got the chance."

"I am too," Ryu replied quietly, meeting her gaze again. "We'll have to stick around for the funeral before we head back up, then."

"It's tomorrow morning," she told him. "The High Priest knows we'll want to get it over with and head back up as soon as possible."

"He's good about things like that," Ryu conceded, nodding slightly. "Did you know he's our Greatfather? Two thousand years back. I can't really see the resemblance, personally."

"Let's hear it for genetics," she drawled, smirking for a brief moment. "Yeah, he told me. I hear we've got another, halfway down the family tree, and a Greatmother with him, too. Living on some island somewhere."

"They'll probably be in town by the time we get back," he guessed. "They said they'd come for the afterparty. You can meet them, then. And the rest of the senile old duffers they hang around with, too."

"Oh, joy." She rolled her eyes, before her face grew serious again. "Dad told me. About what happened to mom. He's doing good, by the way. Well, as good as he can, under the circumstances. He's waiting for you to get back."

"That's good," Ryu said quietly, fighting the urge to ask how their reunion had gone; that was between the two of them. "Mom..." He lowered his head. "I couldn't stop her. By the time I figured out what she was doing..."

"It was already too late." Patty closed her eyes. "The story of our lives, huh?"

"Yeah." Ryu slowly nodded. They remained there for a moment more, motionless, and then on a simultaneous impulse they both lunged forward, embracing fiercely.

"I'm sorry, sis," Ryu said quietly, head on her shoulder and eyes closed. "I never was much good at protecting you after all."

"Don't apologize, you moron," she murmured back, her voice soft. "I ran away and abandoned you there, and you think _you _should apologize to _me_? Idiot big brother."

"That wasn't on either of us," Ryu told her. "That was a bunch of total shits who, fortunately, are all _extremely _deceased now. We put some special effort into Habaruku's."

"Yeah, I found what was left of him," she said, her voice tinted with light humor now. "You know, you really shouldn't just leave corpses out there in the open like that. The vultures kind of attracted a lot of attention, especially when they started puking and falling out of the sky dead as a doornail."

"I'll bet the townspeople loved that," Ryu joked back as they released each other and stepped back. "We should talk, tonight. After we have some dinner. About a lot of things."

"Yeah, we should." She nodded slowly. "About mom, and dad, and Gate, and... a lot of other things, yeah." She glanced around then, at the people of Dologany, before continuing. "Why don't we get back to that place they gave you, then? Maybe if we go indoors, they'll take the hint."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sten agreed, as the rest of the group approached once more. "Worth a shot, at any rate."

"An eminently reasonable proposal." Spar nodded. "I concur fully."

"Let's give it a shot, then," Ryu said, casual again, as they all proceeded to wade through the crowd once more. "I think it's this way."

Fortunately, they turned out to be right; once they'd closed the door behind them, the people of Dologany went back to their daily life. Ryu had his suspicions about that, especially when he heard a familiar voice bellowing at them to do just that, but chose not to inquire further. Most of the team turned in early, after dinner, but Ryu did just the opposite. By the time he and Patty had finished talking, and turned in following another hug, it was more than halfway through the night, resulting in severe drowsiness in both of them the next morning.

Somehow, he was able to stay awake throughout the entirety of Grandfather Martin's funeral. It was a simple, somewhat primitive religious ceremony, but after his experience with the Church of St. Eva he found that he rather liked that. The only surprise came when they tipped the casket over the edge into the endless abyss, but from the way Spekkio spoke, it was meant as an honor, and so he quieted his objections. Once it was concluded, they proceeded back towards the doors by which they'd first entered Dologany, three weeks ago, the High Priest with them.

"Are you guys going to be coming along in a bit?" Ryu asked, turning to him at the door.

"I doubt it, kid." Spekkio shook his head. "It's been five hundred years, you know? This place is home for us, now. And now that the demons are all gone, we'll be able to expand the place and live peacefully. Maybe even establish contact with the Mole Clan again. They'll be the ones who'll probably show up in the outside world again one day."

"I'll look forward to it, then." Ryu nodded, holding out his hand, which Spekkio shook. "The mercenary group _Dragonkin _thanks you for your patronage. Be sure to tell your friends about our one-time-only free godslaying offer for first customers."

It was the sort of thing that one only noticed by pure chance. Ryu was fairly skilled at spotting when somebody was hiding something, after a life on the streets, but he was no expert; Bow and Sten and Spar were all better at it than him, and probably Deis and Nina as well. He only noticed because he'd happened to be watching Spekkio's face at that exact moment.

Spekkio flinched.

A quick assessment told Ryu that he was, in fact, the only one who'd seen; he'd been standing between Spekkio and the others. Rather than bring it up, however, he glanced over his shoulder. "Go on ahead, guys. Nothing personal, but there's one more thing I need to ask about."

"Private, huh?" Rand raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, all right. Come on, you lugs. Guy's entitled to _some _secrets, even from us."

"A novel concept," Nina murmured, smiling lightly, in a way she never would have when Ryu had first met her. Patty was the only one who gave Ryu a look as they moved past, through the doors, and he ignored her.

"All right," he said flatly once the doors were closed. "What am I missing?"

"Over here," Spekkio grunted, inclining his head, and they walked away from the doors, towards the closest Statue of Ladon. "There. Nobody who's not standing as close to this as we are will be able to make out what we're saying now, no matter how good their hearing is."

"Really?" Ryu blinked. "Huh. I never figured that out, but now that I think about it, it doesn't really surprise me, either." He folded his arms. "Well?"

"Look, kid." Spekkio sighed. "You did good down there. You won. All the souls that were his have been freed, and he's no longer a threat to the world. You beat him. World's saved, destiny fulfilled, yadda yadda yadda."

"But?" Ryu pressed, raising an eyebrow.

"But..." Spekkio paused for a moment before continuing, looking away. "You remember what I said about why it had to be you? Because you guys were the only ones Evans would take physical form in order to fight at all, because of his pride?"

"Yeah." Ryu nodded. "You said if anybody else tried, he wouldn't even take physical form at all. He'd just remain..." He trailed off, as the light dawned.

_ **I think... I will sleep now, **the God of Death had told them as his abominable form shimmered and faded, an illusion that had been dispelled. **I think I will disappear. I will dream of destruction, of death... and I will try to understand. Goodbye... my Nikanoru. **_

"See, Myria was one thing," Spekkio explained. "She was just as insane as he was, but she was no coward. When she realized she was really, truly going to die this time, she didn't discorporate. She wasn't afraid of death. Evans, though..."

"Evans had the mind of a child," Ryu recalled quietly. "And children run away when they're beaten. He's not dead. He just shed his physical form, at the last moment, before he died."

"His power is gone," Spekkio reminded him. "He has no souls left to him at all, and nobody is sending him power from any other sources. The Church of St. Eva is finished, and so are all of his demon henchmen who were making trouble. Even Barubary's plague has faded, with his death. He might still be alive, but as long as all that doesn't start up again, there's no way he'll ever grow as powerful as he was before."

"But it's possible," Ryu said quietly. "It's unlikely, but it's possible that he might find some way to become a threat to the world again."

"Yeah." Spekkio admitted. "It's possible."

"Say, maybe in a thousand years?" Ryu guessed, voice rising angrily. "Just like his mom, right? Once wasn't enough for her either, was it? They had to whup her twice, before it stuck. Maybe that'll happen here, too. A thousand years, time for some descendants, and hey kids, here comes act five! Some other bunch of poor schmucks are going to be jerked around by fate and destiny just like we were, and go through just as much crap whether they want to or not! Does that sound about right?"

"Also possible." Spekkio nodded slowly. "But that's a thousand years, kid. That's my problem. You and Martin did your time, and you're done. Trust me, Ladon doesn't have anything planned for you like he did with the last gang. You're out, and if you want to walk away and forget any of this ever happened, I wouldn't blame you one bit. Don't worry about it."

"And what if I don't want to?" Ryu asked quietly, anger gone as soon as it had come upon him.

"That's a question you're going to have to answer yourself, kid." Spekkio looked up at the statue of Ladon. "That's one of those questions we all have to answer for ourselves, once it's all said and done. Nobody told Martin, or me, or even Ladon what to do about that one. It's your call. Just don't rush into doing anything stupid, all right?"

"I try not to, as a general rule," Ryu told him, turning away. Only when he'd reached the door did he pause. "Will I ever see you again?"

"That one's on you, too," Spekkio shot back. "Nice try."

"Heh." Ryu smiled, slightly. "It was worth a shot." Lifting a hand over his shoulder in farewell as he opened the doors, he walked through. The team were waiting for him, quiet and calm, and he forced another smile. "Thanks, guys. Just a couple of last-minute details to clear up."

"On the process?" Deis asked. "The technical aspects?"

"Yeah, something like that." He shrugged. "Probably won't ever be relevant, but I figured I'd ask, all the same. Come on, let's get going. The sooner we get out of here, the better, yeah?"

"Don't think anybody's going to argue _that _one," Bow agreed.

The next week was quiet, just as the previous one had been. For some reason, even without the constant threat of demon attack, the halls of Infinity seemed to put everybody into something of a somber mood. Depressing as it was, it did give Ryu some much-needed time to do what he'd promised, and think carefully about what Spekkio had told him. The more he did so, however, the more depressed he became. It was a constant struggle not to show any of this to the others, and he focused on that as well, doing his best to appear cheerful and optimistic despite his dark thoughts.

Just as when they'd returned to Dologany from the end of Infinity, they were able to make the journey in only a week, half the time it had taken them to make the journey downwards. This was mostly due to the current lack of demons to fight, but Spar's memory of the most efficient path through the three-dimensional maze tower helped as well. Surprisingly, Patty turned out to be similarly useful, due to traveling that way more recently than them; her argumentative nature had subsided a great deal, and everybody on the team took appreciative notice.

And then the day came when they saw the ceiling of the infinite cavern above them, and realized what it meant. Everybody's mood improved significantly as soon as they did; even Spar was visibly happy at the thought of putting their month and a half underground behind them. Only Ryu was melancholy, and he continued to hide it as they hurried up through the final floors, and then out into the top room. They sun was shining through the open door, and that sight was the final straw. Like excited children, the team made a mob rush for the exit, scrambling over each other in an undignified scramble.

"Feels warm," Katt pointed out as they tumbled out of the door, several of them falling over themselves and each other. "A lot better than it was when we went down." She was right; everybody noticed it as they emerged from the depths of Infinity into a canyon regrown, the tall grass green again and bursting with life, as much as the trees.

"It is spring," Jean said, his voice awed, as he spread his hands in the sunlight. "We descended in the heart of winter, and now we have returned to the dawn of spring."  
"Barubary's curse has been lifted," Spar told them, smiling happily and looking around. "It seems everything is, indeed, finished."

"Yeah, it started warming up after you guys did it," Patty explained, smiling as well. "Didn't think it'd be this far along, though. Not that I'm complaining."

"I don't believe any of us are," Nina agreed, flying slightly up. "Ah, that feels so good."

"Let's go see how everybody's doing, huh?" Sten looked around. "Can't see Township from here, but they probably haven't moved it."

"Probably," Rand agreed. "Let's hope not, anyways." They all started down, but Ryu remained where he stood, and after a moment, they all paused and turned back to him.

"Ryu?" Deis asked, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Listen, guys..." Ryu said quietly, turning to look back towards the Gate they had just walked out of. The Gate behind the town he'd been born in, which it had taken its name from. The Gate to Infinity, through which Evans might one day emerge to destroy the world, despite their defeat of him. The Gate which his mother had slept over for nearly his entire life, guarding it with her own body and soul in order to ensure that no more of their enemies would be able to break through and threaten her children, as Barubary and Habaruku's strike force had.

The Gate which she had sacrificed her life in order to open, after giving up so many years of it to keep it closed.

He'd tried not to think about it, the entire trip up from Dologany. He'd tried to reassure himself that Evans' return was only a possibility, and a slim one at that. He'd tried to do as Spekkio had advised, and forget that he'd ever figured that out in the first place. The old man had spoken honestly, when he'd said that Ryu and his friends had done their time. They were finally free, ready to live their lives without another thought for the destiny bullshit ever again, and nobody could have blamed him for that. He knew all of that, and knew he wouldn't be selfish if he just walked away.

And yet, he knew what the answer to his concerns was. The obvious solution, one that he'd realized even before he'd finished his conversation with Spekkio. He'd been able to tell that the old man had known what he was thinking, and tried to talk him out of it, and he'd spent the entire trip up attempting to do the same. And yet, and yet... he'd kept thinking about it, and when he'd slept, he'd dreamed of it as well.

About the subtle effect from Agni Anfini that he'd felt lingering with him, even after all the rest had faded, altering his weakened Breath Of Fire. Strengthening it, to what he suspected was the same level as pureblooded Dragon Clansmen, like his mother had been. He hadn't tested it, but he could tell, all the same; were he to transform now, he would be able to remain in that form as long as he wanted, rather than reverting after only a few seconds.

"There's something I've been thinking about..." He started to say, staring at the Gate and remembering his mother's sacrifices, both of them. Before he could continue, however, the entire canyon started to shake around them.

"What the hell?" Patty yelled, accompanied by similar comments from most of the _Dragonkin _as they all looked around for the source of the rumbling.

"Up there!" Katt shouted, pointing up, as the shadow of Township moved over them.

"What is it doing," Bow said, rather than asked, flatly.

_"All right, Ryu!"_ Ganer's voice came from a strange metal box built into the underside of the island, its flat surface containing a round metal mesh in several layers. "_Hold it right there! Don't even think about taking another step towards that Gate!_"

"What's he talking about?" Rand asked, as several of the other members' eyes narrowed.

"Dad?" Ryu yelled back up, stepping back as the flying town hovered over the Gate. "What are you doing? Can you hear me?"

"_I know what you're up to!_" Ganer continued to shout through the lost technology. "_And if you so much as try it, I'll knock some sense into you, the way I did when you were young! Ryu, my son... you're such a fool sometimes. Such a soft-hearted, self-sacrificing fool. Your suspicions are correct, Ryu. Evans still lives, despite the destruction of his body. Because of this fact, destiny would have you follow in your mother's path. Fate would demand one final sacrifice from you, after everything else you have already given. And you would accept that._"

"_You've grown so much, Ryu. Less than a year ago, you fought against your destiny with everything you had. And now, you are willing to _give _everything you have in order to ensure the survival of this world. I am proud of your courage, my son, as is your mother, I am sure. But Ryu... I don't remember raising any son who would hurt his friends like that, or his family. We didn't raise you to give up your life so easily! And after we were taken from you, the life you were forced into... what did you learn from that life? Did you learn to give up? Or did you learn to survive? Well, Ryu?_"

And with those words, the flying town began to fall.

"Shit!" Ryu yelled, turning to yell at his team to run, only to see that they were all well ahead of him. Biting off another curse, he took off after them, as the floating island plummeted straight towards the canyon behind the town of Gate, where everything had begun so many years ago.

"_Energy at maximum capacity!_" Another voice came through the metal box, more difficult to hear over the rumbling, which grew louder with every second. "_It's all up to you now, Father Ganer!_"

Ganer's only response was a wordless roar of determination, and then impact came, and they all flew forward off of their feet, stunned by the impact. Ryu remained down, hands covering his head, until he felt the quaking began to subside. Only then did he get back up, as did the other nine, and turn to stare back at their town. It now stood on a plateau of earth, rising from behind Gate, almost like a model on a table, with the mountainside rising up behind it. There was no sign of the gate to Infinity remaining whatsoever.

"_The engine's stopping,_" Eichichi's voice continued. "_You did it, Father!_"

"Dad..." Ryu said quietly.

"Dad?" Patty repeated, in the same tone, stepping up next to him.

"_Ryu, Yua..._" Ganer continued through the box, sounding more exhausted now. "_I have not been completely honest with you. Among my other torments, Habaruku gave me what he claimed was a blessing, though it was only meant to prolong my torture. The blessing given only to the strongest of demons, though thankfully he refrained from transforming my body further. Though I can still be killed, this body I now inhabit will never die of its own volition. Should I remain alive, I will continue to do so for hundreds, even thousands of years._"

"_I watched your mother, the woman I loved, the mother of my children, sacrifice her own life after more than a decade spent apart. I could do nothing to save her, no more than I could prevent her previous sacrifice following that one horrible night. I will _not _watch my children do the same. This time, I _will _stand in the path of fate, and it _shall _not pass while I draw breath! Evans will _never _pass through this door, no matter how great his strength becomes. This, I swear to you, to all of you, upon your mother's sacrifice. Upon Valerie's final gift to the children we both love so much._"

"_Ryu, you have done enough already. You have suffered far too much, and now, it is done. This task is not yours, my son. It is mine. This is _my _destiny, not yours, a destiny I have inherited from Valerie. Before you came, when last we spoke, she warned me of what you would likely do, and I accepted the task instead, then and there. The duty I abandoned when I was taken from this town, and from my family. From this day forward, I will protect this land which we call home, just as Valerie did. I will protect it for a thousand years, if need be. Until the birth of the next destined child._"

"_This is no place for you, my son. You still have a life ahead of you, the life which you have won with your success. The rest of the world still awaits you, children, a world full of beauty and adventure and yes, danger... but danger that you have learned to overcome. Go forth into that world, with those you love, and never look back. That is your reward, and you have well earned it._"

"Dad..." Ryu said again, lowering his head, as the box went quiet and the last of the rumbling faded away. After another moment, he turned back to his team. "Guys-"

Before he could say anything more, both of Katt's feet hit him right between the eyes.

"_Moron!_" She screamed as he reeled, backflipping off of his face and landing before him. "_Idiot! Imbecile! _What the _hell _do you think you're doing, huh? Giving up your life to guard the Gate, like your mother did? Like she'd have wanted that? Like _any _of us would want that? You were going to _ditch _both me _and _Nina? After all the time we spent putting up with this crap, waiting for you to choose? I ought to dump you here and now!"

"Hey, wait a second here!" Patty yelled; she'd been standing next to Ryu, and now her eyes narrowed. A moment later, she spun, and kicked him alongside his head as he was trying to recover from Katt's attack. "She's _right!_ You stupid _asshole! _I spent _how _long waiting to see you again, and you were gonna pull _that _one on me? And not just on me, but on _these _two, and all the others too? We ought to hang you up in the middle of town and hit you like a pinata until candy comes out!"

"A remarkably tempting suggestion, at this point in time," Nina said darkly, pelting Ryu with chunks of ice the size of his head, knocking the wind out of him and driving him to his knees. "I must admit, I find the thought highly persuasive. I'd address you directly, Ryu, but I'm not sure my vocabulary _has _the words to describe exactly what I think of this plan of yours."

"I can think of a few," Deis growled, raising her cane and setting the seat of his pants aflame with a fireball.

"Oh no, _mon ami!_" Jean protested as Ryu began rolling around in the dirt, yelping. "You are on fire!"

"Hold on, buddy!" Bow assured him as the two of them, Sten and Rand all ran up and began stomping Ryu repeatedly. "We've got this! Leave it to us!"

"We're gonna have to talk about strategy, boss," Sten informed him cheerfully. "This plan had a few holes in it."

"More like one gigantic, unbelievable hole," Rand corrected him. After a few more seconds of this, they backed off, and Ryu slowly stood up, the fire extinguished. He looked from one of them to another as they stared back, silently, then shifted his gaze to Spar as the Grass Man approached.

"Well?" He asked eventually.

"I see," Spar replied, looking him over. "Comedic violence for the purpose of conveying our precise level of dissatisfaction with the proposed plan. Perhaps sometimes, simple brutality truly is the most effective solution." It waited a moment more, then kicked Ryu in the balls.

"Yeah, that ought to do just about do it," Katt muttered as he writhed in the dirt.

"Well, Ryu?" Nina asked, raising an eyebrow. "Have we made our feelings on the matter adequately clear?"

"Yeah, I got it," Ryu grunted. "I'm sorry. Please don't kill me."

"It's all right," Bow replied, nodding. "We won't kill you." He walked past Ryu then, the others following. "So, how are we going to get up there?"

"With the kind of talent we've got up there, it shouldn't take long to build a road leading there," Deis murmured. "Probably a ramp of some kind. Problem is, that's not now. Oh, wait, here we go." Mina was flying down now, wings beating. Passing over the others, she landed before Ryu, who was getting back to his feet. Regarding him gravely for a moment, she pecked him once, atop his head, before turning to the others and chirping her welcome.

"All _right!_" Ryu yelled, clutching his skull. "All right! I _get it, already!_"

"Glad to hear it," Patty told him drily before glancing at Mina. "So. Friend of yours?"

"You could say that, yes," Nina replied quietly, stroking the side of Mina's neck. "Her name is Mina."

"Oh." Patty's eyes widened in comprehension, and she lowered her head. "Uh. Sorry. I should really learn not to run my mouth so much."

"It's all right." Nina glanced at her, smiling sadly. "Mina, this is..." She paused then, frowning.

"Yeah, about that." Sten scratched his head. "Do you have a preference?"

"Let's keep on going with 'Patty,' if that's okay," the thief replied after a moment, raising a hand to stroke Mina's feathers as well. "For a while, anyways. I haven't used 'Yua' for so long that it's going to take some getting used to, you know?" She glanced at Ryu then, her eyes mischievous as usual again. "Speaking of that, bro. You didn't even change your name? Seriously? No _wonder _they found you so easily."

"Says the girl who didn't even figure it out until the end," Ryu shot back, walking over. One by one, they all climbed onto Mina's back, and she took off, towards Gate. "You're going to have to work on that."

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes. "You know, this is actually really cool."

"It took me some time to get used to it," Jean admitted. "I do not always deal well with heights. However, I have come to appreciate this sensation. I am sure you will as well."

"Huh?" Patty blinked. "Why would I? It's not like _I'm _going to be doing it all that much. I mean, it's not like I _mind_, but..."

Everybody else exchanged a look as Mina landed and they began disembarking.

"So, buddy," Bow said abruptly. "About that promise of yours..."

"Yeah, I know," Ryu agreed, glancing at Nina first, then Katt. Though he didn't know consciously, he suspected that deep down inside, he'd already decided. He still loved them both, just as much, but one of the two needed him more than the other did. One would recover, and move on, and be happy to still be his friend, easier than the other. He was pretty sure that soon, he would know which it was. "I'm working on it. I think I've almost got it figured out."

"It'll probably still be a while before the two of you start sharing a room, though," Rand pointed out. "At least I _hope _so. We might have done a little too well at filling all the houses. Does anybody have any spare rooms?"

"Huh?" Patty blinked, looking confused. "What are we talking about now?"

"I believe Lacquer has one," Spar suggested, ignoring her.

"No," Ryu said flatly. "Somebody who's _not _a guy her own age. For his sake, of course."

"You mean the sake of not having nightmares about you coming for him in his sleep?" Deis asked archly.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"Hey, hey!" Patty yelled, eyes widening as she looked from one of them to another. "Hold on a second here!"

"There's always the Fusion Clan," Nina pointed out. "I believe they still have one, and they're right next door."

"Oh, _yeah!_" Katt grinned wickedly. "Perfect!"

"I guess that's a _little_ better." Ryu conceded. "Somebody's going to have to keep an eye on Spoo, though. Probably Sana, too. Maybe Shin."

"Tell Granny Gigli," Bow suggested. "Pretty sure she can handle it, as long as she _wants _to get involved, which... she would, for this one."

"Fair enough."

"What the hell are all of you _talking about_?" Patty exploded, and they all turned to look at her at last. "What, do you think I was going to stick around forever?"

"We were hoping you would," Ryu said quietly, meeting her eyes. "The choice is up to you, of course. We won't make you do anything you don't want to. But I'd like it if you stuck around, sis. Call it keeping an eye on me, if you want to. A second knife man isn't really customary for teams like ours, but there've been exceptions, usually in cases where the talent was worth splitting the pay eleven ways. And unless I miss my guess, we're going to have enough of that coming in pretty soon that we should be able to manage."

"What?" She whispered, and the look on her face reminded Ryu harshly of just how much time he'd missed with his little sister. "Are you... are you seriously asking me to join you? But you guys _hate _me, don't you?"

"Oh, brother." Bow rolled his eyes. "Any objections?" When none arose, he glanced back at her. "I'm not gonna say you don't annoy me sometimes, but you know what? That goes for most of these yahoos too, and I'm pretty sure I'm just as guilty. The last time somebody like you came along, we figured he'd turn us down, so we didn't ask. That was a mistake. We're not going to repeat it. The job offer's there, any time you want it."

"Idiots, the lot of you," she muttered, lowering her head and shaking it slowly. "Nothing more than a bunch of sentimental idiots." After a moment more, she looked back up, smiling slightly, though her eyes were still pained. "I'll think about it, all right? No promises, but I'm not saying no, either. Just... give me some time, huh?"

"We understand, _mademoiselle,_" Jean assured her. "That, I think, is one thing which all of us understand. Take as much time as you need."

"It's not like we're going anywhere now," Ryu joked half-heartedly as they walked through the town gates. Everybody was gathered in the center of town, waiting for them; as they approached, one of them dashed out towards the group, closely followed by another, and then a third who seemed much more calm than the first two.

"Jean!" Seso practically sobbed, hitting him hard enough that he stumbled back, despite outweighing her by more than two to one. Throwing her arms around his neck, she lowered her head onto his shoulders. "I was so worried!"

"Spar!" Shin cried, doing the same with the Grass Man, promptly slamming it onto its back with her atop it. "Oh. Sorry."

"When did _that _become a thing?" Sten muttered under his breath, glancing at Rand. Sana was staying back, and though she smiled at him, she was making no moves to join him.

"Don't ask me," the big man replied, holding up his hands. "I'm staying out of it. I've had it with that sort of thing for now."

"Not going to tackle me?" Bow asked Silvia as she followed the cousins more sedately.

"I don't think so, no," she replied, smiling slightly, though her eyes showed signs of recent sorrow. "You worried us all a great deal, you know, when those six showed up and told us what the last thing they remembered happening was. We're just lucky somebody else was able to tell Niro what actually happened."

"Somebody else, huh?" Bow slowly nodded, as everybody else fell silent and still, watching them. "Pretty sure I have a good idea who. Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I wish I could tell you that I'd never worry you again, but I don't want to make any promises I don't think I'd be able to keep. Not to you. Never again."

"I know," she said quietly. "I've always worried about you, and I probably always will. But not as much as I used to. Not nearly as much, any more. You're dependable now, Bow. If you tell me you'll come back to me, every time... I'll believe you, every time." She giggled once. "After all, if _God _can't kill you, I wouldn't bet on anybody else."

"Neither would I," he agreed, smiling as well, before glancing over at the crowd. "Hey, Hanz. Did you get that thing I asked you about?"

"Yeah, Bow." Hanz walked over, gave him a small box, then backed away again.

"What's this?" Silvia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Something I thought about a long time, on my way down there," Bow told her. "I decided, you see. That if I survived this, that if we somehow pulled it off, that it was time I grew up. Started acting responsibly. Before that, though, I figured I'd have one last hurrah. That I was going to do everything I've always wanted to do. And the one thing I want, more than anything else... is here and now." He opened the box, revealing the diamond ring inside. "Silvia Stein... will you marry me?"

"Bow..." She whispered, raising one hand to her mouth before tackling him just as strongly as Seso and Shin, eyes brimming. "Of course I will. You don't even have to ask."

"_Woo-hoo!_" Katt cheered, and everybody else followed suit, crowding around and congratulating them both. "All _right!_ Now _that's _what I'm talking about!"

"Damn straight," Sten agreed; somewhere along the line, El had walked up next to him without anybody noticing. They weren't holding hands, but they were standing very close to each other. "Okay, that settles it. Now we _have _to have a party."

"Don't think anybody was arguin' against that, son!" Niro hollered, stepping out from the crowd. Though the old man's face was jovial, his eyes held an almost embarrassing amount of relief as he walked over to them. "So, you pulled it off, huh?"

"Looks like it," Ryu replied, nodding. "Tempting as it might sound, though, we probably shouldn't be in any big hurry to add, 'Godslayers,' to our resume."

"Ah, noooooooo," Niro drawled. "Anyways, everybody's all right up here, too. Took some injuries, but nobody was killed or nothin'."

"Good," Rand said, everybody but Bow looking over towards him now. "How're things looking in the rest of the world?"

"Well, they've more or less settled down," the old man reported. "We're gonna have a _lot _o' explainin' to do pretty soon, though. Once word gets out that yer all back, there's gonna be a bunch o' folks who'll want to talk with us. Probably best if we beat 'em to it and head down to Prima so we can go directly to the World Council."

"Most likely," Nina agreed, wincing slightly. "I don't suppose you have any idea how favorably inclined they'll be towards us?"

"Might be a few tricky bits," Niro admitted. "That whole business with the Church of St. Eva, for one. That's gonna be the hardest to sell. If we can get that one through, though, we should be able to manage the rest. It'll help that we got a lot of friends in high places these days. Duke Kilgore, General Turbo, the governor o' Nanai and the mayor o' Gate are all willin' to back us up. Not to mention the royal families o' both Windia and Sima, o' course. Plus the Ranger's Guild, too."

"That reminds me, we still need to hit them up for that zenny they promised us for taking out Barubary," Ryu recalled, snapping his fingers. "I almost forgot about that. We might end up needing it to get out of all of this."

"Hoo boy," Sten muttered. "Look, boss. If it comes to that, let _me _handle it, okay? Bribery's trickier than you'd think." He glanced at El, who nodded slightly, before continuing. "Turbo'll probably have the Princess backing him up, too."

"That should help," Ryu replied, keeping his face carefully neutral. "All right then, looks like we'll be taking a trip to Prima soon. Not today, though. Today, we've got more important business to take care of." He frowned. "Speaking of the Church of St. Eva, how's that going?"

"Most of the priests are still in shock," Niro reported. "That reminds me, that might actually not be as bad as we figured it would. More 'n a few of them flipped out and transformed into demons when you killed Evans, or at least I figure that's what it was. In public, too. That helped our case a bit, an' it left the rest of 'em pretty shaken. Don't think they'll be causin' any problems for us. They'll be too busy figuring out where _they _stand."

"We should probably see about doing something about that, too, then," Ryu said quietly, glancing over at the statue of Ladon.

"Yeah, about that." Niro coughed. "Secret's kind of out."

"Wait, what?" Patty blinked.

"He means that we all know, now," Silvia explained, glancing over. "Ladon spoke to all of us, once Evans was slain, and he's continued to do so ever since. Poor Kay and Hanz took it the hardest, but most of the rest of us adapted fairly well." Her smile turned slightly wry. "We've all grown accustomed to such things happening around all of you."

"I feel like I should say something about that, but I can't really think of anything," Spar murmured, looking slightly confused about the fact that Shin had an arm around its waist, but not protesting.

"Yeah, no." Ryu shook his head. "Not touching that one. Anyways, we'll deal with that problem later. Stick to worldly affairs, first." He glanced at Eichichi and Salvadore as they walked over, arm in arm. "Hey, guys. How's my father doing?"

"He is exhausted, but happy, _mon ami_," Salvadore told him. "Unfortunately, he is... how to say..." He glanced at Eichichi.

"We had to remodel the system somewhat, once he told us what he had in mind," she explained, looking unusually somber and serious for her. "I was able to do what he wanted, and it should all run successfully, but... he can't leave, now. I had to attach the system directly to his body. I wouldn't have done it if he hadn't been so..." She trailed off, lowering her head. "I'm sorry. I don't think there's any way to change it, or him, back now."

"Don't be," Patty, of all people, told her quietly. "It's what he wanted. He deserves to have something go the way he wants, even if it's like that."

"Yeah." Ryu nodded in agreement. "It's not your fault. We're both going to have to talk to him about it, but no matter how that goes, none of it's on you."

"That's what I like to hear," a familiar voice growled, and they all turned to see five old men and women climbing-or, in one case-flying-up the side of the plateau to join them. Dusting his hands off, the man who called himself Martin crossed his arms and regarded them all. "What? Don't look so surprised. We told you we'd come for the party after, didn't we?"

"We even brought presents!" Gobi beamed; somehow, he'd managed to climb with a keg under each arm. "The good stuff, too! My connections in Guntz hooked me up!"

"You did, didn't you?" Ryu remembered, smiling slightly. "Well, looks like you showed up just in time." He fell silent, then, as did everybody else, as Bo walked over to Deis.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," she replied, in the same tone. They were both silent for a moment more, staring at the ground, before her head snapped up abruptly. "Oh, to hell with it!" Before anybody could respond, she'd lunged at him, and had him bent over backwards in a fierce kiss.

"Is there something in the air around here or something?" Karn asked, though he couldn't quite hide the smile on his face.

"I'm starting to wonder," Patty grumbled. "Nobody better try anything with _me_."

"Screw it all," Deis said loudly once she'd broken the kiss, staring into the old man's eyes. "I've had enough of walking away. I'm not going anywhere this time, not for a damn long time. I've earned a vacation, and I'm taking it, and I'm going to do everything I always wanted to, but never got the nerve up to try until now. And _anybody _who's got a problem with that can kiss my scaly tail."

"A vacation, huh?" Rand asked slowly, his own face carefully blank. Baretta had walked over to him, and now placed a hand on his arm; looking at her, he smiled gratefully before continuing. "That's one way of putting it. I like it. Think we all deserve one."

"As an authority on the subject, so to speak, I would agree with that assessment," the elder Nina murmured softly, smiling.

"I'd say so myself," Ryu agreed, looking around from one of them to another, and remembering the conversation he'd had with Niro, before they'd made the decision to open the gates of Infinity. It wouldn't last forever. Nothing did. Eventually, they would all go their separate ways, back to Sima and Windia and Highland and Farmland and everywhere else, and there was nothing he could do about that. But that was tomorrow, and he'd had enough of living for that. For the first time in a very long time, all he wanted to do was live for today. That was enough. That was all he'd ever wanted.

And for the first time in a very long time, he figured it was worth a shot.

Winter was over. Spring had come.

* * *

It was well past midnight before the party started to wind down. The people of Township were jubilant, the returning heroes even moreso, and the guests from the Isle of Giants easily persuaded to follow suit. Even the villagers from Gate picked up on the mood after a while when somebody thought to bring them up, though they all bore a look of slight confusion on their faces. The only problematic point came when Nina had to explain to Azusa and Maclean that, bird or no bird, Mina was still far too young to be given ale, and that passed quickly.

Once they were into the next day, people start trickling off, either returning to their rooms to sleep or stumbling into a convenient place to pass out; the numbers were roughly equal. The man named Martin, however, had no intentions of doing so himself. He kept his drinking steady, rather than going all-out like most of the revelers, and thus was one of the few who were still at least partially sober towards the end of the party.

Only when he was confident that nobody would see him save for his own four friends did he walk over to the statue of Ladon, near the home of his successor. It had been refurbished, he noted somewhat sourly, and now looked just as they all had when he'd been young. At least they hadn't rebuilt the temple around it. _That _would have been too much for him to be able to stand, no matter how important it was. Sitting down next to it, he took a drink of ale and leaned back, staring up at the stars.

"Good evening, Ryu," Ladon greeted him quietly after a moment.

"Save it," he said wearily, unable for once to put any real bite into his voice. "Like I told you before, we're even, but that's all. I'm still not about to go forgiving you or anything like that."

"May I ask why you're here at all, then?" Ladon replied, still calm. "Surely there are other people you'd prefer to speak with."

"There are," Martin agreed as Nina-his Nina, not the young one-drifted casually over as well. Sitting down next to him, she put an arm around his waist, and he one around hers, so that anybody glancing at them would only see an old married couple sharing a private moment and stay away. "As a matter of fact, that's what we're doing. Waiting for him to arrive."

"Guess I shouldn't keep you waiting any more, then," the old man who called himself Spekkio, who'd once gone by the improbable name of "Uncle Specs" instead, and who'd been Ryu the Rider even before that, said gruffly as he walked out of the trees behind the house. "How'd you know I was going to come bother you?"

"We have a certain understanding of the way such things tend to go, by now," Nina told him, looking over her shoulder and smiling mischievously, the way she always had when something amused her. "Although I must admit, I'm slightly surprised to see that you actually found a way. What happened to that whole, 'unable to pass through living earth,' bit?"

"That was Evans, and his demons," Spekkio explained. "The spirit of the planet itself abhorred them, and still does. She will not permit their passage so long as she still lives, which she will as long as there is still life on her surface." Crouching slightly, he patted the grass and dirt fondly. "I'm a different story, though. I've always gotten along fairly well with her. I suppose what it comes down to is that I'm not exactly a normal man any more."

"Guess that makes enough sense," Martin said, shaking his head slowly. "Don't really understand it, but I think I get it, if you know what I mean. All right, let's make this quick for all of us. Cut to the chase. What are you here for?"

"Where's the kid?" Spekkio asked after a long, silent moment. "And the rest of his team? Are they all out already?"

"Yes, they are." Nina nodded. "We made sure they were all asleep before coming over here. It's not Evans, is it? Ganer Bateson dealt with that."

"No, it's not." Spekkio shook his head. "Although that may not last forever either. No, this is worse than that. Much worse."

"I was afraid of that," Martin muttered an oath under his breath. "We were right, then?"

"We were." Spekkio scowled, sitting down on the other side of the statue and looking up into the night. "We managed to confirm it, shortly after Evans' defeat, once he wasn't interfering with Ladon's senses any more. _She still lives._"

"How?" Nina asked quietly. "We should have killed her, back then. I _know _we should have. It wasn't like Evans. She had no intentions of running away. How did she survive?"

"By the hand of another," Ladon said grimly, speaking up again now. "An insane god of chaos, from another plane of reality entirely, who has never actually entered this world. He visited her often, though, over the thousand years in which she was imprisoned in Pagoda, in spirit rather than in form. Because he did so, rather than attempting to come directly into this world, he was able to bypass Pagoda in order to see her."

"Her lover," Martin realized, snapping his fingers. "The father of her child. I _wondered _about that. He saved her, then?"

"At the last moment, when she was about to pass out of reality," Ladon continued. "When she had departed this plane, he snatched her and gave her some of his own essence, in order to bring her back from the edge. After that, he took her far away, to a place beyond my sight, in order to recover. In truth, she did so long ago, but she was unable to locate this world again. Until now."

"Barubary," Nina guessed. "It was him, wasn't it?"

"Yup," Spekkio grunted. "Figures, even when he finally dies, he gets the last laugh on us. When he dedicated his death to Myria, it became a beacon of worship, one which she is already traveling towards. Her lover will still be unable to accompany her, fortunately; apparently, he's got _quite _the record for interfering with a _lot _of different planets and stirring up trouble there, usually by selecting a mortal as his chosen one. His chaos knight."

"Doesn't matter." Martin shook his head. "She won't need his help, once she gets back here. Not unless it takes her a full thousand years, and somehow, I doubt that."

"Not even close." Spekkio sighed. "We'll just have to hope the world manages to hang on long enough for a fifth to be born, and deal with her."

"What about Evans?" Nina asked, frowning. "Will she free him?"

"Most likely," Ladon said quietly. "Though I doubt she truly understands how mad he is. When she does, I suspect he will turn on her."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll both wipe each other out," Martin suggested sourly.

"I wish," Spekkio agreed. "But I doubt it. No, she'll win, and the only upside of that is that she'll be able to make sure he's dead. Doubt it'll bother her, even."

"I'm not so sure," Nina disagreed. "To kill her own son might have an effect even on Myria."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Martin asked. "What are _you _going to do about it?"

"Me?" Spekkio smiled sadly. "I'm going to fight her, of course. What other choice do I have? She's not like Barubary. I know better than to trust her word."

"You'll die," Nina told him. "Agni Anfini only works once, and without that, you won't stand a chance."

"I know," Spekkio replied.

"So," Martin said after a long, silent moment. "That's the way it is, then."

"I'm afraid so," Ladon agreed. "I will fight as well, of course, to the extent of my power, but even then I doubt we will succeed."

"Might as well count us in, too," Martin decided. "All of us. Everybody's got to go sometime, and least this'll have style." He glanced up at the building above them. "What about those kids, then? When do we bring it up to them?"

"We don't." Spekkio shook his head. "_Maybe _the Grass Man, once the others are all gone, and Deis'll figure it out before long, too. But the others... no. They're done."

"Just checking," Nina assured him, before shivering slightly as a breeze blew past.

Spring had come, but it was still cold, at night.

* * *

Ryu slept. And as he slept, he dreamed. Not of the past, but of the future. Of the future of all his friends, and of himself.

He saw Patty, older and wiser, but with that same glint of mischief in her eyes, as she dashed along a rooftop, a bag over one shoulder. Flipping off the edge of the roof and into a window of the same building, she darted across the office inside, slammed the bag into a wall safe, and quickly threw on a suit. Moments later, as she sat behind a desk, guards burst in to inform her that the building had been robbed, which she responded to calmly. He saw Ganer, still encased in the device, but with a peaceful smile upon his face, and he had no idea how many years or even centuries later it was.

He saw Niro, even more ancient and withered, but still standing with his old wooden cane, though he wore an expensive black suit trimmed with gold. His beard was long and white, but it had been combed, and other men and women who looked equally rich and important were gathering around to shake his hand. He saw Spar, far in the future, standing alone on a hillside and gazing up at the stars. It seemed to be waiting for something, and as one star fell, he saw it nod to itself and tighten its grip on its whip, like an old soldier preparing for one last battle.

He saw Jean, seated upon the throne of Sima in the robes and crown of the King, Seso at his right in similar garb. Despite this, he was cheerfully drawing upon a sketchpad, while she watched him in fascination. His sister Petape, on the other hand, was discussing matters of state while sitting at his left, an arrangement which everybody seemed happy with. He saw Sten, in an immaculate white and gold uniform, sitting at a table by the side of Princess Elforan as they discussed matters of strategy with their generals, one of which was Turbo.

He saw Nina holding court as Queen of Windia, beautiful and radiant, and everybody in the throne room gazed upon her with trust and devotion, no longer caring about the black wings which she had added to the royal family's seal. He saw Rand, along with several other serious-looking Farm Clansmen and women, talking with some equally businesslike Builder Clansmen and women. The deal went well, whatever it was, and after specifying a few particulars Rand shook hands with the Builder Clan's leader.

He saw Katt traveling again, a wandering renegade once more, but the cheerful smile on her face was slightly different now, more mature and more content as well. It took him a moment to realize where she was and what she was doing, but when he did, he could only marvel as to how far she had managed to go, beyond space and time. He saw Bow, elderly and happy with Silvia at his side, posing for a portrait with children and grandchildren, and the smile on his oldest and best friend's face made everything they'd gone through worth it alone.

He saw Deis, and the implications of what he saw troubled him, in a way that none of the others had. But then he saw her face, and he saw that it was peaceful and genuinely contented, that she had finally found closure for her life, and that was enough for him. And then he saw his own future, a moment before he woke up, and he smiled as he did so, as the memory of everything he'd seen faded away, already becoming distant and foggy.

Rising, he dressed, considering his armor for a moment before shaking his head. He still wore his sword on his back, though, its sheath crossing his fishing rod, the sword of the Gold Lord. Old habits died hard, after all, and he was a creature of habit if he was anything. Tying back his hair with a strip of leather, he walked out and went downstairs.

"Morning, buddy," Bow greeted him over a mug of coffee as he walked downstairs. Katt was there as well, as was Rand, along with Patty and Niro, who were in the kitchen cooking breakfast; from the sounds of it, there was a great deal of discussion going on as to how exactly it should be done, which wasn't surprising. "Sleep well?"

"Kind of," Ryu said, pouring himself a mug of coffee that had been thoughtfully left on a tray, sparing him the need to go into the kitchen. "I had a really weird dream, but I don't really remember it much. Not bad, just weird."

"That happens sometimes," Katt told him with a shrug. "Was it the fun kind of weird, at least?"

"I think so," Ryu replied, trying to remember. "Sort of, anyways."

"Hey, that sounds like it'd be good enough for me," Sten commented, walking down and joining them with Jean close behind.

"Indeed, _mon ami_," Jean agreed. "Such dreams are often a source of inspiration for artists like myself."

"Pity I'm about as artistic as a duck." Ryu chuckled as they both took coffee as well. "Think the others will be up soon?"

"Nina and Spar probably will," Rand guessed. "Deis, though..."

"Actually, I think she turned in pretty early," Bow recalled. "Well, early for her at least, which isn't saying much. Still."

"Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's not gonna sleep in," Katt pointed out. "You know what she's like."

"As do we all, by now," Nina murmured, flying slowly down the stairs. "That being said, I do believe I heard motion from her room."

"That just leaves Spar," Ryu said, sipping his coffee. "Shouldn't be long, then."

"Is something going on, boss?" Sten asked, frowning.

"Not really." He shook his head. "I just figured once everybody got down here, we could talk about what we're going to do next."

"I thought we were on vacation," Rand said, raising an eyebrow. "Pretty sure that's what we decided. Pretty sure we've earned it, too."

"Well, yeah," Ryu admitted as Deis and Spar joined them, the former yawning widely. "We're not going anywhere _today _or anything. At least, _I _don't plan on it. But that doesn't mean we can't talk about what we're going to do when we _do _head out next, right?"

"Not to mention, some matters may not be willing to wait on our convenience," Nina pointed out. "There's still the World Council of Prima to deal with, for one. I doubt we'll be able to conceal the fact that we've returned from them for long. They may even already be aware. We'll probably have to deal with them soon."

"That does seem to be fairly likely," Spar agreed, taking its own mug; for some reason, the sight of the delicate Grass Man pouring itself a morning cup of Niro's crude coffee struck Ryu as oddly comical at that moment, though he wasn't sure why. "I must confess, I do not view the prospect entirely with trepidation. I have always wanted to visit."

"Hey, it's the only major city in the world you kids _haven't _gotten up to no good in yet," Deis reminded them, smiling slyly. "I'll be highly disappointed in all of us if we don't manage _something _while we're there. Trust me, it's a good place for it."

"Ah, of course, you have been there on multiple occasions," Jean said. "Tell me, what is the famed undersea metropolis truly like?"

"Let me put it this way," she told him. "Hold on to your wallet, and get ready to haggle. No matter what you do, _never _take the offered price."

"Hoo boy," Ryu muttered, taking a seat. "Anyways, there's also the matter of our next job to talk about. We'll want to take some time off before that, but eventually, it's going to come up. It might be a good idea to talk about our options, at least. I get the feeling that with our history, we're probably going to get some _very _interesting offers."

"An eminently practical suggestion," Spar said, as they all followed suit; Ryu noted idly that Niro had already found another chair for Patty. "I find myself in full agreement."

"All right, breakfast's up!" Niro hollered out. "Get on out there, you! I'll take it from here!"

"Don't blame me if it tastes like crap!" Patty yelled back, shaking her head as she joined them. "Sheesh. Where did you _find _that guy, Ryu?"

"It's a long story," Ryu said, smiling as she took her seat and Niro walked out, bearing plates.

Spring had come. It was a brand new day, and they faced it together.

_**Author's Note **_

In the immortal words of George R.R. Martin, this one was a bitch. And this Author's Note is going to be a bitch. In the good way, of course, on both counts, but a bitch all the same.

I've always been a fan of Breath Of Fire 2. When I was a knee-high brat with a Super Nintendo, I gloried in what I still consider to be the golden age of RPGs. I have my favorites from generations both prior and post, but the SNES-and to a lesser extent the Genesis-were the high point of that particular genre, the days of the best and the brightest. Final Fantasy's greatest came in those days, culminating in the crown jewel of the series. Earthbound, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, Shining Force, Shadowrun, even Super Mario RPG. And, of course, Chrono Trigger, which is still my all-time favorite, and the best video game ever made in my opinion.

Compared to many of these, the two Breath Of Fire games were somewhat unremarkable at first glance. They were fun, but so were all the others, and the nigh-incomprehensible translation didn't exactly help matters. I saw something in them, though, and when I chose to keep going and play them out, my dedication was rewarded. Breath Of Fire 2, in particular, is to this day second only to Chrono Trigger in my book. Despite the translation, despite numerous programming defects that I assume came from being rushed through production, it's a hell of a game.

I wrote Breath Of Fire: War Of The Dragons seven years ago, and when I did I was already toying with the idea of a sequel, though I wasn't quite ready to commit yet; despite my love for the game, I could tell that doing it right would be a massive undertaking, far more than anything else I'd ever written before (okay, if I'd done Chrono Trigger _right,_ maybe that one would have been longer, but it would have been close). Only when I decided to write sequels to two other early works of mine, set in the worlds of Zelda and Metroid, did I start planning for this one in earnest as well.

For obvious reasons, I decided to save Breath Of Fire 2 for last, and looking back I think that was the right decision for several reasons. Firstly, it gave me more time to grow as a writer, and for my skills to develop to the necessary point to make this one work. This was a big one for me, and it was important that it came out right. For another, again, this one was huge. Three books, forty-two chapters (plus a prologue, an epilogue and two intermissions), nearly seven hundred thousand words, almost two years, and a _lot _of beer later, here I am. Yikes. Not bad for fanfiction, huh?

What really attracted me about Breath Of Fire 2, even back in the day, was the focus on the team. Being able to talk with your party members back at your home base and get their opinions on what was going on in the story at the time had been done before, but in that regard it even outdid Chrono Trigger; there was a surprising amount of depth and complexity to that aspect, as well as everybody's dialogue throughout the rest of the game as well.

Ryu is the protagonist, but as Zog said, they're all equally important. Bow, Katt, Rand, Nina, Sten, Jean, Spar and Deis are all complex characters in their own right, and if some of their story arcs are less developed than others, the implications towards more are still there. In fact, the game is fairly clear that the world doesn't revolve around you; there's a lot going on in many other places that Ryu just plain isn't there to see, and that includes how the team interacts with each other as well. I tried to convey that, particularly with the citizens of Township, though I'm not sure how well I succeeded.

The game never comes right out and calls the team mercenaries, but it doesn't really put any particular effort into hiding it either; to my eyes, it was always fairly obvious, so I didn't even bother trying to hide it. The world of Breath Of Fire, in general, always seemed to be more "low" fantasy than "high," more Conan the Barbarian than King Arthur (although that's no excuse for that cover art, thank you, Capcom). Ryu and his team are somewhat of a bunch of antiheroes, but that's understandable, the way they grew up, and they're still clearly the good guys.

I love the game's overall plot, too; it might seem like it's been done a million times before, but back in 1996 when I was still throwing my schoolbooks in the trash (yeah, I got grounded for the next millennium for that one), it was a completely new concept to me. Or, as a certain girl of my acquaintance who's looking over my shoulder and offering commentary at this very moment puts it, Breath Of Fire 2 did the "God Is Evil" thing before it was cool. Whether or not that's true is up to opinion, but it certainly sold me, and her as well when I got her to play it years later.

In short, it's a game that needs a _lot _more love; it had a fairly strong dark horse following online some time ago, but that seems to have faded over the years, probably because the series hasn't put out a new game in more than a decade (V does _not _count; it was a clusterfuck in every sense of the word, obviously has nothing to do with the main series whatsoever, and whatever ibogaine-addled braintrust decided to awkwardly shoehorn it into a once-great series ought to be chucked into a printing press and sold as "discount used gorno mags."). Not really surprising, the way Capcom's gone down the shitter.

I don't know how much interest, if any, this one will stir up among either old fans who stopped caring years ago or new ones who've never actually tried it before, but in that regard, any success at all is enough for me. Actually, even without that, this was worth it. As exhausting as this was, as many times I stayed up late at the keyboard and went into work yawning the next day, it was just plain _fun _to write, and in my book that's what's really important. Who cares if it's not going to get published? Who cares if it's fanfiction? Not me. All I care about is that I like it. That's my motto in general, really.

If there's a moral to this story, I suppose that's what it comes down to. The world might be a shithole, both Ryu's world and our own, but there's good in there along with the bad. If you're honestly looking, you'll find _something _to enjoy. Everybody can. The trick is to put in the necessary effort to find it. Nobody promised us easy, and nothing comes for free, but if you stick it out you'll find it. It might not be the answer, it probably won't make all your dreams come true, but it'll make it worth it to keep getting up every morning, and that's about all I'm asking for.

I'll admit, I kind of reached a little in a few places, especially with the pantheon (The mention of Chaos, by the way, is something of a long-running in-joke between the aforementioned girl and me; try not to take it too seriously). The cameo of the Tiamat Unit is somewhat self-indulgent as well, I'm aware. In both cases, I considered the matter for a long time before saying "to hell with it," and decided to go all-out, damn the torpedos and full speed ahead. In the end, I'm satisfied with that decision, and if somebody doesn't agree with that, well, I can't please everyone.

It's been a hell of a couple years, for me. I moved to a new condo, lost my job when HQ went bankrupt, spent several months on the dole before finding another, and am now biting the bullet and finally giving my long-term future some actual consideration as opposed to sticking with, "Will this paycheck give me enough leeway for some booze, and if so, how much?" Part of that involved me, unfortunately, having no choice but to call an unceremonious halt following Book 2 for several months. For that, I apologize, but there was no way around it. Sometimes real life takes precedence, and a lot was going on at the time.

To make matters worse, in a spectacular display of my below-average intelligence, I made the foolish decision to throw up a preview of my next work on June 4 of last year, promising that I would continue it exactly one year later, a date of major significance in that particular series. At the time, I assumed I'd be finished, or close enough, that it wouldn't cause much of a problem. WRONGO. Instead, I've been forced to try and keep them _both _regularly updated side-by-side over the last four months, a decision which contributed greatly to already-present anger management problems.

In the end, I came close, but wasn't quite able to pull it out on time (the aforementioned hiatus aside). I suppose I should be glad that I'm _only _throwing this up two days after I wanted to, but it's still irritating. Ah well, them's the breaks, and with this one out of the way the other project should be much less aggravating, with any luck. Not to mention, I'll actually be able to get back to side projects, both public and personal, as well as planning for the future, writing-wise.

This seems like a good point to talk about that, so I might as well. At the moment, I'm working on Mega Man X: Ghosts Of The Machine. If you have any interest at all in the series, take a look; I'm aware that it starts off a little slow, but there's a reason for that, and I think there's enough there to keep it interesting long enough for the pace to pick up, at which point... well, let's not spoil anything, shall we? I've put a ridiculous amount of effort into setting everything up for it over several years now, and so has another author by the name of Erico, who's somewhat more well-known than I.

Trust me. It'll be worth it.

For that matter, we're both working with several other authors on collaborative effort, Mega Man X: Maverick Hunters, which I _really _need to get back to. There's only one chapter up so far, but with luck a second one will be along fairly soon, so take a look at that too, if you've got the time. As for the long-term, I'm currently planning _another _collaboration with _another _prospective author of my acquaintance, but I'm not spilling any of the details on that one. That's a matter for the future, as is one more solo work, way down the line. That one's gonna be a while.

It's that last one which will most likely be what could be called my "swan song," in the world of fanfiction, something which several long-time readers have been picking up on. It's been fun, but I don't want to write fanfiction all my life, and I think I'm _almost _to the point where I'm ready to try getting something original published. Of course, knowing the publishing industry it'll probably be the better part of a decade before I actually _succeed_, but that still starts with me actually getting the stories written, and I'm starting to cobble together a couple possible ideas.

On that note, I'm afraid that anybody asking me for a novelization of Breath Of Fire 3 or 4 is going to be disappointed. I'm only human, and I've only got so much time, just like anybody else. It'd be fun, as would what I've taken to calling Breath Of Fire Zero, AKA the First Dragon War that serves as the backstory for Breath Of Fire 1, but I just don't have the time for it. That being said, just for the hell of it, here's my personal timeline for the series in condensed form. Note that the years given are not actually "in-canon" dates; I'm just using them to give a general idea of the basic timeframe.  
1000 BC: Breath of Fire 4. The world was an entirely different place, almost completely unrecognizable from what it would become in later games, save for the slow evolution of new Clans. The Endless (aka, Gods) had not yet truly made their mark on the world yet; all three who had come to the world (Ladon, Myria and Deis, who is technically a Demigoddess who COULD become fully "immortal" any time she wanted to, and doesn't for reasons of her own) were still learning about it. Advanced technology flourished, which Myria in particular would take a strong interest in. Eventually, some sort of cataclysm would occur, which would shatter society all over the world and cause a _huge_ regression, after which the term "lost technology" would be coined to refer to surviving remnants from the fallen era.  
*Author's Note: Yeah, you're going to have to use your imagination for what the hell could have happened to revert society back about two thousand years, technologically. Even I don't have an answer for that one, but _something _happened.

0 BC/AD: Breath Of Fire Zero. The First Dragon War, referred to in the backstory of Breath Of Fire 1 and 3. This is the first real example of "the system" that fate and destiny use to resolve capital-p Problems showing up. Specifically, Myria, who at this point is turning all the nations of the world against each other for her own amusement, resulting in war and death all over the place. Enter the second Nina, a determined young princess from one of the most civilized nations, who goes to seek an alliance with the scion of one of the _least_, a bandit chief and wildman who just so happens to be the second Ryu.

Eventually, with the help of five more friends (including Deis, who's doing the whole "sleep for centuries then wake up to save the world" thing for the first time), they end up both defeating the Dark Dragon Empire, who were the primary instigators, and exposing Myria as the source of the evil. This prompts her to retreat to her personal flying fortress of Obelisk and call up her secret servants, the demons of Infinity.  
Ryu, Nina and their friends led a massive frontal assault on Obelisk, one joined by all the nations of the world, even the remnants of the Dark Dragon Empire; Gandaroof, who was a Grass Man at this time, is a veteran of that battle, as are the Demon Lords Barubary, Aruhameral and Kuwadora (Habaruku/Yuna was busy elsewhere at the time, naturally). Through the use of Agni Anfini, the heroes were able to defeat Myria, though not to slay her. Instead, with Ladon's direct assistance, they sealed her in the island fortress of Pagoda, locked away by seven artifacts known as the Goddess Keys.  
*Author's Note: In case it wasn't obvious, I actually have just as clear a mental picture in my head of how this one went, start to finish, as the other two games. If I had forever, it'd be nice to write this one out, but alas...

1000 AD: Breath Of Fire 1, aka the Second Dragon War. A thousand years have passed since the First, weakening the seal on Pagoda slightly, enough for Myria's spirit to reach out and corrupt a pair of promising Dark Dragon youths who believed themselves to be their nation's hope (how exactly she did this is unknown; it's possible Habaruku/Yuna may have been involved, as that seems like the kind of thing he'd do).

One of these men was the Crown Prince, and the other a high-ranking noble's son, his most trusted friend. They would become Emperor Zog and Jade, the Gold Lord, commander of the Empire's ultra-powered arch-freak team, the Tiamat Unit. Along with corrupting him, Jade's Myria-induced visions led him to each member in turn, at which point the insanity would spread to each of them as well; Cerl, the White Assassin, Cort, the Blue Alchemist, Goda, the Black Warrior, and Mote, the Red Dreamer (who was barely old enough to walk at that point).

The five of them, each a one-man army in his own right, would "avenge" a troubled past on Cerl's part due to discrimination for her half-Dark Dragon blood by PERSONALLY committing genocide against her mother's people, the Fusion Clan, the Empire's closest geographical neighbors. With this action, the Dark Dragon Empire boldly announces its intentions; world domination, and the freedom of Myria.  
Only once the entire western half of the world was under their control, and major action was set into motion against each remaining nation in the east, did Zog and Jade make their fatal mistake; launching a preemptive strike against the Light Dragons, who until that point had been living in rural isolation, unlike their ambitious cousins. There would be two results of that attack. First, Jade would discover among his final recruit, the last member destined to join the Tiamat Unit. Sara, the Silver Priestess, elder sister of The Third Ryu, who would be corrupted into insanity like the others.

The other was to gain the hatred of said Third Ryu, who immediately set off on a solitary journey to bring down the Dark Dragon Empire, rescue his sister and kill Emperor Zog. The first stage of his journey was set in the eastern half in the world, where one by one, he traveled to each country currently undergoing Dark Dragon military aggression and repel them, while reinforcing the need of said countries to form an alliance against the Empire.

In the process, he gained allies from most of the nations in question, before moving on to do so as well in the country of Gant, which had been previously conquered. By freeing Gant from Dark Dragon occupation and winning a decisive battle outside the gates of the undersea city-state of Prima, The Third Ryu, The Third Nina, Deis, and four more heroes made it undeniably clear that they were a threat to the entire Empire.  
In response, Emperor Zog deployed the Tiamat Unit in Ryu's path as he continued his rampage, now in the lands of the west. One by one, he freed those nations as well, recruiting the last member of his team in the process. One by one, three members of the Tiamat Unit fell before him. At the same time, he continued gathering the Goddess Keys, until six were in his hands and only one remained in those of Zog's.

Unfortunately, when they finally reached Scande, Jade was able to manipulate him into slaying Zog (it seemed even the Gold Lord feared the Emperor's power in a confrontation) before handing over the Goddess Keys to Sara, whose betrayal they were unaware of until too late. Sara then proceeded to give her life holding the heroes off while Jade and Goda awakened Myria, who resurrected Obelisk. With nothing to lose, the heroes launched a desperate final strike with the intent of killing all three, and despite the odds, they succeeded. The world was saved, and a Goddess was slain.  
*Author's Note: It's been seven years since I wrote this one, and there's been significant style change since then. In some ways, this story is more of a spiritual successor than a literal one to that story; there are several discrepancies, mainly things I now notice I failed to convey adequately back then, but decided to roll with as if I had anyways.

2000 AD: Breath Of Fire 2. You already know this one; it's what you've been reading.  
*Author's Note: Duh.

3000 AD: Breath Of Fire 3. The end of this 'fic provided some foreshadowing as to what's going to happen in the next thousand years to set the stage for this game; use your imagination.

*Author's Note: Yeah, I'm actually content with this one ending the series.

Right then. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to proceed to something more interesting. Namely, reader feedback, and answering questions, at least those which aren't A. already answered by the story itself at a later point from when they were asked and B. aren't the incoherent blatherings of a total shit (yeah, that happened, unfortunately. I dealt with it). There'll be a lot of them this time, but that's to be expected, for obvious reasons.

Cypsiman2 spotted a geographical error I made, which I corrected; thanks. Other errors in typography were spotted by Prinny333, Anmynous, and The Supreme Dragon Knight (in unrelated news, I may need a proofreader for the industry). WhiteFangOfWar pointed out that I have a tendency to write a world of wiseass characters, which... I will plead guilty to. Call it my Zelazny and Eddings influence showing through (not to mention Martin, Butcher and Sanderson). The worst part is, I actually _wasn't trying _to write Rand, Mina, and Elder Allen as wiseasses (especially not Mina), but somehow, it still came through automatically (seriously? _Mina?_ Am I really _that _bad, guys?)

That being said, I did put a major effort into giving all of the major characters unique personalities, and distinct speech patterns; which is to say, if a line from Sten could have been easily spoken by Rand instead, I'd rewrite it. Hopefully that at least made all their _patterns _of wisecracks distinctive? I definitely didn't want to write Nina and Katt with the same sense of humor. And yes, Nina does have a sense of humor in-game, even with that translation. Hers is one of the most subtle of all the characters, even more than Jean's, but it's there.

Really, Windia is an early indication that yeah, this story's going to be complex, and it's not going to be pleasant. One of the things I love about Breath Of Fire is how complicated the worldbuilding actually was. Each society and nation was distinct, the geography was highly detailed, hell, even the random monster encounters practically formed an actual ecology. That being said, being "low" fantasy, that highly detailed world isn't a particularly pleasant one to live in. This game got a lot past the radar, back in the day, and not just in the obvious ways, either.

Bonar points something important out, if you want to get into this sort of thing for real one day; make sure your worlds are geographically accurate. Don't try and get away with having your characters travel across the world on foot in a month, or hell, in a lot of months. When it comes to covering great amounts of distance, you're gonna need some other method of travel. He and Anmynous also bring up my inclusion of the Renew spell, for which I can only say that I prefer explaining a game mechanic to pretending it doesn't exist, which I'm sure is noticeable by now.

Anmynous also asks about Faraday Cages, but I'm pretty sure nobody's ever tried one of those that's solid plate in contact with your body from head to toe, and I don't think they'd want to. Then again, I got a C- in loser school science, so I might not be the best person to ask about that. Still, pretty sure. And as for his comment on Patty, it's been ten years, and she didn't have her wings back then. Dragon's Tongue pointed out that I look upon all the characters, with Jean, with equal favor; he might be the Krillin, but he's the Krillin of _this team_, and yes, he really is smarter than he acts, if not much.

WhiteFangOfWar pointed that out that as well, along with how the whole thing with the Demon Lords having a verbal tic of saying their own names started with a bad Metal Gear Solid 3 joke, but I actually ended up liking the effect with Kuwadora so much I spread it to Shupukay, Aruhameral, Necromanson and Habaruku too (while I'm on the note of the demon lords, you might note that I _abused _the translation for them, in order to make their names sound as Lovecraft-y as possible. It actually works, I think, so hey, silver linings).

He and Cypsiman2 also pointed out that of all the demons in the game, I always found Trout to be more pathetic than threatening, and made use of that impression (using M.C. Tusk for comedic purposes later on, which Ngrey651 and WhiteFangOfWar comment on, is an entirely different thing). Prinny333 points out something else I try to keep up with in terms of realism these days; live like this, and you'll have long-term damage, even with white magic. The small stuff that's left over does still accumulate.

A _lot _of people had various opinions on the recap at the beginning of book three, while the one in book two went unremarked on, strangely. Still, some of them _did _actually figure out what I was going for there. If/when I get published, if I get a series, it actually is important to include something like that for people who start with a later book. They do exist, especially in libraries, where the entire series might not be available. Granted, that's not the case here, but I divided this story into three books for a reason; I'm doing this as practice for when I try to get published, and that means writing it like I will when I do.

A lot of people _also _had opinions on how the fight with Tiga went, which was a new one on me; as I commented to my friends, "This is the first time my readers have gotten pissed off at me for being _too _accurate." Guys, that's how it _goes _in the game. Tiga steamrolls you, and even if you use items to keep it going for a while, it's obvious that he's kicking your ass into next week and making plans to be there then so you land on his foot for a field goal. He's _meant _to be far stronger than Ryu, and to shatter his (and your) belief that he can take anything, if it's really important.

Several people noticed another thing; specifically, that I tended to "buff up" the Demon Lords in their fights for dramatic purposes. This, I'll plead guilty to, though the only one I consider to be gratuitous is Aruhameral; Kuwadora and Necromanson barely needed much, and Barubary... yeah, no. Habaruku and Shupukay, on the other hand, don't need as much as you'd think; the ease with which their fights normally go has to do with flaws in the game's enemy AI rather than their actual repertoire of spells, like most "magic" bosses. If Habaruku decides to spam Missile or Bolt-X, you're going down.

Another often-commented on point brings up the fact that I went with the "good" ending. Really, in my mind, there was no choice in the matter at all. I've been called a "dark" author, although I prefer to think of myself as a realist, which is a different thing from being a cynic (but don't they all?). With that in mind, I actually have a weak spot for happy endings. And not having gotten a chance to write one in years (my last three 'fics all had either downers or bittersweets), yeah, I wasn't gonna do that to these guys.

DragonRaiderX9 suggested that I need a forum, which... I will admit to being flattered by, but come on, guys. I think it's safe to say I have a _little _bit of a rep by now, but I don't think it's _quite _large enough to justify _that_. Seriously, none of these even have so much as a Tvtropes page, not even this one. On the note of feeling complimented, skygunner58203 brought up that a friend of his apparently prints this out to read to his kids, which... I'm also flattered by, but since that came in response to a chapter containing the most gratuitously violent death scene I've _ever _written, er... yeah...

In the previously mentioned spirit of "What the hell, go with it," I went ahead and threw in a Fate/Stay Night joke in reference to the High Priest's name of "Ryu Rider." Hey, I had to say _something _about those five guys, and the titles were matchable to the mural of those seven in Breath Of Fire 3. Between that and the Tengen Toppen Gurren Lagaan reference (and a lot more, too) it should be apparent by now that I might not watch or read as much anime and manga as a lot of people on the internet, but when I do, it's the well-written stuff (One Piece 4 Lief, Yo (Ho Ho)).

I've already remarked on the blatant self-indulgence which was the Tiamat Unit's cameo, which I suppose was fairly noticeable, but oh well, it worked out even better than I'd hoped. Detective Dorian pointed out something of a personal credo of mine; I finish what I start, no matter how long it takes, and I do my damn best to keep it on a schedule. This, again, is something I figure is gonna be important to be able to do, if I want to get published.

Finally, the Bad Hat Hooligan figured out the direction I tried to go with Ladon, who had no personality at all in the game, leaving me to work with him completely from scratch. Ladon is good, but flawed. He's made decisions he regrets, but he made them anyways, and yet he does everything he can to make up for them all the same. I think it's an interesting route for the "Father" of a pantheon. On that note, I have things on all the principle characters I meant to convey. I even wrote character essays on each member of the team, and the profiles in my notes are the most extensive I've ever written.

Niro, like Ladon, was more or less mine to do with as I pleased, and so I went with the "ordinary bloke mentor with a much more interesting past than you'd think, although it's never revealed, just hinted at." Needless to say, none of that was in the game, but I wanted to make it apparent that yes, he really is a member of the team as well. I also gave expanded roles to Patty, Ray and Tiga, maintaining the spirit of the former's identity while still doing something about it in the ending, expanding the second's relationships with the party, and humanizing the third's mistakes.

Deis is more complicated. I always saw her somewhat flat character in 2, as opposed to her more active personality in one, as something akin to a mask she puts on to hide the fact that her long lifespan is finally getting to her. I figured that bringing that out, and expanding on everything she's been through, would be the best way to develop her. On a similar note, Spar is a highly intelligent, coldly logical member of a species completely alien to society even in _this _world, and it's worth noticing when it overcomes that gap towards the end of the game.

Jean, as mentioned before, is the "joke" character, but even he has secret potential, if you know the secret. I did my best to portray that while keeping the comic relief aspect intact; like Gobi in War Of The Dragons, he's the most likely to get smacked around. Sten, on the other hand, is a deadly serious character despite his position as the jokester trickster. The part of the game dealing with Highland is brutal, as anything dealing realistically with the horrors of war and "shell shock" is by necessity, and I chose to drive up how different Sten was before then.

Nina is commonly viewed as one of the most "morally good" team members, but like Deis, I always saw that as more of a front than anything. She can, in fact, be cold and sarcastic at times, and deep down inside she's an incredibly depressed and cynical girl. This is a strong hint that even though she grew up much more privileged than most of the rest of the team, she's got a past that's just as nasty, if not worse.

Rand is more simple, but I tried to do what I could even with him, making him the voice of common sense and reason who's surrounded by teenagers and people who act like teenagers. That being said, his Namandian faith and his more pacifistic nature than the others were fun to work with, and he's never going to be the same as before he discovered his own killer instinct at a far later age than the rest of them.

Katt's development in the game was mostly focused around Tiga, so here I tried to give her more while keeping her personality consistent as the habitually cheerful, highly violent girl with anger management issues in opposition to basic optimism despite (or perhaps in spite of) how hard her life's been. Note that she's the only one in the group who has absolutely _no _given backstory whatsoever (aside from Niro), and also that she's the only one whose distant future is anybody's guess. I had fun with that one, and no, I'm not going to explain it. Interpret it as you will.

Bow gets a lot more characterization early on, so with him it was simply a matter of continuing it. He's a positive version of the Artful Dodger, a cheerful teenage rogue who's constantly swearing he'll go straight, honest, after this one last job. And he actually does try, it's just harder than he thought it would be. Giving Silvia a greater role in the story worked well towards expanding Bow's willingness to settle down, and how he grows because of that.

Finally, we have Ryu Bateson himself. What can I say about him that hasn't already been said? He's an optimist, unlike most of my heroes (although I might not have portrayed that entirely correctly). He grew up rough and tough, and because of that he's casually homicidal on occasion, but he's got a sense of humor and he's honest about who he is. All he really wants and needs is another family like the one he lost, and over time he builds one for himself, though the color of his Dragon's Tear when pointed at himself shows his self-confidence as not much higher than Nina's.

He just hides his issues better, is all, and he's sure as hell got issues. Everybody in the party does. Shitloads of 'em. But that's understandable, really, with the kind of lives they've led. Rather than magically overcoming those issues, I prefer to write how people come to terms with them, accept them, and figure out how to be high-functioning regardless. It's probably not mentally healthy, but sometimes, it's all you can do. That, and find people who know what it's like and accept you, which is a major theme of this story. These people _need _each other. Desperately. It shows. There are worse things in life.

Now then, it seems some thank-yous are in order, to some longtime friends of mine and one or two others as well. Erico, my mentor, who's trudging the same road of contemplating wrestling with the publishing industry as me; you may not actually read this one, Bardman, but I owe you all the same, just for everything you taught me. By the same token, Quill, I told you before that you were a major influence on this one, and I meant it. All the additional focus on characterization was because I saw how well it worked in your stuff, and you've done wonders for my grammar and style as well.

Matt, amigo, as always I appreciate your conversation, your comments, and your occasional criticism, no matter how much I grumble and growl. Audrey, if you ever read this, this one wouldn't have been the same without throwing crazy ideas about this series back and forth with you for all these years. One last thank-you goes to Ben Siron, even if I _know _he'll never read this; his incredibly comprehensive _encyclopedia _on GameFAQs was unbelievably useful.

Oh, and there's some crazy girl who keeps coming around here too, who helped me with ideas, drew me some fanart that she refuses to put online, and teamed up with me to create a _Character Songtrack_, which is a personal first for me (it's twenty-six songs on two CDs, and contains more than a dozen different genres, though our personal tastes inclined towards heavy metal and punk rock show. I'd put the list in this Author's Note, but I'm pretty sure that same dumbass policy against "lists" I got busted for eight years ago is still in effect, and I don't want to go down twice for that). Thanks, I guess.

What else is there to say? Ah, yes, there's still the matter of the Love Triangle. Specifically, with how I _didn't resolve it. _Again, sorry, but that's _how it goes_, in the game. It doesn't _say _who. Thus, if I wanted to keep it accurate, I had to keep it perfectly balanced all the way to the end. I hope I managed to pull that off; it was interesting, at least, and I learned a lot about writing romance. I do, in fact, have an opinion on the matter, but I did my best to stay neutral; fortunately, that opinion is balanced out by my personal taste in women, which is in the opposite direction. And no, I'm not saying which is which. Figure it out yourself.

All right, almost done, and if you actually cared enough to keep reading this far, good on you; I know a lot of readers don't even bother with my Author's Notes, and while that normally irritates me, looking at this one, I could understand that sentiment. Before I finish it off, though, there's one last thing. Give it to me honestly, folks. How'd I do? Good? Bad? How was the main plot, the characterization, the romance, the action, the drama, the suspense? What are my strengths, and what are my weaknesses? I don't care if it's criticism, as long as it's constructive; I can take it.

More importantly, I _need _it, if I'm going to continue to improve. And that is something else in which the choice is obvious, to me. From this, and from everything else I've written. If you liked this one, but haven't read anything else by me, give some of the others a shot when you have the time (just... start with my more recent stuff. Please). I might not have put _quite _as much depth into them as I did this, but I still did pretty good.

On a final note, thanks, guys, for sticking with me this long. I may not be the most talkative guy in the world, by inclination; I'm the silent type, in any context, unless I'm doing my "Uncle Mikey" schtick (long story). But I appreciate it, all the same, even if I don't say much. Maybe sometime soon, I'll be able to figure out a way of communicating with my (couple dozen) readers more frequently than Author's Notes and profile updates. In the meantime, shoot me a PM any time you want. I promise, I don't bite unless you sign the form.

All right, that about does it, and tomorrow's going to suck ass at work because of sleep deprivation, but I figured I'd kept you all waiting long enough as it was. If you'll excuse me, I should probably do what I can about that. See yas all around, at least until the nukes fall. I'm off to start a political blog in which I throw scathing insults towards everybody on the entire modern spectrum, no matter their alignment, with the sole exception of Jesse Ventura. Or maybe I'll just get blasted on whiskey and pass out. Yeah, that should just about do it. I'm done.

_~Magus523, October 10, 2012 _


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